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KOTESOL Connections: Back to Square One – Reflective Practice in Uncertain Times #1149

2020 was a year without precedent. As educators, we were faced with unexpected challenges that forced many of us to abandon time-honored teaching methods in favor of new, unfamiliar ones that may not have always worked. Thomas S.C. Farrell’s (2016) book on reflective practice, From Trainee to Teacher, takes readers on a journey of three novice ESL teachers as they navigate their first year in the classroom. From the initial “shock,” to having to “sink or swim,” to questioning one’s teacher beliefs, the experiences of these novice teachers contain stark similarities to the experiences of many educators, both new and seasoned, within the past year. Participants will reflect on their classroom experiences in 2020 through the lens of a novice teacher. They will also be given a set of tools based on Farrell’s reflective practice framework that they can use to examine their own teaching practice more critically.