The Power of Reflection

Note - I've been ill the past couple of days ... I'm posting yesterday's post today.

Prompt:  Name three powerful ways students can reflect on their learning, then discuss closely the one you use most often.


Interactive Student Notebooks (*Most Often Used*)
In the first couple of years teaching I had my students keep all their notes and assignments in a binder, and at the end of the semester, they were given a notebook exam.  Most students kept their binders in order, but there were quite a few who did not see the importance of using the past information kept in these binders to help them in the course.  Still, there were students who threw all their paper into the vortex that is their backpack and only retrieved them when the time came to compile their binder.  The students did not see how the work completed in class was beneficial in later parts of the course.

Enter ISNs, I implemented them last year, and I'm still adjusting them to best fit the course.  I now have just about every student keeping up to date not their notes and assignments, and when they are stuck on some topic, most students are able to flip back to past notes.  The students an see how certain concepts build off of each other, and they begin to develop their own views on how something works.  Many students love that they are able to keep everything in one source, but more importantly, they are able to see how their writing and note-taking skills improve over the course of the semester.

Student Blogs
Last year, I attempted to start the 20-Time Project with my students last year.  Long story short, it didn't really work out with my freshmen classes (and I'm still trying to find a way for it to make sense to them).  However, there was one thing that I loved and the students really took to during this period - student blogs.  The students loved being able to log onto their blog and post about things that they had learned (before their interest fizzled out, of course).

I can totally see how having the students keep their own educational blogs would provide them with an outlet very different than what they are used to right now.  They are able to keep tabs on concepts they've learned, what they've had difficulty with in the past week, and how they could improve in the coming week.  Students can use a platform that they are comfortable with to help us teachers see what we can do better to reach out to them.

On-Line Portfolios
This is an idea that I've been playing around with for a while.  I really want to provide my students with a method of keeping all their PBL work located in one place.  I've looked into various platforms, and I've seen the positive and negative sides of each.  However, I still haven't figured out a way to systematically dispense information as well as keep track of the development of student project designs.  I'm continuously working on finding one site that could provide all things necessary...


Reflection is key for students who are constantly trying to improve on their skill sets.  Just like many of us teachers are using blogging as a form of reflection for our teaching styles, not all teacher are doing the same.  It's a matter of finding out what works best for you, and using that to the best of your abilities.  Learning is a continuous process, and it's important to remind ourselves of our progress so as to continue on the path of education.

-A