Introduction.

Reflection is a professional development competency that remains insufficiently studied as a phenomenon in beginning secondary school teachers. These educators enter the profession in a century in which workplaces are characterized by their diversification and complexity, forcing them to develop professional agency.

Objective.

The article, derived from a doctoral dissertation, aims to characterize the procedures used by beginning teachers of History, Geography, and Social Sciences when reflecting on their teaching practice.

Methodology.

The study employed a qualitative research design with convenience sampling involving ten teachers from secondary schools in Chile. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data were analyzed using grounded theory.

Results.

The results indicate that personal questioning, the use of notes and written records, and dialogue with colleagues constitute the procedures through which teachers analyze teaching in an exercise of reflection both in action and on action.

Conclusions.

Entry into the teaching profession represents a stage of experimentation in which beginning teachers seek to master the tasks of the profession, identify their personal and professional resources, and develop skills derived both from professional practice and from reflection on that practice. Reflection emerges as a consciously employed tool linked to inquiry into teaching practice; however, it does not constitute an established competence developed systematically or structured around a specific method or model.