Empowering Teachers through Reflective Practice: A Pathway to Inclusive Classrooms in Pakistan

In this opinion paper, the authors consider the applicability of reflective practice for enhancing teachers’ ability to enforce decentralization in Pakistan schools. While there is a growing interest in practicing inclusive education, Pakistani teachers still encounter challenges in practicing the concepts of inclusive education. In this paper, we maintain that the application of reflective practice as part of teacher training and continuous professional development can fill this gap. Reflective practice makes teachers question their own beliefs, attitudes, and practices, thus creating inclusiveness and appropriate teaching-learning approaches. At length, we examine how a model of reflective practice can lead to the improvement of the teacher’s capacity in relation to diversity that may exist in a school, forming general positive approaches towards students in class, and eradicating learned narrowed and structural factors that hinder inclusion. With the help of the presentation of professional compliance and reflective models, Pakistan can go a long way toward a more friendly environment for education for all children, irrespective of their abilities and backgrounds.


Introduction
Inclusive education, which is a global reform to support education for all learners, has received a boost in recent years (UNESCO, 2020).This approach acknowledges the equality of the students and tries to build something that will meet all varieties of students in terms of ability, origin, and learning techniques (Muhammad, Bokhari, et al., 2024).In the case of Pakistan, like other developing countries, inclusive education policy encounters several challenges even though the government has signed and ratified policies and is committed to international conventions (Iqbal & Muhammad, 2020;Saif et al., 2024;Waqar et al., 2024).
When it comes to promoting and practicing the principles of inclusion, the place of teachers cannot be overestimated (Iqbal & Muhammad, 2020;Saif et al., 2024).Another dimension in the formation of inclusive classrooms is teacher training, which enables the educator to possess the necessary skills, knowledge, and discretion to address a broad range of students' needs, as education is seldom homogeneous and affects a highly diverse population (Saif et al., 2021).However, based on the review of the literature, a common theme among teachers in Pakistan is that they experience a lack of preparedness and increased feelings of stress in implementing and practicing inclusive education, which points to the need for new approaches in professional development among teachers (Muhammad et al., 2024;Muhammad et al., 2024b).
Reflective practice refers to a systematic analysis of practice involving an attempt to understand one's experiences as well as practice in the formulation of work-related decisions, which is a promising avenue for teacher empowerment in inclusive learning (Imran et al., 2022;Naseer et al., 2020).This environment can motivate educators to assess their assumptions, perceptions, and practices and improve in order to meet the learners' needs by adopting flexible practices (Schön, 2017).Thus, through reflecting on the practice, teachers show more flexibility and problem-solving ability to cope with the uncertainties of the integrated classrooms.
Therefore, this paper posits that incorporating reflective practice in teacher education and professional development can significantly improve practicing teachers' application of inclusive education in Pakistan.The use of reflection skills for teachers can ensure that all learners around the world receive quality education and products that are sensitive to their needs.

Current State of Inclusive Education in Pakistan
This paper examines Pakistani policies regarding the inclusion of learners with disabilities over two decades of the millennium.Pakistan also ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2011, which vowed to ensure education for PWDs at all tiers (Government of Pakistan, 2011).These policies include the National Education Policy 2009, which has laid enormous emphasis on inclusive education, and the subsequent policies that have laid down the framework for the integration of children with learning difficulties into mainstream schools with great policies (Ministry of Education, 2009).However, problems are encountered when it comes to the actualization of these policies.There is a huge disconnect between policy and expectation on the one hand and practice on the other hand; most schools are not equipped for the diversity of development needs of learners (Hameed & Manzoor, 2019).Lack of school resources, small class sizes, poor infrastructures, and even access to accessible technologies also pose another challenge to the adoption of the principles of inclusion.
Teachers' knowledge and perceptions are major determinants of the effectiveness of the integration of Students with Special Needs.It has been ascertained that a large number of teachers in Pakistan lack sufficient knowledge to deal with diverse students' learning abilities and entertain certain myths about disability (Pasha, 2012).Insufficient pre-service and in-service professional development to promote inclusive education is one of the reasons that lead to this situation and does not allow the proper realization of inclusive practices in the classrooms (Waqar et al., 2024).
Apart from the political factors, there are also social and cultural barriers that affect the implementation of Inclusive Education in Pakistan.Some of the barriers to inclusion include stigma towards disability, cultural values and beliefs, and low information levels on children with disabilities' rights and abilities, all of which culminate in parents' and community members' resistance to integration.These attitudes cause qualifying students to be locked out of mainstream schools or fail to enroll and actively participate.

Understanding Reflective Practice
Schön (2017) introduced reflective practice as the ability to return to the experience after the action with the intent of refining the practice.In the context of education, then, there are four key aspects of reflection: The examination of the processes and/or strategies of one's teaching, the analysis of the interactions between the teacher and students, the assessment of the consequences of the instructional choices made, and the systematic use of feedback in the classroom (Fenton & Ross, 2020).
Many types of reflection have been defined to help educators and learners in the process of reflection as well.Gibbs' Reflective Cycle (1988) provides a structured approach to reflection, guiding practitioners through six stages.The six successful facets of the Nurse-client interaction model are description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan.Another model is Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle (2016), which focuses on learning through experience followed by observation, concept formation, and experimentation.
That is why the outcome of the reflective practice in education has numerous advantages.They can boost teachers' emotional intelligence, develop analysis skills, and produce a lifelong learning attitude (Farrell, 2015).In conclusion, reflective practice enhances teaching methods to facilitate the favorable execution of teaching academicians, better analysis and understanding of student's needs, and strengthening job satisfaction among teachers.
Therefore, as will be seen when talking about reflective practice in relation to inclusive education, the concept acquires a somewhat heightened meaning.It empowers teachers to reflect on their beliefs and impressions of diversity, incline their teaching strategies according to the students' styles of learning, and establish creative approaches toward the inquiries of incorporating learners with disabilities into classroom learning (Florian & Spratt, 2013).In this case, through reflective practice, educators become better placed to meet individual students' needs and make learning facilities fully inclusive.

Challenges in Implementing Inclusive Education in Pakistan
However, there are barriers that hamper inclusive education in Pakistan and the effective implementation of the approach.Thus, there is an issue of inadequate resources in many schools, in addition to inadequate information technology infrastructure (Muhammad, Waqar, et al., 2024a;Waqar, Rashid, Anis, et al., 2024).A rather unfortunate reality is that most schools and colleges presuppose no adequate infrastructure necessary for the effective inclusion of students with different types of disabilities, for example, barrier-free buildings, adapted teaching aid materials, and individualized technologies (Sharma et al., 2018).This scarcity of resources is highly felt in rural areas where schools barely have basic facilities to support teaching and learning.
Another challenge in enhancing teaching quality is that most classes are composed of numerous students.Thus, students' learning disparities significantly affect learning gain.Currently, most schools in Pakistan have congested classes and an unproportionate student-teacher ratio that is beyond the internationally recommended or rational one.This scenario hinders the teachers from giving their undivided attention to the students with special needs, thus lowering the standards of inclusive education.
The problem of lack of training for teachers, especially those who are to teach specialty subjects, is one of the biggest problems.In Pakistan, it has been observed that the majority of educators have a dearth of pre-service or even in-service professional development in the realm of teaching-learning activities concerning inclusive contexts (Pasha, 2012).Namely, lacking adequate knowledge and skills, teachers express their readiness to address diverse learning needs in their classrooms in terms of frustration and even opposition to the use of inclusive practices.
Social discrimination of people with disability, as well as the lack of understanding and misinformation, continue to be a problem in Pakistani society.This social prejudice profile from cultural mandates predisposes people with disabilities to non-acceptance and exclusion in academic environments.Such societal attitudes can help shape the families' and educators' decisions to either encourage the children to join primary school or hinder them from doing so.
Lastly, structures such as curriculum and assessment are known to present difficulties in the practice of inclusive education.The present system of education prevailing in Pakistan seems to focus on the homogenization of delivery modeling in a way that may not incorporate students' heterogeneity.Such rigidity proves to be a disadvantage to learners with learning disabilities and hinders teachers' impact as they cannot fully modify their teaching in accordance with learners' specific needs.

Empowering Teachers Through Reflective Practice
It can be said that reflective practice is one of the best ways to address the issues that are characteristic of the given context of inclusive education in Pakistan by strengthening the role of teachers.Through these reflections, one will find or establish the crucial new skills that are needed and expected when constructing an inclusive classroom (Naseer et al., 2020).
Concerning the aspects of self-awareness and critical thinking competency, the process of reflection can only be viewed as the groundwork.Reflective practice helps the teacher to discover the ideas, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and techniques practiced in teaching (Brookfield, 2017).Therefore, it is possible to talk about the development of teachers' self-identity as individuals who can possess the level of self-reflection that allows them to consider their actions, practices, and decisions as objects of reflection instead of reconstruction after the practice implementation phases.
It is useful for embracing the practice of inclusive education to practice overcoming one's prejudices.In the reflective practice, the teachers consider different aspects of disability diversity, and students' clerks' attitudes and prejudices are questioned (Florian & Spratt, 2013).If these biases are overcome, educators themselves transform from an attitude perspective and provide an environment for all learners.
One of the benefits of engaging in reflective analysis of the learning and teaching process is to make changes in behavior and use teaching approaches suited to the learner's needs.When a teacher looks at his/her experiences and the results that students have achieved, they too can determine what teaching strategies can work for various students and their learning disability.This process of continuous adaptation and improvement allows educators to deal with students' requirements in loyal classrooms that are inclusive.
The other benefit of reflective practice is that it fosters a growth mindset and positive improvements concerning one's results.Therefore, they are constantly assessing themselves in a bid to develop a growth mindset in which serving problems are viewed as challenges rather than issues (Dweck, 2006).This point of view can help educators remain engaged in the practice of the cardinal principles of inclusion despite the emergent obstacles.
Another significant element in prospective teachers' training for reflective activities is the formation of practitioner's consciousness and reflecting practice as well as the construction of problem-solving activity.Thus, invoking challenge and accomplishment in reflection on teaching is constructive in helping teachers find new ways to address the issues that are aspects of inclusive classrooms (Schön, 2017).This developed problem-solving competence enables educators to tackle some of the sometimes even complicated situations they encounter more effectively.
When bought into the continuum of the teachers' professional practice in Pakistan, engaged reflective practice would help nurture the necessary skills, attitudes, and capacity to sustain the teachers needed to effectively practice inclusive education.The independence that results from being empowered not only benefits the teachers themselves but also has the potential to enhance the learning contexts of all the learners in the teachers' classes.

Integrating Reflective Practice into Teacher Education Programs
Reflective practice should be strategically minded in teacher education programs in Pakistan to enhance teachers' preparation for teaching students with disabilities.This integration should manifest at both the pre-service and the in-service teacher education levels in an attempt to develop a chain of professional development with a key focus on reflective abilities.
Reflective practice should be included as one of the defining features of preservice teacher training curricula.This may entail orienting the student teachers to the various reflective frameworks and establishing a guided reflection time when the student teachers are undertaking their coursework and teaching practice periods (Körkkö et al., 2016).For instance, keeping reflective journals, relating with peers in reflective sessions, and having the ability to conduct case study analysis can assist future teachers in being reflective in their practice from their early years in practice.This foundation should be the basis of in-service professional development, where practicing teachers are provided with the chance to make reflective practice a constant practice.These may include pertinent theoretical workshops such as reflective practices, implementing action research, and collaborative reflection (Mathew et al., 2017).When reflective practice is encouraged as an important element of teachers' professional development, schools and education authorities can create a culture that promotes reflection and improvement among teachers.
It is important to note that relationships such as 'mentoring' and 'peer support' form a critical foundation for developing the professional practice of reflection.By gaining experience in the reflective practice itself, expert teachers can help neophytes learn the described techniques and offer feedback on the results (Sellars, 2017).The professional learning communities in which teachers have to sit together at least weekly to talk about their practice can develop a support network of practice that sustains the process of reflection on practice.
In the context of teacher education, action research and collaborative inquiry encompass profound approaches to furthering the reflection practice.The current paper supports the idea that competent professional practice is mediated by research whenever these relatively simple projects are carried out in teachers' own classrooms (Burns, 2010).When teachers come together in groups and engage in inquiring into challenges that are familiar to them, collaborative inquiry can promote the formation of group reflection and problem-solving processes.

A Framework for Reflective Practice in Inclusive Classrooms
A framework must be followed to introduce reflective practice in the context of diverse students' classrooms.The framework should help the teachers go through the process of reflection while at the same time offering precise procedures that would enable the application of the knowledge gained to the teaching profession.
The framework involves the subject carrying out a routine self-check and setting the desired goals.Teachers should also consider undertaking an assessment of selfregarding practices of inclusion periodically, strengths, and weaknesses (Farrell, 2015).Summing up, it is illustrative to state that the indicated assessments provide a basis for setting concrete objectives for the development of one's inclusive pedagogy practice.
Classroom observation and feedback are the paramount procedures used for the reflective practice.This could be where teachers sit in another teacher's class and watch him teach or even tape teaching lessons for analysis (Tripp & Rich, 2011).Observations of this nature can help offer data to the teacher for consideration and can reveal some components of practice that may otherwise go unnoticed, given the chief focus of the teacher.
Thus, the involvement of students and their engagement in the reflection process is a critical component when striving for inclusive teaching practices.Students should frequently be asked about their experiences learning with their teachers, and these views should be used to guide teacher's analysis and change their actions (Cook-Sather, 2014).At the same time, this approach refines the teacher's knowledge about students' necessities and pushes them into the role of active learners.
The documentation and analysis of prior teaching experiences prove to be valuable in carrying out the reflective process.Other general tools for professional development include keeping reflexive annotations in a Journal, a Portfolio of lesson plans and students' tasks, and Critical Incidents Technique records (Loughran, 2002).These documents can be analyzed systematically and thus can indicate patterns, issues, and accomplishments concerning the efficacy of inclusion.
Collaborative reflection with colleagues is a powerful way to deepen individual reflective practice.This means that common meetings or professional learning communities where the teachers share their perceptions, discuss problematic aspects, and seek solutions together can help cultivate the collective approach regarding the inclusive context of education.This collaborative reflection can assist in making the teachers feel that they do not have to do it alone and that they can learn from others' experiences and approaches.
Thus, through this framework, the process of Pakistan teachers' reflective practice will be given a proper structure, which will further improve their efforts to promote an inclusive environment.This type of reflection can create a spiral of improvements within teaching practices, better recognition of students' differences, and, therefore, better accessibility for all children, favoring the practice of inclusion.

Overcoming Barriers to Reflective Practice in Pakistan
Despite the fact that reflective practice provides enhanced prospects for teacher professional growth in the conditions of implementing the inclusive education concept, applying reflecting practice in Pakistan has several issues.It is, therefore, very important that these barriers are removed if reflective practice is to take its rightful place in the education system.
That is why the problems of time and workload are still the main priorities in the raising of Pakistani teachers.Due to the large group of students and organizational responsibilities, few opportunities for orderly reflection can be found (Ashraf & Rarieya, 2008).To this end, school administrators have to encourage accurate and appropriate teacher reflective practice by incorporating reflection periods into the teachers' calendars and/or lesson plans.This might mean changing schedules, cutting out as many nonproductive tasks as possible, or integrating reflection into meetings.
Cultural resistance to self-criticism makes it difficult for organizations to embark on reflective practice.In some contexts, openly discussing challenges or admitting to areas for improvement may be viewed as weakness and inefficiency (Rarieya, 2005).To eradicate this kind of conflict, the organizational culture has to change in a manner that encourages reflection and not the penalty that it currently portrays.Reflection should be highlighted in the professional development activities, and real opportunities should be provided to review the processes honestly.
Lack of administrative support is one of the biggest barriers to reflective practice, which means that if one does not receive administrative support, this practice will be marred, and progress will be encountered.The head teachers and principals are central in coaching and modeling, as well as supporting reflection and procuring adequate resources (Sellars, 2017).This means that more attention should be paid to the training of school leaders as far as the reflective practice in inclusion processes is concerned, and more effective ways of encouraging teachers should be discussed with them.
Restricted facilities, as well as opportunities for educators' professional learning-especially in the context of rural schooling-can limit reflective practice.In response to this, education authorities need to invest in developing accessible, culturally relevant resources for reflective practice.It might include such web-based resources for sharing self-reflective tools as blogs, websites, forums, or apps for reflective diaries or distance learning courses that reflect inclusive education principles.

Recommendations for Policy and Practice
Based on the analysis of the current state of inclusive education in Pakistan and the potential of reflective practice, this paper proposes the following recommendations to enhance the implementation of inclusive education through teacher empowerment: There is a rational basis and necessity for the integration of the approach into the teacher competencies framework to increase the degree of identification with reflection.In the same way, the Ministry of Education has to go back to the National Professional Standards for Teachers for improvement of the said frame with the competency for reflective practice as well as for the competency of inclusion that is already in practice now in the frame (Government of Pakistan, 2009).It would help guarantee that the orientations for teachers across the country guarantee that the growth of such practices is appreciated and that teachers are being assessed by how they are nurturing their reflective skills with regard to their inclusion practices.
Providing incentives for ongoing professional development focused on reflective practice can motivate teachers to engage in continuous learning.The techniques could include associating oneself with reflective practice programs with rewards that include promotion, better remunerations, or professional certifications (Avalos, 2011).Thus, such incentives can be useful in overcoming the resistance to change and motivating teachers to devote their time and energy to the development of their reflective abilities.This, therefore, implies that in the use of reflection, there are certain organizational cultures that need to be promoted; school culture, for instance, has to be reflective.The administration of schools must have knowledge of the reflective practice of these institutions with the aim of promoting it.These are the time component within the preparation plans of teachers, space arrangement of the classroom, and classroom areas that allow for the creation of an environment that promotes reflection as well as supplying teachers with samples and examples of the kind of reflection needed (York-Barr et al., 2006).Moreover, schools should establish professional learning communities that support collaborative reflection and problem-solving among teachers.
Identifying culturally specific reflective tools and resources is important for the enhancement of reflective practice in the Pakistani teaching-learning context.There is a need for educational authorities to support the development of reflective frameworks, journals, and guidelines that are sensitive to the Pakistani context and the complex challenges.These resources should be placed within the reach of teachers through print and electronic means.

Conclusion
Reflecting on the elements that constitute inclusive education, this paper identifies the challenges that exist in implementing inclusive education in Pakistan but posits the role of empowering teachers within the reflective practice as one possible way forward.Promoting systematic reflection as a part of teacher education and continued professional development improves the chances of getting really effective teaching practice and creating the conditions for inclusion for all learners.
Thus, this paper has tried to focus on how the concept of reflective practice could work as a positive change in the context of inclusive education in Pakistan.By gaining self-awareness, questioning bias, modifying teaching practices, and cultivating a growth approach, reflective practice empowers teachers with knowledge and mindset that may help them cope with problems existing in an inclusive context.
Reflective practice cannot be successfully implemented by the use of mere policies or regular practice alone.It entails policy, institutional, and cultural changes within the practice environment of the education system.Successful implementation of these guidelines presented in this paper will go a long way in transforming inclusive education in Pakistan with the vision to empower teachers and ensure quality education for all learners regardless of their disability and social background.Therefore, it is imperative that in the future, more focus should be given to reflective practice, and future studies should bring together educators, policymakers, and researchers for the betterment of Pakistani learners to set up reflective practice projects/procedures related to Pakistani learners.In this way, it will be possible to enhance