Reflection in Medical Education:

Multiple Choice Questions

1. If a teacher her teaching enables the students to learn, comprehend, understand the related
concepts and perform behavioural actions based on learning, the teaching level is
----------------------
a. Memory level teaching
b. Understanding Level Teaching
c. Application Level Teaching
d. Reflective level teaching
Teaching levels refer to the depth of understanding and application achieved through
instruction. These levels progress from basic knowledge acquisition to higher-order thinking
skills. They include stages like recall, understanding, application, analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation.
• Key Points
Reflective Level Teaching goes beyond the transmission of information and aims to cultivate
a deep understanding, critical thinking skills, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world
contexts, fostering a lifelong love for learning. fI a teacher, through her teaching, enables
students to learn, comprehend, understand related concepts, and perform behavioural actions
based on learning, the teaching level is Reflective Level. This level of teaching is
characterized by deep engagement and thoughtful pedagogy.
A. Promotes Critical Thinking:
• Reflective Level Teaching encourages students to think critically and engage in deep
cognitive processes.
• Students are not just memorizing information but are encouraged to analyze, synthesize,
and apply their understanding to real-world situations.
B. Fosters Understanding and Comprehension:
• The emphasis is on ensuring that students truly understand the concepts rather than rote
memorization.
• The teacher employs various instructional strategies to facilitate comprehension, such as
discussions, hands-on activities, and real-life examples.
C. Encourages Application of Knowledge:
• Reflective teaching goes beyond theoretical knowledge and encourages students to apply
what they've learned in practical situations.
• This application could involve solving problems, conducting experiments, or
demonstrating a skill, fostering a deeper level of learning.
D. Connects Learning to Real-Life Contexts:
• Teachers at the Reflective Level strive to make connections between classroom learning
and real-life contexts.
• This helps students see the relevance of what they are learning, enhancing their
motivation and understanding.
E. Addresses Diverse Learning Styles:
• Recognizing that students have diverse learning styles, a reflective teacher employs a
variety of instructional methods to cater to different preferences.
• This could include visual aids, group activities, discussions, and hands-on experiences.
F. Promotes Self-Reflection:
• Reflective-level teaching also extends to the teacher's practices.
• Teachers engage in self-reflection, continually evaluating and adjusting their instructional
methods to enhance effectiveness.
G. Assessment Emphasizes Understanding:
• Assessment methods focus on evaluating not just memorization but the depth of
understanding and the ability to apply knowledge.
H. This could involve project-based assessments, open-ended questions, and performance
assessments.
Thus, it is concluded that if a teacher through her teaching enables the students to learn, comprehend,
understand the related concepts, and perform behavioural actions based on learning, the teaching level
is Reflective Level Teaching.
* Additional Information

Teaching Level Description

Memory Level Teaching Focus on recalling facts or information from memory.
Understanding Level Teaching Emphasis on comprehension and grasping the meaning of
concepts.
Application Level Teaching Application of knowledge in solving problems or real-life
situations.

2. When judgements are based on the information present in our memories, we are using the:
a. Heuristic
b. Confirmation Bias
c. Representative Heuristic
d. Availability Heuristic
A heuristic is a mental shortcut or rule of thumb used for problem-solving or decision-making. It's a
practical strategy that is not guaranteed to be optimal but is efficient for quick judgments. Heuristics
help in simplifying complex tasks by focusing on the most relevant aspects of information.
The Availability Heuristic is a cognitive bias where judgments are influenced by the ease with which
information comes to mind or how readily available it is in our memories.
• Definition: The Availability Heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that
come to mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision.
• Ease of Recall: People tend to rely on information that is more easily recalled or readily available,
assuming that if something comes to mind quickly, it must be more common or
important.
• Memory Influence: It's rooted in the idea that our judgments and decisions are often shaped by the
information stored in our memory, and our memory is not always an accurate reflection of reality.
• Media Influence: The media plays a significant role in shaping the availability of information.
Events that receive extensive media coverage may be perceived as more prevalent or important. •
Vividness Effect: Vivid or emotionally charged events are more memorable and, consequently, more
likely to be used in the decision-making process.
• Limited Information: The Availability Heuristic can lead to biased decisions as it relies on a
limited set of information, often overlooking more comprehensive or accurate data.
• Impacts Decision Making: It affects various aspects of decision-making, from everyday judgments
to more complex choices, and can lead to suboptimal decisions when critical information is not
readily available.
• Overcoming Bias: Recognizing the influence of the Availability Heuristic is crucial for making
more informed decisions. Actively seeking diverse sources of information and considering a broader
range of possibilities can help mitigate the effects of this cognitive bias.
Thus, it is concluded that When judgements are based on the information present in our memories, we
are using the Availability Heuristic.

3. According to Brown and Clufflectelli Parker, which of the following are the elements of
cooperative learning?
a. Individual Accountability
b. Demonstration
c. Brainstorming
d. Group processing
e. Social skills
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
a. B, C and E only
 b. A, D and E only
c. B and D only
d. C and D only

According to Brown and Ciuffetelli Parker, the elements of cooperative learning -

• However, based on research in the field, particularly from educational researchers Johnson,
Johnson, and Holubec, the essential elements of cooperative learning include:
1. Positive Interdependence: This means that the group members rely on each other and understand
that everyone's success is linked. They need each other to achieve the goal.
2. Individual Accountability: Each member of the group is responsible for their learning and work,
and contributes to the group's success.
3. Promotive Interaction: Group members support and help each other in achieving the group's
goals.
4. Group Processing: The group reflects on its progress and determines how to improve.
5. Social Skills: Group members learn to effectively collaborate, communicate, and resolve conflicts,
among other social skills.
From these elements, options A, C, and E (Individual Accountability, Group Processing, and Social
Skills) are part of cooperative learning

4. Which level of teaching involves the development of problem-solving abilities, constructive

and critical thinking skills, and original and innovative thinking power of the learners?
a. Memory level of teaching
b. Understanding the level of teaching
c. Reflective level of teaching
d. None of the above

Levels of Teaching:

Memory Level of Teaching:

• The memory level of teaching is the most basic level where the teacher
focuses on providing knowledge, and the learners' focus is on memorizing
the pre-learnt information and recalling it in the desired situation.
• The main objective of this level is to facilitate rote memorization of facts
and concepts. John F. Herbart is the exponent of the memory level of
teaching.
• Herbart has divided the level into five steps, known as Herbart's Five
Formula Steps. These steps are Preparation, Statement of Aim,
Presentation, Comparison, Generalizations, and Application. The main
social system members at this level are the pupil and teacher.
Understanding Level of Teaching:
• The understanding level of teaching involves presenting the instructions in more
detailedly and helping the students form generalizations and principles. The
teacher provides more opportunities for the students to develop their intellectual
and reasoning abilities. H.C. Morrison is the exponent of this level.
• This level aims to help learners master the content taught so that a desired change
can be seen in their personality.
• This level is divided into five steps - Exploration, Presentation, Assimilation,
Organization, and Recitation. Both objective and subjective items are used in the
test at this level, and both the teacher and learner have an active role in the social
system. Reflective Level of Teaching:
• A reflective level of teaching provides a teaching-learning environment which is
more critical, open and experiential. It is the most advanced level of the teaching-
learning method, which encourages more discussions, and sharing of thoughts
and promotes creative and original thinking.
 • The main exponents of this level are Biggie and Hunt. The main objectives of
this level are to develop the problem-solving abilities, constructive and
critical thinking skills, and original and innovative thinking power of the
learners.
• This level has four steps -Presenting the problem to the learners, formulation of
the hypothesis, collection of the data by the learners that is required to test the
hypothesis, and based on the analysis of the data, results are derived by the
learners who are original ideas of the learners.
• At this level, the learners play a major role in the social system, and the
subjective viewpoint of the learners should be evaluated. The learners' critical
thinking skills and creative competencies should also be evaluated.

Therefore the correct answer is the Reflective level of teaching.

5. Which one of the following is true about Reflective teaching?

a. Teaching via lecture method
b. Cyclic process of thinking about teaching
c. Process of thinking about researches
d. Process of preaching

Reflective Teaching:
• Reflective teaching is a cyclic process of thinking about teaching. It involves planning,
acting, observing, and reflecting. Teachers who engage ni reflective teaching constantly
think about how to improve their teaching practices. They are not afraid to experiment
and try new things. They are also open to feedback from their students and colleagues.
Here are the four steps of reflective teaching:
• Planning: In this stage, the teacher plans their lesson. They consider the learning objectives, the
content, the activities, a n d the assessment.
• Acting: In this stage, the teacher teaches the lesson. They implement the plan and interact with the
students.
• Observing: In this stage, het teacher observes the students' learning. They look for evidence of
student understanding and engagement.
• Reflecting: In this stage, the teacher reflects on the lesson. They consider what went well, what
could be improved, and what they learned.
Reflective teaching is a valuable tool for teachers. It helps them to improve their teaching practices
and to become more effective educators. Hence, Reflective teaching is a cyclic process of thinking
about teaching.

6. According to Brown and Ciufflectelli Parker, which of the following are the elements of
cooperative learning?
a. Individual Accountability
b. Demonstration
c. Brainstorming
d. Group processing
e. Social Skills
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
a. B, C and E only
b. A, D and E only
c. B and D only
d. C and D only

According to Brown and Cuffetelli Parker, the elements of cooperative learning –

However, based on research in the field, particularly from educational researchers Johnson, Johnson,
and Holubec, the essential elements of cooperative learning include:
1. Positive Interdependence: This means that the group members rely on each other and understand
that everyone's success is linked. They need each other to achieve the goal.
2. Individual Accountability: Each member of the group is responsible for their own learning and
work, and contributes to the group's success.
3. Promotive Interaction: Group members support and help each other in achieving the group's
goals.
4. Group Processing: The group reflects on its progress and determines how to improve.
5. Social Skills: Group members learn to effectively collaborate, communicate, and resolve conflicts,
among other social skills.
From these elements, options A, C, and E (Individual Accountability, Group Processing, and Social
Skills) are part of cooperative learning

7. Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as
Reason R
Assertion A): The quality of reflection is determined by the ability to match teaching
behaviour to the established codes
Reason R): In the technical approach to reflection propositional knowledge is reflected upon
and then applied to practice
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
1. Both A) and R) are true and R) is the correct explanation of A)
2. Both A) and R) are true but R) is not the correct explanation of A)
3. A) is true but R) is false
4. A) is false but R) is true
Reflective Teaching Question 7 Detailed Solution
Reflective teaching
• It is a process where teachers think over their teaching practices, analyzing how
something was taught and how the practice might be improved or changed for better
learning outcomes.
• It means looking at what you do in the classroom, thinking about why you do it, and
thinking about if it works a process of self-observation and self-evaluation.
• By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analyzing and
evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying
beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching.
• It involves examining one's underlying beliefs about teaching and learning and one's
alignment with actual classroom practice before, during, and after a course is taught.
• It is therefore a means of professional development that begins in our classroom.
• It operates as an umbrella term denoting various approaches, including teaching
inventories and observation protocols, self-assessments, and consideration of student
evaluations.
• When teaching reflectively, instructors think critically about their teaching and problem-
solve for recurring issues, rather than relying on unchanging, established personal norms.
• The concept of reflective practice has found wide application in the field of education,
for learners, teachers, and those who teach teachers (teacher educators). Tsangaridou &
O'Sullivan (1997) define reflection in education as "the act of thinking about, analyzing,
assessing, or altering educational meanings, intentions, beliefs, decisions, actions, or
products by focusing on the process of achieving them.
• The primary purpose of this action is to structure, adjust, generate, refine, restructure, or
alter knowledge and actions that inform practice.
For students
• Students can benefit from engaging in reflective practice as it can foster the
critical thinking and decision making necessary for continuous learning and
improvement.
• When students are engaged in reflection, they are thinking about how their work
meets established criteria; they analyze the effectiveness of their efforts and plan for
improvement.
For teachers:
• The concept of reflective practice is now widely employed in the field of teacher
education and teacher professional development and many programs of initial teacher
education claim to espouse it.
• Education professor Hope Hartman has described the reflective practice ni education as
teacher metacognition.
• Teaching and learning are complex processes, and there is no one right approach.
Reflecting on different approaches to teaching, and reshaping the understanding of past
and current experiences, can lead to an improvement in teaching practices.
Teaching behavior:
• Teaching Behavior goes well beyond setting classroom rules, communicating
consequences, and providing the usual pits on engaging students and building
relationships.
• It draws on the most current evidence-based practices and rich, real-world examples to
get to the heart of effective teaching.
Propositional knowledge:
• Propositional knowledge is the knowledge that some proposition is true.
• Propositional knowledge requires that the satisfaction of its belief condition be suitably
related to the satisfaction of its true condition.
• In other words, a knower must have an adequate indication that a belief qualifying as
knowledge is actually true.

Conclusion:

Reflective teaching poses the question, 'Who reflects on what?'. It is the rethinking of teachers over
what they have done in a classroom situation. They analyze what they have taught and how they can
step up what they have done for a better learning outcome. Reflective teaching is learning more about
what a teacher has done by reflecting on it. The process of reflective teaching relates to the concept of
development, education, and training. By these concepts, we can understand that some skills,
instruments, and strategies can be taught to enable teachers to become reflective. Thus teaching
behaviour is a determinant of reflection, where a teacher analyzes which factor is missing in teaching.
In the case of propositional knowledge, first, it is analyzed as it is based on belief and then it is
applied in real-life situations. Hence, option (2) is correct, as both the sentences are not inter-related
but are correct.

8. Which of the following will form the basis for self-evaluation for a student teacher?
a. Students’ level of participation
b. Satisfaction of parents about students’ progress
c. Students performance in the test
d. Student-teacher perception about himself/herself
e. Peer group feedback
f. Feedback from mentor
Select your answer from the codes given below:
1. (a), (b) and (c)
2. (a), (c) and (b)
3. (a), (d) and (f)
4. (a), (c) and (d)

Self Evaluation
• Self-evaluation is the process of examining your own performance.
• It involves one being aware of their strengths and weaknesses and being aware of how
they affect their tasks.
• Self-evaluation is an essential part of performance evaluation because it gives an
opportunity to assess one's achievement.
The following will form the basis for self-evaluation for a student-teacher:
• Students' level of participation: when a student performs in activities or learning tasks It
is a direct indication that they are actively engaged in the learning process for both the
teacher and student.
• Student performance in the test: Student performance in the test gives detailed details
about their achievement which will also in return tell how much the teacher is able to
achieve through his or her teaching.
• Student-teacher perception about himself/herself: one's perception of themselves
affects their self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses.

Hence, we can infer that the fourth option is accurate.

9. Which of the following action words when emphasized in Teacher Education will form part of
reflective teaching styles?
a. Plan, act and improve
b. Design, deliver and evaluate
c. Engage, explore and evaluate
d. Explain, clarify and elaborate
e. Praise, encourage and influence
Choose the correct option from the following list.
1. (a) and (b)
2. (c) and (d)
3. (d) and (e)
4. (b) and (c)

Reflective Teaching:

Reflection is a process in which an experience is to engage, explore, and evaluate in relation to some
broad purpose. It is a response to experience and includes an examination of past experiences for
evaluation and decision-making in search of new meaning and interpretation. The terms reflection and
reflective thinking, however, include a wide range of concepts and strategies.
Reflection teaching includes the intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to
explore their experiences in order to lead to new understandings and appreciations. It is reviewing an
experience of practice in order to explain, clarify, and elaborate and so inform learning about practice.
Reflective teaching emphasizes five key features of a teacher as a reflective practitioner. These are:
• examines, frames, and attempts to solve the dilemmas of classroom practice,
• is aware of the questions, assumptions, and values s/he brings to teaching,
• is attentive to the institutional and cultural context in which s/he teaches,
• takes part in curriculum development.
• takes responsibility for his/her professional development
Reflective teaching entailed critical questions about the ends, means, and contexts of teaching. Good
reflective teaching also needs to be democratic in the sense that teachers must be committed to
teaching all of the students to the same high academic standards, and It must be democratic and self-
critical.
Promoting reflection among teachers and trainee teachers is considered crucial to bring about the
changes envisioned in the National Educational Policy into reality.

Phases of teaching
Plan, act, improve, design, deliver, and evaluate are the keywords used in the three phases of the
teaching-learning process i.e Pre-active, interactive, and post-teaching.
1. Pre-active:
• Before beginning actual teaching the instructor must be aware of the teaching objectives
to be achieved at the end of the process. The aims are fixed keeping in mind the level
(interest, capability, aptitude, psychology, background, etc.) of learners, content, and
expectations (of teacher, learner &society), etc.
 • After fixing the goals, the next level is analyzing the content. The analysis of the content
should be done accordingly since the aims are clear and the matter is organized, the
teacher must prepare strategies to accompany the teaching and make it more interesting
and creative. Efforts should be made to make the learning experience of the learner as
effective as possible.
2. Inter-active:
• The interactive process occurs between teachers and learners wherein the teacher presents
new content by linking it with previous knowledge of learners.
• The teacher provides pupils with verbal stimulation of various kinds, makes an
explanation, asks questions, listens to the learner's response, provides guidance and
presents the content and material that is prepared in the first phase of the teaching.
3. Post-active:
• This phase is an acid test for a teacher because evaluation begins to check how far the
teacher has been successful in achieving the objectives and bringing out the desired
behavioural changes in the learners.
• This is the winding up of the teaching process or in other words, it is the beginning of a
new, better, and modified teaching process of the same content and plans the whole
process (re-teaching) to improve the techniques.
Note: From the above, we can analyze engage, explore, evaluate, explain, and clarify. elaborate
action words when emphasized in Teacher Education will form part of reflective teaching
styles.

10. Which of the following is not an example of 'reflective teaching'?

a. Writing Journal
b. Gathering feedback from students
c. Reading Textbook
d. Recording a Class

Reflective teaching refers to a process in which educators self-reflect and critically analyse their
teaching practices, experiences, and outcomes to improve their effectiveness in the classroom. It
involves thoughtful consideration of instructional methods, student learning, and personal and
professional development.
Let's examine the options that are examples of reflective teaching:
• Writing journal: Keeping a journal allows teachers to reflect on their daily experiences,
challenges, and successes in the classroom. They can analyze their teaching strategies,
student engagement, and areas for improvement. Journal writing helps teachers gain
insights, set goals, and make adjustments to enhance their teaching practices.
• Gathering feedback from students: Seeking feedback is an important aspect of
reflective teaching. By asking students for their perspectives and opinions on the learning
process, teachers can gain valuable insights into their teaching effectiveness, student
engagement, and areas of improvement. This feedback helps teachers reflect on their
instructional strategies and adjust to meet students' needs.
• Recording a class: Recording a class allows teachers to review their teaching ni detail.
Teachers can observe their teaching style, student interactions, and classroom dynamics
by watching the recorded class session. This provides an opportunity for self-reflection,
identifying strengths and weaknesses, and improving teaching strategies and delivery.
On the other hand, reading a textbook does not involve actively reflecting and analysing one's
teaching practices. While reading a textbook can provide valuable information and knowledge, it does
not directly contribute to the process of self-reflection and improvement in teaching.
Therefore, option c) Reading the textbook is not an example of 'reflective teaching.

11. Which of the following strategies is not appropriate to practice reflection during reflective
teaching in teacher education?
a. Reflective Journal / Diary
 b. Collaborative Learning
c. Increase the content knowledge
d. Teacher Educator's Feedback

The reflective practice is a cyclical process, because once we start to implement changes, then the
reflective and evaluative cycle begins again. As a result of reflection, the teacher may decide to do
something differently, or may just decide that what she/he has been doing is the best way. Therefore,
being a teacher one needs to reflect on the experiences or activities one is doing for one's growth. In
short, by developing knowledge and understanding of the setting practice and the ability to identify
and react to the problems the student teachers can become effective teachers. Teachers can deal with
the needs and different issues of the learners and the demand of time if they reflect on their daily
teaching-learning activities for their professional growth. To deal with and survive in their
professional field, student teachers need to grow and bring changes in their behaviour and style.
Reflection is a flashback that the teachers need to mediate for their development.

Strategies that can be practised in the pre-service training program.

The first step towards the process of reflection is to gather information about what happens in the
class followed by an analysis of the data. Here are some different ways of doing this.

Reflective journal/diary
• This is the easiest way to begin a process of reflection since it is purely personal.
• Student teachers encounter many issues in classroom settings.
• After each activity/ practice lesson, the student-teacher has to write in a notebook about
what happened. They can describe their reactions and feelings and those things which
happened during each session.
• Diary writing does require a certain discipline in taking the time to do it regularly. 4.2
Collaborative learning
• Collaboration with peer members increases the probability that student teachers will be
successfully reflective and more confident in their professional development.
• While discussing their experience with their peers, they can describe their own
experiences and check, reframe, and broaden their theories of practice.

Teacher Educator's Feedback

• The feedback from the teacher educator can help the student teacher to reflect upon their
lesson or any activity conducted in the institution.

Peer Observation
• Observation is the most basic research technique that student teachers employ ni
classrooms.
• The student-teacher invites a peer member to observe his/her class to collect information
about the lesson.
• This may be with a simple observation task or through note-taking.
• The student-teacher can ask their peer member to focus on which students contribute the
most in the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur, and his/her performance.
• For an observation to be viewed as a positive rather than a negative experience, the
observer's function should be limited to that of gathering information. The observer
should not be involved in evaluating a student teacher's lesson. Mutual observation of
classes is fruitful. Therefore, observation is a good way for their professional
development.

Student Feedback
• The student-teacher can ask their students about what goes on in the classroom. Their
opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable perspective. This can be done
with simple questionnaires.
Action Research
• Action research is also a kind of reflective practice.
• It is a reflective process of progressive problem-solving led by teachers to understand
their practice and improve the way they address issues and solve problems.
• It helps student teachers become aware of what's happening in the classroom by
identifying common problems hypothesizing about possible causes and solutions and
attempting to apply an action plan.
• Once the student-teacher has some information recorded about what goes on in their
classroom, they must think, talk, read, and ask about the information they have collected.
They can identify the patterns occurring in their teaching through observation. Then,
he/she should find out ways to overcome it.

12. Reflective teaching is significant because

a. It is a systematic way of collecting input from the class
b. It involves observation and self-evaluation
c. It does not involve students’ viewpoints.
d. It is more about teachers than students.

a. C and D
b. B, C and D
c. A and D
d. A and B

Reflective teaching is a process of self-assessment and self-evaluation that teachers use

to analyse their teaching practices, identify areas for improvement, and make necessary adjustments to
improve their effectiveness in the classroom.

Reflective teaching has many benefits, including:

Improving teaching practice: Reflective teaching enables teachers to identify areas of strength and
areas that need improvement in their teaching practices. It allows them to analyze the effectiveness of
their teaching strategies and make necessary adjustments to improve their teaching and help their
students achieve better learning outcomes.

Enhancing self-awareness: Reflective teaching helps teachers to become more self-aware of their
own beliefs, values, and biases that may impact their teaching practices. By examining their own
practices, they can identify their strengths and weaknesses and improve their teaching practice by
addressing their biases.

Facilitating professional growth: Reflective teaching enables teachers to engage ni ongoing

professional development and enhance their teaching skills. It enables them to identify areas for
growth and work on specific goals to improve their teaching practice.

Improving student learning outcomes: Reflective teaching helps teachers to better understand their
students' learning needs and preferences. Teachers can use this information to adjust their teaching
practices and develop more effective instructional strategies that meet the needs of all their students,
resulting in improved learning outcomes.

Fostering a culture of continuous improvement: Reflective teaching encourages a culture of

continuous improvement in the classroom, school, and wider community. It enables teachers to take
ownership of their professional development and create a supportive environment where colleagues
can share ideas and collaborate on improving their teaching practices.