EDL 301: Student Development in Residence Halls

Reflection Prompt Please take five-ten minutes to reflect on the following prompt  Think back to training – what was this experience like for you? How were you challenged by training? What topics do you wish you had learned about or would like to learn more about?

What is reflection?  “Reflection is a form of mental processing – like a form of thinking – that we use to fulfill a purpose or achieve some anticipated outcome. It is applied to relatively complicated or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution and is largely based on the further processing of knowledge and understanding and possibly emotions that we already possess (Moon, 2001).”

Experiential Learning Cycle Concrete Experience Reflective Observation Abstract Conceptualizing Active Experimentation

Two kinds of reflection:  Reflection-on-Action  Reflection-in-Action

13 Reflective Thinking Strategies  Free-writing  Clustering or Mind Mapping  Associative Writing  Dialogues  Heuristics  Tree Diagrams  Questions  Focused Attention  Replay  Life Trajectory  Complaints to Commitments  Emotions Inventory

Why reflect?  Surface Learning vs. Deep Learning Surface Learning: concerned with memorization of material for short-term retention Deep Learning: concerned with understanding the material and the synthesis of knowledge  “It is not sufficiently simply to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience, it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalizations or concepts can be generated. And it is generalizations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively (Gibbs, 1998).”

Tips for Good Reflective Writing  Use rich, descriptive language  Question yourself and your behavior  Consider alternative points of view  Do not exclude emotion  Focus on the content and the process  Incorporate previously known knowledge as well as knowledge gained after-the-fact

Reflect again!  Knowing what you know now about the concept of reflection and what it takes to be an effective reflector, was what you wrote for the initial reflection prompt an effective reflection?