Η σημασία του κριτικού συλλογικού αναστοχασμού των εκπαιδευτικών για την επαγγελματική τους ανάπτυξη

Abstract

This paper highlights the crucial role of critical collective reflection, centered on reflective teaching, in promoting teachers’ professional development. Critical reflection, as defined by theorists such as Dewey (1933), Freire (1985), Freire & Shor (1987), Mezirow (1990, 1998, 2022), and Brookfield (1995a, 1997, 2006, 2012), is an active and systematic process of re-examining educators’ assumptions, values, and practices with the aim of fostering informed action, as well as personal and professional growth. Collective reflection, implemented within collaborative groups, encourages the creation of shared meanings, the exchange of experiences, and the enhancement of professional learning through dialogue and interaction among teachers. Through this process, educators cultivate critical thinking, improve their teaching practices, and strengthen self-awareness and collaboration. Reflective teaching, as a topic of discussion and evaluation within collective reflection groups, contributes significantly to teachers’ professional development. Critical collective reflection fosters the development of professional learning communities, empowers educators, and improves educational practice, functioning as a key driver of personal and professional transformation while promoting the values of freedom, social justice, and democracy.