The uses of theory

The demand that teachers ought to be reflective practitioners is in vogue in some quarters of our population these days. Being reflective necessarily involves observation and evaluation of one’s actions and theories informing these actions. Ironically there is also a growing impatience with theorizing because excessive theorising is deemed inefficient. Typically in teacher education programs, teachers are taught how to teach, so they can get down to the business of teaching. These conflicting ideas, both in vogue, pose some rather interesting and difficult problems