Reflections

Reflections are a natural part of the learning experience. We have found that this type of personal introsepctive activity is new to most people, and therefore, few are skilled at it. Think of it as, "meditation on learning"

The best way to become a good 'reflector' is to ponder what you have seen, heard, read and experienced, and then question yourself to synthesize and analyize what you are learning.

You may notice that your instructors start most of your activities with a question or two. They are trying to create "cognitive dissonance" - or an imbalance of sorts in your thinking. The goal of the dissonance is to motivate you to seek the answers to bring balance back into your mind - it's like closure at the end of a relationship...

For examples, you can go back to the Learners resources page and click on the Internet address with the label, "Learning How to Think"

or

Look at the following questions:

Why are we learning ______?
Do I accept _______? Why or why not?
If _______ is not true, what then? If it is, what then?
How else might this problem be solved?
What other solutions can I think of?
In the grand scheme of things, how relevant is _______? Why or why not?
How might __________ be modified or enhanced?
How might someone else explain or approach ____________?
What can work? What will work? How can I find out?
Where can I go? Who can I ask?
What is the weakness of _____________?
What are the strengths of_____________?
What don't I know about _____________?