REFLECTIVE TEACHING AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: LESSONS FROM PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' JOURNALS

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the reflective practices pre-service teachers engage in when addressing classroom management issues during the teaching practice program. Classroom management is one of the main challenges teachers face, especially in creating a conducive and responsible learning environment for students. In this context, reflection becomes an important tool that helps teachers understand the classroom situation more deeply and evaluate the teaching strategies used. This study uses a narrative inquiry approach by analyzing the reflective journals of several probationary teachers to identify their learning styles, strategies and ways of responding to diverse classroom dynamics. Through reflection, teachers learn to be more sensitive to students' needs and the learning situation at hand. The research findings show that reflection encourages teachers to understand students' characteristics, adjust their teaching approaches and develop more flexible, adaptive and contextualized classroom management.