The Reflective Diary, an Effective Professional Training Instrument for Future Teachers

AbstractSpecialized literature of recent years indicates the reflective diary as an effective tool for teachers’ professional training. Used as part of the activities of pre-service teaching practice, it is a tool for descriptive, reflective and/or critical recording of professional experiences lived by the teacher trainee in teacher training situations. The reflective diary helps organise the activity of guided analysis of pedagogical practice experiences aimed at: identifying students’ own needs, interests, training motivation, the degree of mastery of past acquisitions, shaping an accurate image on their effectiveness in practical teaching situations. The analysis, processing and interpretation of such a structured reflective diary is focused on the following areas: characterizing the school climate factors where students conduct teaching practice; analyzing the relationship between the school mentor and student; identifying the strengths and weaknesses in terms of classroom management