- Understand the importance of reflection in education
- Create a journal
Reflecting is an incredibly important part of the learning process. By reflecting on what you have done, you strengthen your sense of responsibility for your own learning and awareness of your own meta-cognitive processes. Evidence suggests that by seeing the link you are putting into learning and what you are getting out of it increases your ability to learn and retain information.
As you progress into Foundations and bootcamp, you will be asked to complete reflections with each challenge.
| Exploration | Time to box |
|---|---|
| Explore | 30 minutes |
| Discuss and Reflect | 30 minutes |
- Read the material below
- Research reflection
- Start a Learning Log / Journal!
"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 a the most important aspect of learning. However you learn best — visually, auditory, or kinesthetically — you'll reap the most rewards by spending time reflecting on your experiences
The science behind reflection is compelling. We know intuitively that we learn by experience and also that we learn from our mistakes. But research is increasingly telling us that without the process of actively thinking about those experiences, and questioning ourselves about what they mean, learning doesn't really happen. What gets us from experience to understanding is reflection. With the aid of a simple question 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.
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. And self-assessments can be a powerful, structured way of helping learners to think about their effectiveness in the activities that they carry out as part of their role. At a simpler level, creating learning logs and writing down experiences helps to clarify what actually happened, to understand one's own interpretations of those events and then putting a meaning to them. And even five minutes to yourself at the end of your working day can help to put what you've done into context. It's easy to remember what's just happened and so it’s a great opportunity to think about what’s worked, what hasn’t and what you can do differently (or more of) tomorrow.
Shared via trainingzone
Your task is to create a learning log or journal that you will use throughout the prep curriculum.
Tips to 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 they relate to it? Can you think of an analogy to explain it?
- 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)
- Harvard Business School - Learning By Thinking: How Reflection Improves Performance
- Reflection. How do we do it
The journal can be on your computer, a vlog, handbook, it's totally up to you. It is for improving your learning and retention, but can also be incorporated into your learning plan Foundations assessment which we'll cover in more detail later on in the course.
What did you learn today?