REFLECTION AND SELF-REFLECTION, COMPONENTS OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Professional development for teachers, essential to successfully implementing the educational process, is intimately related to the quality of education. Professional growth includes various elements, including academic and educational training, enhancing instructional strategies, increasing emotional intelligence and managing emotions, growth of social and communication abilities, implementation of innovation in education, reflection and self-reflection, and establishing communities and networks for professionals. This paper focuses on reflection, and self-reflection as significant characteristics of teacher’s professional competence.
In the paper, I tried to answer several crucial questions related to the existence of differences between these two concepts; their meaning and role; how they are implemented in the education of future teachers; and the benefits of their application.