Abstract
Research promotes reflective teaching as an important distinguishing strategy between experienced and novice teachers and is a critical tool for developing teacher knowledge. Reflective teaching practices are supported by national reform efforts and have the potential to affect student achievement in the mathematics classroom. Unfortunately, reflective teaching practices are not always a component of teacher preparation and professional experiences. This discussion highlights: (1) research concerning the importance of teacher reflection; (2) the results of a study implementing reflective teaching practices in an elementary mathematics and science methods course; (3) the resulting “best practices” applied to other teacher learning contexts; and, (4) the benefits of the fourth “R”.
