Psychology and the effective teacher

This volume has been underpinned by the overarching assumption that teachers can develop their competence and confidence by utilising their experiences in a reflective manner. Furthermore, operating as a reflective practitioner to improve practice is a process that we, the editors, view as continuing throughout a teacher’s career. Our aim in these chapters therefore has been to support teachers through this ongoing formative learning process to help them understand the different facets and complexities of their role, and to enable them to communicate with their colleagues, students, and parents/carers, with insight, confidence and critical understanding. Another of our key assumptions was that the inherent challenges in doing this are simply part of the job, so we wanted to help teachers realise what barriers they could expect in this role, and to offer some insights and practical strategies.