There are so many connotations of this word; including, but not limited to, an effect produced by an influence; a thought, idea, or opinion formed, or a remark made because of meditation; and consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose. When educators ask students to reflect on their learning, they become better writers, critical thinkers, and owners of their learning.
Creating purposeful reflective activities is a way that educators can begin the process of teaching students the importance of writing with intent and feeling. In Suzie Boss’ article “High Tech Reflection Strategies Make Learning Stick,” she references Charner-Laird describing reflection as “‘the mind’s strongest glue’ for making the connections essential to understanding, regardless of the subject matter” (2009). Making connections, especially in high school, is so important because students work best when they see relevance of what they are doing. Boss discusses the “variety of media – from blogs to audio interviews – to encourage and capture reflection” (2009). I know that the process of writing blogs has been a very helpful tool for me in my Masters, and now my Doctorate programs. The ability to look back and see either the progress of ideas, themes in the writing, or important connections between topics, etc. Previous blogs are helpful tools in supporting present ideas. It also shows a progression of understanding in a line of study.
In the published journal article entitled, “Using Technology to Foster Reflection in Higher Education,” I agree with the comment “The published studies regard reflection, or critical reflection, as pertinent to creating learning experiences, where meaning is generated from experience by bringing into consideration one’s thoughts, feelings and actions” (Strampel & Oliver 2007). Although this article addresses higher education, the skills in learning how to be a reflective thinker needs to begin much earlier. The authors relate that,
Reflection is a way of thinking; it is a form of contemplation that determines how one comes to act on new undertandings. This contemplation involves being stimulated by new information, bringing prior experiences to the forefront of one’s mind and considering how ‘old knowledge’ affects new situations, is the one looking internally to one’s thoughts and externally to the issue at hand. Reflection is a process that leads to conceptual change, knowledge transfer, and action (Strampel & Oliver 2007).
I appreciate this visual as it shows the “what and where fors.” As an educator, it is nice to see how to instruct in each levels of reflection and how to critically think about the process.
Another resource that emphasizes the importance of reflection, comments on how “Keeping ‘reflection’ novel, creative and fun will add to engagement and improve the quality of thinking undertaken” (Kornelius 2016). Technology allows students to engage in the reflection process while also using their strengths in understanding technology. Cornelius’ “15 Digital tools for student reflection on learning” also gives a list of different ways to use different platforms in reflection such as eBooks, iMovie, Explain Everything, Adobe Spark, Seesaw, and many others (2016). It is helpful to see how each platform works and also having a diverse ways to interact in the process (visual, writing, and audio).
Circling back to the eduTopia article by Boss, before giving more technology to engage in, she states that “the goal of highlighting reflection in the classroom is to encourage students to begin to reflect more frequently and naturally in their day-to-day lives” (2009). In order to make reflective writing meaningful and something students find value in, repetitive instruction and opportunities are incredibly important.
References:
Boss, S. (2009, March 05). High tech reflection strategies make learning stick. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/student-reflection-blogs-journals-technology
Cornelius, K. (2018, September 29). 15 digital tools for STUDENT reflection on learning. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://medium.com/@teachrsolutions/15-digital-tools-for-student-reflection-on-learning-65ef12141fb8
Strampel, K., & Oliver, R. (1-11). Using Technology to Foster Reflection in Higher Education. Research Gate, 2007th ser.
