Becoming a teacher involves participation in university studies and school experience,
known in Australia as the practicum. In both of these contexts, beginning teachers are
encouraged to adopt a critical attitude toward their classroom practice by engaging in
ongoing and focused reflection. This reflection involves constantly framing questions in
response to classroom observations and experiences, seeking answers and re-framing new
questions as they arise. Reflective practice is therefore widely regarded as one of the
hallmarks of quality teaching. But learning to become a reflective practitioner is no easy
task, especially when ideas about what constitutes good teaching that come from the
university appear, in the eyes of the beginning teacher, in disagreement with the teaching
practices of the practicum classroom.