It is possible to implement reflective teaching in Mauritius without really having an economic incidence. The implementation of reflective teaching can take the following dimensions:

● Departmental meetings can be used as platforms to review teaching in general, to discuss the general performance of the department and the performance of individual teacher. Teaching never starts nor ends in the classroom. The best teachers prepare themselves well before actually taking the class. After taking a class, they review their own teaching critically and look for areas for further enhancement.

● Problems faced by the department as a whole or by individual teachers can be discussed and collective solutions can be sought. After the School and Higher School Certificate results are declared or after each formal assessment or exam conducted at school, it is but natural for each department in a school to draw valuable information from them. Graphs can be drawn and predictions can be made about the performance of the next cohort of pupils in a given subject. Remedial measures can be suggested and implemented on a short term and long term basis. These measures have to be reviewed and monitored. The overall result of a given subject rests on the collective effort of the department. The recent introduction of Pedagogical teams in secondary schools goes in this direction.

● Mini research can be carried out to find out the causes of pupils? poor performance in a given subject. Though the tendency is to say that ?Pupils are weak in French or English Language because they live in rural areas, or they do not read enough or Additional Mathematics is too tough and it is normal for pupils to fail?. Teachers would be more professional in their approach if they carried out relevant research to find out what are the most common problems pupils faced in French, English, Additional Mathematics or any other subject, what is the major stumbling bloc of these learners, what could be the short and long term solutions to these problems rather than harping over broad generalizations. How many teachers who have completed their PGCE, B Ed, M Ed etc., really keep up the practice of mini research and use it to gather data on their learners in order to improve the teaching-learning which goes on in their class? If they don?t do it, it is a real pity and serious waste. The implementation of Reflective Teaching can kindle and fuel a new flame in teachers to enhance the profession.

● Reflective teaching helps to bring about professional growth if teachers learn to use it properly. It should not be a once in a while attempt but a properly built-in scheme of the informal continuous professional growth. Reflective teaching is recommended for novice as well as for seasoned teachers. Teachers who are normally writing ?room for improvement? in their pupils? exercise books should humbly realise that they also they can improve their teaching. Novice teachers must be helped to use reflective teaching as a means to devise the best teaching strategy which actually works and bears fruits in their class.

● Teachers can prepare self evaluation forms to review their teaching. They can evaluate the efficiency of their teaching metho- dologies and how well their pupils are progressing in the class. Teachers have to be committed and the regular process of self evaluation will help to combat complacency. Many teachers do not realise it but they may gradually develop burn out effects. They may fall prey of a routine teaching method and create very little space for innovation. If we agree on the truism that education is a life long process, then this learning can occur in among colleagues. Sharing can develop better professional ties among work mates. This culture of sharing, peer learning is unfortunately not ingrained in our society. Once the light of sharing is lit, it can chase from moribund staff rooms the gloom of isolation or self glorification and usher the need to work as a member of team.

● Reflective teaching is a means to keep abreast of pedagogical changes taking place both locally and internationally. Do our teachers really read pedagogical materials? Are they concerned about the changing needs of the teaching profession? Do they care when they have students with learning difficulties in class? Do they reflect on the impact of social mutations on our students? values and attitudes? Do they equip themselves to train and educate students to face the vicissitudes of life? Do they reflect on the impact of their own behaviour, habits and values on the tender minds of their pupils? Reflective teaching has a professional as well as a humane dimension and this should not be overlooked.

● Reflective teaching will start the day our schools start investing in a teachers? resource corner. Every school should have a corner where pedagogical materials for teachers are kept, where teachers can borrow books and discuss them with colleagues. Books, newspapers and multimedia materials related to teacher education, to current trends in teaching style in the world, and research which has been carried out by colleagues should be available for consultation. At the beginning, there may be just a few of these materials which can be increased and enhanced gradually. The pity is that in many schools these are rare commodities. If each teacher were to contribute something, they can create their own ?teachers? book club?. Not only those involved in formal teacher education course but even those who are not enrolled for any course should whet their intellectual and pedagogical appetite for these materials. The more such a practice is encouraged the more likely reflective teaching will set its roots in the system.

● Reflective teaching can also encompass various aspects related to the profession. For instance, teachers should review problems related to class management, pupils with special needs, means to be adopted in a mixed ability class, reasons why pupils are shirking the class or are not keen to follow the lesson, and how to motivate the unmotivated pupils.

● Conclusion: Research on effective teaching, in the west, over the past two decades has shown that effective practice is linked to inquiry, reflection, and continuous professional growth. Reflective practice can be a beneficial form of professional development. By gaining a better understanding of their own individual teaching styles through reflective practice, teachers can improve their effectiveness in the classroom. Reflection can help teachers in a myriad of ways.

Reflection encourages analysis, self criticism, guards a teacher from developing the ?I am perfect? complex, helps to draw useful professional insights, engages the teacher in a quest to do things better, forces him to recognise that their good teaching practices and teaching is not one size fits it all, encourages learning while teaching, ensures personal and professional growth of the practitioner.

Teachers who are really engaged in such a practice understand the social contexts in which teaching and learning takes place, the values and identity of the learners, the complexity of the learning process, the formal and informal curriculum, the pertinence of planning, class management, time management, the methods of assessment, the different teaching and learning styles, the pertinence of relating with students with special needs and ensuring that students are empowered to learn autonomously.

<B>Mahend GUNGAPERSAD</B>