How Reflection Boosts Student Engagement

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #24 – August 15, 2009

Reflection is contemplation: a calm, lengthy, intent consideration of something. The word is from Latin: flex-bend, re-back – literally a bending back. So, as we learn something new, we contemplate and consider it, we “bend it back again,” to take another look at it.

Reflection is an important factor in learning. The main reason is, it enables us to think about our own thinking – about what it is that we have learned and can now use. Smart teachers have learned to tune in as students reflect on their learning. They realize this is the most practical method to assess what their students have or have not learned. Without reflection, a child cannot transform an idea into a reality.

Making it “our own.”
If a child just learned division is actually the reverse of multiplication, i.e. 3x4=12, and 12/3=4 and 12/4=3, he would need time to reflect on what was just learned and really take a look at why and how it is so. After working this out by verbalizing and using manipulatives, or drawings, the child would continue the reflection process until the proverbial “aha!” moment is reached. When we are learning a new topic, we need to spend time putting new material into our own words, trying out new ideas, using what we already know, and seeing where the new material ‘fits in’. Simply put, it is important that students can articulate what they are learning. Through the reflection process, the newly acquired knowledge or skill is now real, because the student “owns it.”

How does reflection promote student engagement?
Students become excited when they are given the opportunity to engage in activities where they think about and then explain what they learned and how what they discovered extends their understanding of new concepts. Part of the enjoyment is, during this reflection time, both correct conclusions and incorrect conclusions can be explored. The goal of this part of the lesson is to give students practice verbalizing what they have discovered and to give the class multiple views of how to interpret the work. Finally, it is important to give all students time to reflect -- silently, verbally or in writing about the impact of the day’s learning on their understanding.

What is the best way for students to reflect?
There are numerous ways a teacher can initiate the reflective process among students. For example, at the end of a lesson, the teacher can have students pair-share what they have learned. The teacher then asks students at random to share with the class what either they or their partner has learned. The teacher can write the ideas on the board. Another method is the KTL activity. “What do we know? What do we want to know? What have we learned?” This is a commonly used tool for getting students to reflect upon what and how much they have learned about a particular body of knowledge.

Will the excitement of reflection spread?
A side benefit of daily reflection is it builds better understanding on the home front. Typically, when a mother asks her child, “So, what did you learn in school today?” The response is: “Nothing.” However, if the child has been lucky enough to reflect on the day’s lesson, for example: “Today, we learned matter has three forms: solid, liquid, and gas.” As the student recalls what was learned and can state it with full understanding, he gets an additional boost of self-confidence and thus is eager to become even more engaged in the learning. As a bonus, Mom will be pleasantly surprised to know there actually is some learning going on in the classroom.

Teachers are our best resource and the only resource we have that can make significant differences to learners. Including reflection, as a daily practice is one of the most profound ways to stimulate the thought process and ability of students to know what they have learned, really understand it and successfully use their new knowledge. The more you reflect, the better you get at it. This is one ingredient you don’t want to leave out of your recipe for an outstanding school year!