This study was designed to explore an experienced teacher's thinking and teaching within the social and cultural environment of the classroom. It investigated the thinking, planning, subsequent action and reflection processes and relationships in a real situation of learning. A naturalistic approach was used to investigate the socio-cultural context and events that occurred in the life of the classroom. The participant was a secondary school teacher who teaches language arts in grades 6-12 at a school in a southeastern city. Data were collected through participant observation, extended ethnographic interviews, pre- and post-observation interviews, document analysis, and stimulated recall. The data were analyzed in the constant comparative style. Results demonstrated that: (1) the teacher's teaching was more social than originally anticipated; (2) his experiences as a learner and as a teacher influenced the way he taught, and the way he thought about himself as a teacher; (3) pre-planning and interactive thinking were based on his interpretations and judgments of previous experiences; and (4) the social context of teaching was the basic source of reflective teaching. (Contains 37 references.) (Author/LL)