From WolfWikis

Back to Instructional Strategies wiki home.

Reflection Discussion Strategy

Tracy Brown

Description

The purpose of this strategy is to allow the learner to gain knowledge through their experiences, analysis, imagination, affect, and impression -- Reflection.

Cranton (1994b) and Mezirow (1991) spoke of ways in which people make meaning from their varies experiences. One of the classification systems included a number of ways implement the reflection strategy:

• Content reflection can be implemented by asking learners questions that will help you analyze how your content will/was received. For example, you might ask the class as a whole – “What made this topic so interesting that it resulted in this excellent dialog?” “How could I have asked that question differently so that I would not have confuse everyone as I did?”
  

• Process reflection is a matter of paying attention to your learners’ reactions to topics the educator is teaching. For example, you might ask yourself these questions; “How did I (educator) not notice that no one understood the content of this topic? How did this discussion go in a different direction than the one I wanted it to? Or what cues did I miss to show that no one understood my point? Was I so wrapped up in making sure I crossed my Ts and dotted my Is that I forgot to check in with the learners to make sure that they understood me?” With process reflection it is important that the educator know what caused the problem and/or misunderstanding.
  

• Premise refection is where the educator decides if the problem is worth pursuing. The educator might ask his/herself; “How important is it that the learner get this participle point, or does the learners need to show excessive interest on this topic? Mezirow (1991, p.111) says that premise reflection where our perspectives are transformed. In other words here is where we will question if something is worth questioning, where we will challenge our own beliefs.
  

Although I have not taken every adult learning class offered, I think that the Reflection Strategy can be used in most of them. I have taken at least four and I can visualize how this strategy could be used in each of them. Lets take this class (EAC538) for example; as each learner answer questions on the WebCT discussion board, they are consistently using their own life experiences to articulate points of views on any given topic (content).

Major Concepts

The Reflection Strategy can be linked to the Constructivism learning theory. The constructivism learning theory says -- learners learn based on their personal experiences. With that in mind, Brockett & Hiemstra (1991) says that Merrill (1991) list the following assumptions of the Constructivism theory:

• Learners gain knowledge from experience
  
• How the learner view things is how he/she will interpretation them
  
• To gain meaning, learning is developed on the basis of personal experiences
  
• Realistic settings for learning is their reality
  
• Activities and testing are different tasks
  

These assumptions contradicts the key principles listed on our Learning Theories (LT) / Instructional Strategies Matrix (ISM). For example Merrill says it is an assumption that learners gain knowledge from experience. When it clearly states on the LT/ISM matrix – that learners build personal interpretations into leaning based on their experiences/interactions of life. This is one of the ways that the reflection strategy ties to the constructivism leaning theory.

Relationship to Teaching Perspective

The Reflection Strategy can be used in relationship to Pratt’s (2005) Transmission – Effective Delivery of Content perspectives of teaching.

Transmission perspective of teaching using the refection strategy – Using the scenario of the new instructor that Pratt (2005, p. 57) spoke about is an excellent way to show how the reflection strategy could be used in transmission perspective. Situation – Paul was a new teacher with no previous teaching experience. During his interview the main focus was on his knowledge concerning the course he would be teaching. The goal of the course he taught was to take the learners from their current skill set to the skill set as it was defined in the course curriculum.

Knowledge of the reflection strategy would have made Paul’s first few years less stressful and would have helped him ask the right questions, so he could have fulfilled the learners needs, as well as, the institutions needs.

Transmission perspective is all about delivering the content effectively and the reflection strategy is all about allowing the learners’ experiences to help you (the educator) deliver your content effectively.

Benefits

One of the benefits to the Reflection Strategy is that adult learners gain knowledge by reassessing, thinking about and interpreting their experiences. It also allows the educator to reflect on several levels, which will permit the educator to gain knowledge about how to teach. e.g. Content reflection (what happen), process reflection (is it important) and premise reflection (why is it important).

Another benefit is it allow for diversity. If I may quote Brookfield (Brookfield & Preskill) as he spoke of discussion as a teaching method, “Although there are many ways to learn, discussion is a particularly wonderful way to explore supposedly settled questions and to develop a fuller appreciation for multiplicity of human experience and knowledge.” For me discussion and reflection discussion can be link together because they each have similar outcomes for the learners and the educator…enlightenment.

Drawbacks and Cautions

If I had to caution or state a drawback in regards to the reflection strategy, I would have to say the assumption I made early, that alluded to – everyone has experiences that can be drew upon in order to use the reflection strategy. This can be a problem if the educator is fresh out of college and without any experience; hence having no experience to draw upon as in the example the Pratt (2005, p. 57) spoke of concerning the new educator that had the “knowledge” needed to teach but not the “experience” to draw from in order to teach.

Final Thoughts

In summary, the Reflection strategy is a tool you will find that most adult learners can relate to. As I go through my graduate experience I see that this tool is used a great deal. Since I am in the education field I am sure that my professors does this intentionally, but I as a learner, did not know it. As I think back, in everything class I have taken, to date, each of my classmates, including myself have done exactly what our professors wanted us to do – communicate knowledge, learn to think strategically, facilitate learning by active inquiry – this is all done via the Reflection Strategy.

References

Brockett, R. G., & Hiemstra, R. (1991). Self-direction in adult learning: Perspectives on theory, research, and practice. New York: Routledge. [On-line]. Available: http://home.twcny.rr.com/ hiemstra/sdlindex.html

Merrill, M. D. (1991). Constructivism and instructional design. Educational Technology, May, 45-53.

Mezirow, J (1991). Transformative dimensions of adults learning. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.

Cranton, P. (1994b). Understanding and promoting transformative learning: A guide for educators of adults. San Francisco, Califoria: Jossey-Bass.

Cranton, P. (1998). No One Way: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Wall & Emerson, Inc.