I have long held that reflection is a powerful tool for personal growth and learning. In my classroom, students were often asked to complete a reflective questioning guide with the following prompts:
- One thing I learned was . . .
- One thing that made me think differently was . . .
- One thing I would like to know more about is . . .
This simple process was undertaken once per week. I read and provided encouraging comments on each one. I learned a lot about what my students were learning and thinking, which helped me prepare for the next learning experience.
In the book Teach for Authentic Engagement, Porosoff shares a more extensive reflective questioning guide that addresses student processes, outcomes, and planning. I use POP to remember the overarching structure. Here are some of the prompts Porosoff provides: (p. 72):
Process Questions
- How much did you enjoy this task?
- How challenging was the task?
- Which parts of the task did you spend the most time on?
- Which parts of the task did you spend the least time on?
- How much time did you spend on the task as a whole?
- Were there any unexpected parts of the process?
Outcome Questions
- How satisfied are you with the end product?
- What did you learn about the topic from doing this task?
- What else did you learn as a result of doing this task?
- What did you learn about yourself from doing this task?
Planning Questions
- Next time you have a learning task similar to this one, how will you approach it?
- Next time you have a choice of learning tasks, how will you make that choice?
As you prepare for the week ahead, think about how you might incorporate reflection into the classroom. You and your students will be glad you did!
Phil Harrison Coaching 