reviewed by Candyce Reynolds – August 17, 2020
Title: The Art of Reflective Teaching
Author(s): Carol R. Rodgers
Publisher: Teachers College Press, New York
ISBN:9780807763643, Pages: 176, Year: 2020
I was excited to receive Carol Rodgers’ The Art of Reflective Teaching: Practicing Presence in the mail. The title was compelling and, knowing Dr. Rodgers’ work on reflection, I knew I was in for a good summer read that would help me get ready for my own classes in the fall as well as fuel my intellectual curiosity about the field of reflective practice. Dr. Rodgers is one of my academic heroes. She has written some of my favorite articles on reflective practice, articles that have challenged and deepened my understanding of reflection in learning. Much of her thinking has influenced my own work on reflection in ePortfolios. I was thrilled to get to read an entire volume of her thinking. I was almost afraid to start the book, dreading that I might hate it. Luckily, my experience with Dr. Rodgers’ work remained consistent; the book is lovely. It is thoughtful, inspiring, and full of ideas to think about and put into practice.
I was particularly intrigued by the title of the book. I agree that teaching is an art and I wholeheartedly agree that reflective teaching is definitely an art. The second part of the title, practicing presence, was even more intriguing. I am familiar with the term, especially in association with mindfulness and mediation, but hadn’t thought about it in connection with teaching. From the title, I understood that Dr. Rodgers is inviting her readers to see the development of Reflective Teaching as the development of our own practice of presence. It made me question how one can teach presence.
Read the full review at Teachers College Record