Reflection and Journalling
Learning Competencies
- Understand the importance of reflection in education
- Create a journal
Summary
Reflecting is a crucial part of the learning process. By reflecting on what you have done, you strengthen your awareness of your meta-cognitive processes and build a sense of responsibility for your learning. Evidence suggests that by reflecting on what you put into learning, what strategies you try and what you get out of it, you increase your ability to learn and retain information.
As you progress into Foundations and Bootcamp, you will complete reflections with each challenge.
Time Box
| Exploration | Time to box |
|---|---|
| Explore | 30 minutes |
| Discuss and Reflect | 30 minutes |
Instructions
- Read the material below
- Research reflection
- Start a Learning Log / Journal
Explore
"Reflection is the most important part of the learning process. We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience."
John Dewey - philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer
There is an increasing amount of evidence that within the learning domain, reflection is the most important aspect of learning. With whatever other learning strategies work best for you, you will reap the most rewards by spending time reflecting on your experiences.
The science behind reflection is compelling. We know that we learn by experience and from our mistakes. But research is increasingly telling us that without the process of actively thinking about our experiences, and questioning ourselves about what they mean, learning doesn't happen. What gets us from experience to understanding is reflection. With simple questions like: "what did I do well in that situation?", "what could I do differently?", we can make small but cumulative steps to doing things better.
"Reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes, and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, and their metacognitive ability (that is, their ability to think about their own thinking)."
Effective Pedagogy, The New Zealand Curriculum p.34
How to reflect
Reflection can take many forms and encompass many activities. Working with a coach – where the coach guides your reflection through questioning – is one of the most effective ways of learning through reflection. Self-assessments can be a powerful, structured way of helping learners to think about their effectiveness in the activities that they carry out. At a simpler level, creating learning logs and writing down experiences helps to clarify what happened - to understand one's interpretations of those events and then put a meaning to them. Even five minutes to yourself at the end of your working day can help put what you have done into context. It is easy to remember what has just happened, so it is an opportunity to think about what has worked, what hasn’t and what you can do differently (or more of) tomorrow.
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Learning log / journalling
Your task is to create a learning log or journal that you will use throughout the prep curriculum.
Tips for reflecting
- Write it / speak it for a lay audience
- Use visual language
- Attach it to something you already know
When writing your reflection, write it for an audience. Tell a story of what you tried and what you learned. Task yourself with explaining a concept to someone who has never heard of it before. How would that person relate to it? Can you think of an analogy to explain it?
Types of reflection activities
- Journals
- Reflective papers
- Class discussions
- Small-group discussions
- Presentations
- Responses to course readings
- Responses to outside readings, media content, and experiences relevant to the issues surrounding the service activity
- Electronic discussions (e.g., chat, e-mail, online forum)
Resources
- The Importance of Self Reflection for Learning
- Harvard Business School - Learning By Thinking: How Reflection Improves Performance
Start a Learning Log / Journal
The journal can be on your computer, a vlog, in a notebook - it is up to you. Its purpose is to improve your learning and retention and can be incorporated into your Learning Plan, which we cover in more detail in Foundations.
Reflect
What did you learn today?