Centre for Higher Education Teaching and Learning, University of Venda, P. Bag. X 5050, Thohoyandou, South Africa
Ndebele, C., Centre for Higher Education Teaching and Learning, University of Venda, P. Bag. X 5050, Thohoyandou, South Africa
As one goes about the process of teaching there is need to sit down after every session and take stock of the proceedings with a view to identifying what went well and what might need further improvement Four lenses that teachers could use to critically reflect on their practice are discussed in this article: eliciting evaluation from students, peer evaluation, research and theory and our own autobiographies as learners and teachers. To some extent academics are all prisoners trapped within the perceptual frameworks that determine how they view their experiences and in order to break away from this prison there is need to engage in critical reflection. In this article, through a qualitative analysis of student evaluation data, peer feedback and relevant literature; The researcher shares his reflection on his practice through experimenting with the four lenses at a historically disadvantaged university.What emerged from the reflective exercise is that looking beyond one's own self to others for their views on one's practice does indeed enrich one's knowledge and helps to improve practice. Colleagues, the literature and students can indeed serve as critical mirrors reflecting back to lecturers' images of their actions that often take them by surprise. © Kamla-Raj 2014.