Understanding Reflections

Summary

The script emphasizes the importance of reflection in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, highlighting its role in experiential learning and personal growth. It outlines skills gained through reflection, such as understanding strengths and weaknesses, decision-making, and problem-solving. The script provides a framework for pre-, during-, and post-activity reflections using the 7 Learning Outcomes, encouraging students to analyze their experiences deeply. It also suggests various creative mediums for reflection and stresses the value of this skill beyond academic requirements.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Reflection is central to the IB philosophy and experiential learning, aiding in personal growth and understanding experiences.
• 💡 Mastering reflective thinking can provide lifelong benefits, equipping individuals with resilience and adaptability.
• 🛠 Reflection can enhance various skills, including self-awareness, decision-making, problem-solving, and understanding of values and beliefs.
• 🔗 Reflection helps in making connections between different experiences and learning areas, such as CAS and other IB subjects.
• 🤔 Reflective practice involves questioning assumptions and considering the implications of one's actions and choices.
• 📝 Reflection should be an ongoing process, taking place before, during, and after an activity or experience.
• 📉 Pre-trip reflection involves setting expectations and considering potential challenges and skill development related to the 7 Learning Outcomes.
• 🔄 During an activity, continuous analysis and documentation are encouraged to track progress and reactions against the Learning Outcomes.
• 🔄 Post-activity reflection involves comparing expectations with reality, evaluating the experience, and considering improvements.
• 🎨 There are multiple mediums for reflection, including blogging, vlogging, performing arts, and group discussions, allowing for personal preference.
• 📈 Meaningful reflection goes beyond description, focusing on the 'why' behind experiences and fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and the situation.
• 🚀 Reflection is a skill that requires practice and effort, but it is a valuable life skill that should be embraced beyond academic requirements.

Q & A

What is the significance of reflection in the IB philosophy?

Reflection is central to the IB philosophy as it is the key to experiential learning, allowing students to process and understand experiences, leading to personal growth.

How does reflection contribute to personal growth?

Reflection helps in converting experiences into learning, which in turn leads to personal growth by enhancing understanding of one's strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

What are some skills that reflection can develop in a person?

Reflection can develop skills such as better understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses, decision-making, problem-solving, identifying values and beliefs, considering feedback, making sense of experiences, challenging assumptions, applying skills across situations, and understanding oneself and others.

Why is it said that conquering the art of reflective thinking can set a person for life?

Conquering reflective thinking provides a person with a set of 'super powers' that can handle any situation thrown at them, making them resilient and adaptable.

How is reflection integrated into the CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) experiences in the IB?

Reflection is an essential component of CAS, where students are encouraged to reflect before, during, and after every CAS experience to analyze and understand their actions and reactions.

What is the purpose of doing a Pre-Trip Reflection on a CAS trip?

A Pre-Trip Reflection helps students to consider their expectations, prejudices, and challenges before an activity, using probing questions based on the 7 Learning Outcomes.

How can the 7 Learning Outcomes guide reflections during a CAS activity?

The 7 Learning Outcomes provide a framework for students to consistently analyze the situation, question their actions and reactions, and ensure their ethics are being tested by their choices and actions.

What is the importance of comparing pre-activity reflections with the reality after completing a CAS experience?

Comparing pre-activity reflections with reality helps students to understand the gap between expectations and outcomes, prompting them to ask probing questions and learn from the experience.

How can students make their reflections meaningful and go beyond superficial descriptions?

Meaningful reflections should question what happened and why, focusing on the quality rather than the quantity, and experimenting with different mediums to find the most suitable form of expression.

What are some creative mediums students can use for reflection?

Students can use various creative mediums for reflection such as blogging, vlogging, dancing, singing, performing, writing, podcasting, photographing, creating posters, or making PowerPoint presentations.

How can group reflections be beneficial in the context of CAS experiences?

Group reflections can be powerful and thought-provoking, allowing for shared insights, diverse perspectives, and collective learning among participants.

Why is it important for students to view reflection as a valuable life skill rather than just an academic obligation?

Viewing reflection as a life skill helps students to appreciate its long-term benefits, such as personal growth, adaptability, and resilience, beyond the context of their IB Diploma.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Power of Reflection in IB Studies

This paragraph emphasizes the significance of reflection in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, highlighting its role in experiential learning and personal growth. Reflection is portrayed as a crucial skill that can lead to better understanding of one's strengths and weaknesses, improved decision-making and problem-solving abilities, and enhanced self-awareness. The paragraph also outlines the benefits of reflective thinking, such as identifying values, considering feedback, and applying skills across different situations. It encourages students to engage in reflection before, during, and after CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) experiences, using the 7 Learning Outcomes as a framework for probing questions. The importance of meaningful reflection that goes beyond surface-level descriptions is stressed, along with the encouragement to explore various mediums for reflection, such as blogging, vlogging, or creating presentations.

05:03

🚀 Developing Reflection as a Lifelong Skill

The second paragraph focuses on the process of developing reflection as a skill. It acknowledges that reflection may not come naturally to everyone and requires consistent practice to master. The paragraph serves as a motivational reminder that the effort invested in learning to reflect is not just for academic purposes but is a valuable life skill. It encourages students to view reflection as an enriching part of their personal development rather than an obligatory task for their diploma. The summary also touches on the idea that reflection can lead to a deeper understanding of experiences and the development of skills that can be applied differently in the future.

Keywords

💡Reflection

Reflection is a process of thinking deeply about an experience, one's feelings, and the implications of actions taken. It is central to the International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy and is vital for experiential learning. In the context of the video, reflection is portrayed as a tool for personal growth, enabling students to process experiences and convert them into learning. The script emphasizes the importance of reflection before, during, and after activities, using it to challenge assumptions and improve decision-making skills.

💡Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is a method of education where knowledge comes from direct experience and active involvement in the learning process. The video script highlights that reflection is the key to experiential learning, allowing students to understand and process what has happened, which in turn leads to personal growth. It is the method by which students can apply their learning to real-world situations and gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

💡CAS Experience

CAS stands for Creativity, Activity, and Service, which is a core component of the IB program. It represents a balanced approach to learning that involves students in creative pursuits, physical activities, and community service. The script discusses the importance of reflecting on CAS experiences to gain insights into one's strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, as well as to develop problem-solving skills and a better understanding of oneself and others.

💡7 Learning Outcomes

The 7 Learning Outcomes are a framework used in the IB program to guide students in their reflections and learning experiences. They are a set of questions that help students to think critically about their experiences and to identify areas for growth. The script uses these outcomes to structure pre-trip reflections, asking students to consider challenges, skills development, and global significance related to their activities.

💡Pre-Trip Reflection

A pre-trip reflection is a form of reflection that takes place before an activity or trip. It involves asking probing questions about expectations, prejudices, and potential challenges. The script mentions that students are asked to do a pre-trip reflection on an activity in their itinerary, using the 7 Learning Outcomes to guide their thought process and set the stage for deeper learning.

💡Personal Growth

Personal growth refers to the development and improvement of an individual's abilities, skills, and understanding. In the video script, reflection is described as a means to achieve personal growth by processing experiences and learning from them. It is a continuous process that helps individuals to better understand themselves and to develop new skills and perspectives.

💡Feedback

Feedback is information received by a person about their actions or performance, often provided by others. In the context of the video, reflection involves considering and acting upon feedback, which is essential for self-improvement. It allows students to understand how their actions and decisions are perceived by others and to make necessary adjustments.

💡Assumptions

Assumptions are beliefs or opinions taken for granted without questioning their validity. The script encourages students to challenge their assumptions through reflection, which is crucial for developing critical thinking skills. By questioning the basis of their ideas, choices, and actions, students can gain a more accurate understanding of their experiences and the world around them.

💡Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are abilities that can be applied across different areas of life and work. The video script mentions that reflection can lead to the application of skills learned from one situation to another, emphasizing the importance of developing versatile skills that are not limited to a specific context.

💡Creativity

Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to produce something new and valuable. In the IB CAS program, creativity is one of the three pillars, alongside activity and service. The script encourages students to engage in creative pursuits as part of their CAS experiences and to reflect on these experiences to deepen their understanding of their own creative process.

💡Ethics

Ethics refers to moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. The script mentions that during reflection, students should consider whether their ethics are being tested by their choices and actions. This encourages students to think about the moral implications of their experiences and to act in accordance with their values.

Highlights

Reflection is central to the IB philosophy and experiential learning.

Conquering reflections can lead to lifelong benefits and stability.

Reflection helps develop skills like understanding strengths and weaknesses, decision-making, problem-solving, and identifying values.

Reflections should be done before, during, and after every CAS experience.

Pre-Trip Reflection involves asking probing questions about expectations, prejudices, and challenges using the 7 Learning Outcomes.

During activities, consistently analyze the situation and question actions and reactions with the 7 Learning Outcomes in mind.

Post-activity reflection involves comparing expectations to reality and contemplating improvements.

Meaningful reflections go beyond descriptions to question the experience and its reasons.

Focus on the quality of reflections rather than quantity and experiment with different mediums.

Group reflections can be powerful and thought-provoking.

When reflecting, remember if the experience is Creativity, Activity, or Service, or a combination.

Before an activity, consider expectations and select a Learning Outcome to focus on.

During the activity, document evidence and analyze what is happening.

Afterwards, revisit pre-reflections and ask probing questions within the 7 Learning Outcomes framework.

Reflection is a skill that takes time and effort to develop but offers huge payoffs.

Reflection is a valuable life skill, not just an obligation for the Diploma.

Transcripts

You will hear so much about Reflection in your IB

studies that it can sometimes feel like you're trapped in a hall of mirrors..

reflections reflecting upon reflections! So why are they so important?

Reflection is right at the heart of IB philosophy as it is the key to

experiential learning. Reflecting is how we can process and

understand what has happened and convert an experience into learning

and thus personal growth. It is seriously

no understatement to say that if you can conquer reflections

and the art of reflective thinking as a young adult, you'll be set for LIFE!

There is nothing you can throw at a truly reflective person

that can destabilize them.

Here is a list of some of the skills reflection can

and should lead to: Better understanding of your strengths,

weaknesses and aries areas for improvement;

Decision-making and problem-solving skills; Identifying

your values and beliefs, and those of others;

Considering and acting upon feedback; Making more sense of your experiences

and how they shape your actions; Challenging assumptions

on which you base your ideas, choices and actions;

Applying skills learned from one situation to another;

Making links between CAS experiences and other IB subjects;

and Better understanding of yourself, and those you interact with.

They are basically super powers for us mortals. Although it is an essential

component of CAS, there is no right or wrong way to go

about it and we will try to help you find

the best form of Reflection for you. However you choose to Reflect

you should be doing it before, during and after every CAS Experience you have

On CAS Trips, for example, we ask participating students to take one

activity in their itinerary and do a Pre-Trip Reflection, asking

themselves probing questions about their expectations,

prejudices and challenges. A great framework for these questions

are the 7 Learning Outcomes themselves:

For example, LO1 asks "which challenges do you think this

activity will present? Which skills could you develop as a

result?:" And LO6 asks "which

question issues of global significance could this activity

engage you with?" Additionally, during the activity you should consistently

be analyzing the situation and questioning your actions and your

reactions. Again, using the 7 Learning Outcomes:

LO7 asks "are my ethics being tested by my choices and actions

right now?"

And finally, once you have completed the activity it is time to look back and

contemplate what happened, why and how you would do it better.

For this, we encourage participating students to look

at their Pre-Rrip Reflection and compare their documented expectations

to the realities that they faced. You will be surprised how this simple

formula of reflection before, during and after an activity

can be so effective. You can also find some awesome CAS Trip

student reflections as additional examples on our website link

in the description for you to use.

Meaningful reflections should go beyond a superficial description of the

Experience to actually question what happened and,

most importantly, why. Focus on the quality not the

quantity of your reflections: And experiment with mediums until you

find one that really suits you!

You can blog, vlog, dance, sing, perform, write, podcast, photograph,

write a poster, create a powerpoint...the creative channels

are endless and don't forget that group reflections can also be a powerful and

thought-provoking format as well. When reflecting begin by remembering to

ask yourself if the Experience is Creativity, Activity or Service.

Remember it can be more than one.

Before the activity: Consider your expectations of the Experience

and select at least one of the 7 Learning Outcomes that you feel you will

tackle. How and Why do you feel you will engage

in this LO? Next during the activity: Try to remember

to constantly analyze what is happening and don't forget to document it with

your evidence. And afterwards: You'll want to revisit

your Before reflection and ask yourself if the reality of the

experience met your expectations. Why did or didn't it? Ask yourself

probing questions and try to frame them within the 7 Learning

Outcomes what were you thinking and feeling?

How did this activity require you to demonstrate perseverance or commitment?

What was good and bad about the experience?

And what skills had have you developed and how could you have done

this differently?

For many people, reflection doesn't come naturally.

Like any skill it takes time and effort to work on until you are comfortable and

efficient. But keep at it! The payoffs are huge -

don't look at this as an obligation you need to achieve to pass your Diploma.

Look at it as an incredibly valuable and enriching life skill because

that is what it means to be able to be truly reflective.