Lesson 4: Reflection

This semester (January-May 2013) I had my first experience with portfolios using technology. Of course, they were not as sophisticated as Dr. Barrett describes them, and they were not at all electronic. My students had to videotape their oral presentation, and after their oral, I gave them the rubric with their grade, and they had to write a reflection about their learning. The same applied to the writing in class except for the videotaping. When I asked my coordinators about the reflection section, one of them told me that I could ask my students how they felt, and the other coordinator said that their reflection had to do with the content (grammar, pronunciation, etc.). The only thing that was clear to me was that there was not a consensus about what we meant by reflection.

After reading the article Reflection Cycle, the concept and my role were clearer in my mind: Setting goals together with my students and deciding on a strategic planning may enhance their intrinsic motivation (Reflection for action-Before); training and inviting them to monitor themselves while writing or speaking will facilitate Reflection in action-During; and self-evaluating and self-reflecting (Reflection on action-After) should result in a deep, meaningful, long-lasting learning. Moreover, I need to be consistent and systematic in order to engage my students in this critical reflection process.

On the other hand, asking the right question is the gist of the reflective stage. If I ask my students to write a reflection about their learning, that question is too broad; however, if I focus on a specific level of reflection, this will facilitate the internalization of the process; for example, How was this assignment similar to other assignments? (Bloom's Application), Do you see any patterns or relationships in what you did? (Bloom's Analysis), What worked? What do you need to improve? (Bloom's Evaluation). (A Taxonomy of Reflection: Critical Thinking For Students, Teachers, and Principals by Peter Pappas-based on Bloom's Taxonomy, revised) 

Finally, although it is still a hypothesis, I like Jonathon Richter’s idea of "chunking" up reflections to be proximal (close in space) and contingent (close in time) to the learning experience to guarantee the quality of the reflection, itself (Turning the mirror upon itself, posted May 5, 2009).

                               Reflection is “the heart and soul” of a portfolio (Helen Barrett).