“By three methods we learn: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is bitterest.” —Confucius
The practice of reflection is unique in that it is applicable to any learning context and with any content or skill. It opens the door to greater insight and deeper understanding. It is equally valuable for the novice learner and most experienced leader.
Reflective thinking helps students to analyze and make sense of what they hear and experience. It can assist them to make connections to prior learning so that they can gain a deeper understanding as they sequence, organize, and catalogue what they learn. Consequently, they become more active learners and are better able to retain what they learn.
Additionally, reflection increases self-awareness, helping students to assess their strengths and areas of weaknesses. Reflection can assist students to develop and test strategies to improve their learning; as a result, they become more critical thinkers and confident learners.
Further, reflection moves new content and skills from being simply what others have provided to learning that students can own. The process of reflective thinking can help students integrate new learning with current skills and insights, making them better able to learn from experience and adapt to new challenges.
The strategies we can use to encourage and coach students to become better reflective thinkers combine several familiar activities with some that are less well known and practiced. Here are nine activities that we can tap to build our students’ reflective thinking skills and habits:
- Reflection prompts and opportunities: We can present students with questions such as, “What did I learn today that I did not know when I woke up this morning?” and “How does what I learned today connect with something I already knew?” As your students become comfortable asking themselves these questions, you can add questions that fit your particular context and students.
- Journaling and blogging: Writing by its nature is a reflective process. Intentionally organizing thoughts, sequencing events, and interpreting experiences are great ways to build understanding and clarify areas of confusion.
- Small-group discussions: Activities such as “think-pair-share” can offer opportunities for students to describe their learning and share their reflections with peers. These can also be good opportunities for students to hear and consider the reflections of others.
- Peer teaching: Peer teaching takes discussions with classmates to another level. When students teach each other what they have learned, they organize and explore their learning at a deeper and more complex level. In addition, they often receive more and better feedback on the clarity and completeness of what they share.
- Concept mapping: Creating graphic representations of new learning can help students to explore relationships—such as hierarchies, connections, and disconnections—among elements they already know and what they have just learned.
- Creating pictures: Like concept maps, drawing pictures to represent and explain new learning gives students another way to capture their learning and reflect on its significance and implications. Picture drawing has also been shown to significantly increase students’ learning retention.
- Goal setting and tracking: When students set goals, they are better able to focus, track their progress, and reflect on areas where they are making expected growth and where they may be struggling. Goal setting is also a great way to give students greater ownership of their learning.
- Exit tickets: Well-designed exit ticket questions can encourage students to think about their learning struggles and victories. Exit tickets can nudge students to reflect on the strategies they employed, the effort they invested, and the resources they tapped to support their learning.
- Modeling: Our thinking and the processes we use to reflect can provide powerful insights for students to adopt and adapt for their own use. We are the expert learner in the room, and there is much that students can learn from us about how and why we reflect.
Obviously, reflection is a powerful tool. It holds the promise of increasing real-time learning and extending learning retention. Meanwhile, we are helping students to build a skill and habit that will give them the power to chart their own learning journey.
