Author Description

The topic of teacher reflection has gained substantial attention in the education literature. Yet, teachers' reflective processes have not been well understood. This study explored characteristics of professors' post-class reflection. Eight professors--representing two levels of teaching experience, teaching a lecture or seminar undergraduate class in humanities or engineering--participated in this case study. Interviews, classroom observations, and instructional plans and materials comprised the data sources. Findings show that professors' post-class reflection became a routine: it happened at different points of time, mostly right after the class, and as a continuous process. Their reflection involved a mixture of having intuitive feelings about the class as well as thinking logically about how the class unfolded. Based on the results, a conceptual framework is proposed that describes professors' post-class reflection as interrelated with rational and non-rational information processing. The study contributes to a better understanding of the complex process of teacher thinking and informs the design of faculty development interventions that aim at promoting reflective practice.