Teaching Sensitive Topics Through Critical Reflective Practice and Discourse: A Curricular Guide

Abstract

Reflective practice is essential to teaching and professional growth in the classroom. However, reflection is often seen as an evaluative tool for teachers’ practice, with limited emphasis on how it can be used to gain student insights or explore their beliefs, sociocultural assumptions, and contextual biases in learning. This oversight can miss its potential to foster deep knowledge development, civic discourse, and transformative engagement. This paper used a document analysis method to describe how critical reflective practice was incorporated through a structured multilevel process to promote preservice teachers’ active participation and meaningful engagement with sensitive topics. The pedagogical approach enabled them to connect both cognitively and relationally, as evidenced by (a) increased self-awareness and understanding of their positionality; (b) greater engagement with the content; and (c) enhanced responsiveness with peers. This approach can help educators design curricula that positively improve students’ engagement when teaching sensitive topics. The implications of applying this curricular design are discussed.