Towards a Critical Theory of Reflective Inquiry

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Abstract
Although reflective inquiry has been pro moted for many years as a progressive and effective method of teaching the social studies, its incorporation into classroom practice remains question able. Ross and Hannay assign part of the blame to those interpreters of Dewey's inquiry model who advocate a procedural or technical rather than a dialectic approach to thinking. Teacher education practices also contribute to the lack of critical reflection existing in schools. Too frequently the rationale for reflective teaching is expounded through expository techniques and a technical inquiry approach. The authors argue that the university classroom must become not only the venue for transmitting traditional know ledge on teacher education but also a laboratory where such practices are modeled, experienced, and reflected upon. Such a truly reflective inquiry model needs to be firmly grounded in critical theory by incorporating the appli cation of principles, not procedures, in the investigation of social issues.

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