The five phases of teaching practice

• Phase 1: focus on yourself as a teacher

  In this phase, you are mainly concerned with your role and presence during the teaching session. You pay attention to how you come across, whether you are clear, and whether your explanation is effective. This provides support and builds confidence. Kugel emphasizes that teachers in this phase are strongly focused on ‘surviving’ the teaching session. The tension of making mistakes or receiving uncomfortable questions is high, which means attention is mainly on your own actions and less on student learning.

  How to strengthen your teaching in this phase:

  • Use short check questions to see whether students can follow you.
  • Ask a colleague for a short observation focused on one aspect, such as pace or structure.
  • Work with a fixed lesson format that is recognizable for you and your students.

  Reflection questions:

  • Which signals from students do you notice once you look beyond your own actions?
  • At what moment in your session do you feel the most tension or insecurity, and what does that say about where your attention is?

• Phase 2: focus on the content

  Your attention is mainly focused on the subject. You want to convey it carefully and thoroughly, and sessions are often full of material. This strengthens the quality and sharpness of your teaching practice. According to Kugel, teachers in this phase rediscover how rich and deep their discipline actually is. They focus on clearly conveying that richness and see themselves as experts who guide students through their understanding. As a result, you may be inclined to cover a lot, because you are mainly concerned with what the content demands and less with what students can process.

  How to strengthen your teaching in this phase:

  • Choose one core concept per session and name it explicitly.
  • Ask students to complete a short preparatory task in advance.
  • Incorporate thinking pauses in the sessions so students can process information.
  • Consider covering less and gaining more insight into understanding.

  Reflection questions:

  • Which elements are truly essential for today’s learning objective?
  • What do you notice in students when the amount of information starts to overwhelm them?

• Phase 3: focus on the student as recipient

  You actively look at what students understand, where misunderstandings arise and what their responses indicate. You use questions, observations, digital quizzes or short writing moments. Kugel describes that teachers in this phase gain more space to see differences between students, in their background, learning strategies and understanding. Your attention shifts from presenting content to making visible what students actually hear and understand. As a teacher, you actively try to gain insight into students’ learning processes to adapt your explanation accordingly.

  How to strengthen your teaching practice in this phase:

  • Start with a diagnostic question to make prior knowledge visible.
  • Ask students to write for two minutes about what is still unclear.
  • Discuss common misconceptions and how students can recognize them.
  • Point out what students are already doing well to strengthen their self-awareness.

  Reflection questions:

  • Which patterns do you see in students’ questions or mistakes?
  • Which signals do you hear or see that you did not notice before?

• Phase 4: focus on the student as an active learner

  You see learning as something students must do themselves. Your role increasingly shifts towards that of a facilitator. You design activities that activate students and make them think. Kugel shows that teachers in this phase realize that students only really learn when they actively think, practice and apply. You no longer do all the thinking for them. The emphasis shifts to creating situations in which students arrive at understanding themselves, because understanding emerges through active engagement with the content.

  How to strengthen your teaching practice in this phase:

  • Let students work out an assignment or sub-question themselves.
  • Use groups to exchange ideas and report back.
  • Ask students to think individually before discussing together.
  • Explicitly link activities to the learning objectives.

  Reflection questions:

  • Which activity could deepen the next session without requiring extra explanation from you?
  • Which students clearly benefit from more active learning, and which do not yet?

• Phase 5: focus on the student as independent learner

  You support students in directing their own learning process. They reflect, give each other feedback, and develop sustainable learning strategies. Kugel describes that in this phase the goal becomes that students learn how to teach themselves. You help them take responsibility for their own learning and encourage them to explain, assess and support each other. Independence here does not mean simply letting go but guiding students towards increasing autonomy.

  How to strengthen your teaching practice in this phase:

  • Let students design a small assignment or exam question themselves.
  • Work with peer feedback based on clear criteria.
  • Give students freedom of choice within clear boundaries.
  • Plan short check-ins in which you mainly ask questions.

  Reflection questions:

  • Where could students take more control, and which structure would support that?
  • Which forms of ownership do you already see among students, and how can you strengthen them?