Facilitating Learning to Reflect

To support student learning to Reflect, a variety of skills are needed. These skills include:

• Self-assessing strengths and areas of need
• Self-assessing their progress in developing new skills
• Writing/talking about successes and challenges during the inquiry process
• Developing strategies to deal with frustrations during the inquiry process
• Taking responsibility for their own learning

As students reflect on the new knowledge they acquired and presented, they may have new questions. These questions might form the basis for deeper learning in the same area or further research or the next inquiry, and the process begins again.

Educator Tips to Facilitate Student Learning for Reflecting

To support the Reflect component, educators may consider using the following implementation recommendations:

• Provide opportunities for students to write/talk about what they have learned for each stage of the inquiry process.
• Use learning styles and/or multiple intelligences inventories to help students understand how they learn best.
• Have students use an inquiry journal, reflection notebook, or personal blog throughout the semester/year to record thinking.
• Conference with students, reviewing their reflections prior to proceeding to the next stage of the inquiry process.

Sample Curriculum Connections for Learning to Reflect

With differentiated instruction and varying amounts of support, many of the following strategies can be used at all age/grade levels. For example, many of the examples at secondary are also applicable for many elementary students.