Forward-looking reflective teaching

Ehsan Gorji
Ehsan Gorji
A classroom with students sat at desks and one student stood at the front with the teacher

Ehsan Gorji is an Iranian teacher, teacher trainer and teacher educator. He also designs strategic plans, devises study syllabuses, runs quality-check observations, and develops materials and tests for different language institutes and schools in the country. Ehsan has been a GSE Thought Leader and Expert Rater since 2016.Ìý

Reflective teaching, despite it sounding modern and sophisticated, has not yet become a common practice among English language teachers. However, the experientialÌýÌýproposed byÌýÌýoffers a practical approach for teachers. The cycle involves teaching a lesson, reflecting on "what we did" and "how we did them," and then using that reflection to improve future English classes. By using this approach, teachers can prepare for better teaching in the long term.

Why use forward-looking reflective teaching in your lessons?
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Why is reflective teaching important?

Reflective teaching is important to teachers, especially language teachers, for it is one of the few practices that maintains dynamic and healthy teaching. Ranking high along with continuing professional development and lesson planning, reflective teaching prevents teachers from entering autopilot mode – i.e., when a teacher changes from class to class, only battling their growing fatigue.

Reflective teaching helps focus our attention on the responsibility of the teachers to deliver effective teaching and impact students' learning. Language teachers cannot learn for our students; nevertheless, we can pave the way for their learning. Reflective teaching grants us the judiciary seat after each class to listen to ourselves and form accurate and independent judgments on how our teaching assisted, or sometimes impeded, their learning in our classes.

What is forward-looking reflective teaching?

Forward-looking reflective teaching is a new perspective on post-teaching analysis. It starts from the very first and wishes to prepare for the very end. Unlike reflective teaching, which mainly focuses on the 'teaching' phase, forward-looking reflective teaching observes both 'teaching' and 'pre-teaching' phases to gather enough data and analyze it to produce better results in 'post-teaching'. This approach provides language teachers with the following checklist of questions.

  1. How well did I plan my lesson?
  2. Did I design suitable tasks and practices for my students?
  3. Did I set practical assignments for my learners?
  4. Did I support learner autonomy?
  5. How did I treat errors made by my students?
  6. Did I deliver personalized and accurate feedback on each error?
  7. How important was my learners' employability to me?
  8. If I were to teach the same lesson, what would I do the same?
  9. What would I do differently if I were to teach the same lesson?
  10. What is the next step?

What is the forward-looking reflective teaching checklist?

To apply forward-looking reflective teaching and to bring it to our everyday teaching, we can consider examples from the following checklist.

Reflection questions

Planning the lesson

1. Was I aware of which learning objectives I intended to teach?
2. Was I aware of which learning outcomes I needed to follow?
3. Did I curate suitable lesson objectives?
4. Did I carefully inspect the language examples I used in my lesson?
5. Did I explicitly know what I was able to do in my class?

Designing the tasks

6. Did I break my lesson into clear stages, following each other smoothly? For example, preliminary > presentation > controlled practice > freer practice > production/ or: before > during > after/ etc.
7. Did each of my lesson stages intend to push my learners toward the lesson's learning objectives?
8. Did each of my lesson stages intend to push my learners towards the learning outcomes of the course?
9. To what extent did my lesson design give my class an adequate opportunity to practice and generate communication?
10. To what extent did my lesson design provide my class an adequate opportunity to practice and enable collaboration?
11. Did I time my stages well?

Setting assignments

12. Did my assignments target the learning outcomes my learners were supposed to acquire?
13. Especially in , did I set assignments in favor of 'fun and ease' or 'fun, ease and outcome'?
14. Especially in Adult and Professional Learners classes, did my homework assignments intend to develop their employability skills?
15. Did my assignments encourage learner autonomy? How?

Treating errors

16. Did I treat errors or just correct errors?
17. Did I bear in mind that not every error is indicative of an actual issue?
18. Did I sharply distinguish an error from a mistake, and did I treat these two differently?
19. Did I tell faulty knowledge from non-existent knowledge accurately?
20. Did I apply teaching withÌý when appropriate?

Delivering feedback

21. Did I evaluate my students' formative progress against some detailed learning objectives rather than basing it on how others did in class?
22. Did I evaluate my students' summative progress with the precise learning outcomes that their level demanded?
23. Did my feedback on my learners' learning and oral performance help me communicate clear and detailed expectations to the learner, with the aim for them to improve in the future?
24. Did my feedback on my learners' learning and written performance help me communicate clear and detailed expectations to the learner, with the aim for them to improve in the future?

How can I use a forward-looking reflective teaching checklist?

The teaching checklist works better if it is run through regularly. Start from one class each day, and gradually change the rhythm for more. Immediately after your class or later at night, before planning the next class, go through the checklist and add more than your estimated teaching capacity. Ask yourself every one of the questions patiently and note down your answers; they show you where to start for the next class. Some of the questions in the checklist might receive 'Yes'/'No', and some might come up with:

  1. 'Fully'
  2. 'Partially'
  3. 'Not at all'

The checklist works much better if you prepare a plan of action to improve things for the following class(es). Do not feel bad if you score lots of 'No's or 'Not at all's; instead, be inspired to reduce them in the subsequent classes step by step. This checklist is a roadmap to your professional development and more importantly, to better the learning by your students; therefore, welcome it and let it run everyday check-ups on your teaching.

Collaborate with colleagues to share checklists and set up forums. Discuss and learn from each other about inspecting language, error treatment, and feedback delivery. Ask questions to enrich your action plan. Find out how to create effective scaffolding. The forum can cover all parts of the checklist.

Read this blogÌýto better understand lesson planning and inspecting language.ÌýReview and revise your techniques and principles in your teaching wardrobe, especially with teaching beginners.

A forward-looking reflective teaching checklist works best if accompanied by the Global Scale of English and its . Years of research by thousands of experts and teachers from around the globe have resulted in a free, excellent bank of learning objectives for different learner types – young, adult, professional and academic. This checklist and approach, alongside the GSE resources, can further equip you with the necessary tools to succeed.

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    Tips for keeping learners studying over the holiday season

    By Nicolas Chaparro
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    Nicolas Chaparro is a Colombian language teacher with a bachelor's degree in basic education, specializing in humanities and languages. After spending five years working as a systems technician, he discovered the potential of technology to enhance learning, which ignited his passion for dynamic, tech-driven education. He has the privilege of working at one of Colombia's most prestigious English institutions, where he currently leads a team focused on education, creativity and motivation.Ìý

    The holiday season is a magical time and the perfect moment to spark a teacher's creativity. I've always believed that learning a language isn't just about studying—it's about living it. As a learner, I loved the resources my teachers and institutions provided, but what truly captivated me was the opportunity to engage with the world using the language skills I had acquired.

    As a teacher, I strive to give my students that same experience. I didn't expect the holiday season to become the perfect setting to turn my teaching philosophy into reality. This blog post shares a personal story of how I used a creative activity to keep my students learning and practicing English during the holidays with the support of the Global Scale of English (GSE).

    The challenge I faced: Mixed levels and ages

    The activity I designed, Christmas Carols, presented two main challenges:

    1. Diverse proficiency levels: My group included students ranging from beginners to advanced learners, all participating in the same activity. I wanted to have them all working together; that's what language means to me.Ìý
    2. Varied age groups: The students also spanned different age ranges, which required an effective approach to engage everyone. It was a Christmas gathering meeting with all the institution's students.

    Basic students worked on identifying vocabulary that is similar to their native language and then used it in a short text. Intermediate students solved riddles to guess words that could be included in the lyrics. Advanced students completed questionnaires to build sentences and find synonyms to refine the text. The carol was divided into three sections: the first paragraph was for basic students, the second for intermediate students and the third for advanced students. I also included French students in the activity, which was designed for both languages.

    After the students completed their tasks in separate groups, I mixed them so they could explain the vocabulary they had learned to one another. To facilitate communication without relying on Spanish, I used pictures and Christmas props to help them express themselves visually.

    Finally, we all came together and sang the carol as one group.

    Turning challenges into opportunities with the GSE

    For me, a successful language activity needs three essential components: clear instructions, engaging resources and opportunities for interaction. With these principles in mind, I crafted an inclusive and dynamic activity, using the GSE to guide my planning.

    Step 1: Defining the goal

    I realized that most of my students didn't know specific Christmas-related vocabulary or any traditional English carols. This activity was also an opportunity to learn by myself and then share with them. This gap was my opportunity to introduce them to the holiday spirit in English.

    Step 2: Planning with the GSE

    I identified suitable goals for each proficiency level using the GSE Learning Objectives. These objectives helped me design tasks that targeted key skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing—while considering the ages and abilities of my students.

    Step 3: Preparing a scavenger hunt

    To make the activity interactive and fun, I organized a scavenger hunt. Students had to solve riddles and follow clues to find words essential for completing a Christmas song. The GSE objectives ensured that the tasks were appropriately challenging for each level.

    Step 4: Pairing students effectively

    Knowing my students well, I paired them strategically based on their proficiency and age. This pairing encouraged collaboration and allowed them to support each other throughout the activity.

    Making language visible and memorable

    One of my priorities was to make the language come alive. I brought visual aids like cards, games, and even a Christmas tree and a nativity scene—elements that most students recognized but had never explored in English. These visuals became valuable tools for teaching vocabulary in a tangible, engaging way.

    To add another layer of interaction, I used my guitar to sing along with the students. By the end of the activity, not only were we singing, but they also understood the meaning behind every word. Watching them take pride in their learning was incredibly rewarding and I knew this vocabulary wouldn't stop there; they would take it home and make it real for them, for the season, for their life.

    Reflections and an invitation

    This experience reminded me of the power of teaching through real-life experiences. Holidays provide a unique opportunity to teach without teaching and to help students study while living the language. Tools like the GSE make it easier for us as educators to plan meaningful and impactful activities.

    My invitation to fellow teachers is twofold:

    1. Explore the GSE resources to enrich your teaching strategies.
    2. Share your ideas and activities with the teaching community. Together, we can create opportunities for our students to use the language in real and virtual contexts that inspire learning and cooperation.

    Let's make 2025 the year we bring language to life in every classroom.