The Importance of Reflection

Below you will find some ideas, resources and strategies that encourage and support students as they reflect on their ability to make meaning and learn.
• Within the Beginning Teachers resource booklet, Building Effective Classrooms: http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/asit/standards/btstart/BTClassM.pdf , Jim provides examples of three dimensions of reflection questions: content focused reflection, collaborative focused reflection, and personal focused reflection. We need to provide students with opportunities to reflect in all dimensions regularly.
• In the article, "Reading, Responding, Reflecting" by Lifford. et al, English Journal, March, 2000 (I have attached the articleJ) A strategy called pictograms is reviewed. Similar to mind mapping, pictograms is one non-linguistic way for students to express their thoughts and feelings. In pictograms, students visualize the reading process through drawings. Students think about the steps they go through from the time they begin reading to making sense of what they have read. This is captured in a series of pictures which give teachers insight and students understanding in a concrete manner.
• Another non-linguistic way for students to reflect upon their learning is through creating and interpreting graphs. When students see and discuss data for themselves they are more likely to internalize the information. The process encourages ownership of their learning goals. This website provides a simple graph making tool for students to create and interpret data:
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/
• Attentive listening during a reflecting conversation is another way for teachers to have a "window" into their students' thinking. In Coaching 101, page 2, Jim provides a simple framework for a conference/conversation teachers can have with their students: http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/asit/standards/btstart/Coaching101.pdf Scaling questions encourage the learner to focus on the positive and then to identify one strategy or step to doing a little "better" in the future.