What is Self-Reflection & Why Does it Matter? | PATHS H5P
Summary
TLDRThis lesson emphasizes the importance of self-reflection in the learning process, outlining its definition, process, and benefits. It highlights how reflection can lead to transformative insights, better decision-making, and avoidance of stereotypes. The 'What? So What? Now What?' framework is introduced as a method to guide reflection, encouraging students to analyze experiences, understand their significance, and determine subsequent actions. The lesson also suggests practical tips for fostering reflection skills, such as setting aside time for contemplation and maintaining a reflection journal, ultimately positioning self-reflection as a critical tool for academic and professional growth.
Takeaways
- 🔍 Self-reflection is defined as a method of introspection within a learning context to gain insights and apply them to future experiences.
- 🌟 It is crucial for academic success as it aids in making important changes and decisions about one's learning process.
- 🔧 Without self-reflection, one might reinforce stereotypes and offer simplistic solutions to complex problems.
- 📚 Reflection skills can be developed through practice and feedback, often prompted by instructors in an educational setting.
- 🗣️ The 'What? So What? Now What?' framework is suggested for engaging in the reflective process effectively.
- 🤔 The 'What' step involves defining the experience and being specific about one's actions and experiences.
- 💡 The 'So What' step is about understanding the significance of the experience and identifying important connections.
- 🛠️ The 'Now What' step focuses on deriving insights and planning changes or next steps based on those insights.
- ⏰ It's advised to set aside time to thoughtfully consider each reflection question and let the mind wander over the experience.
- 📝 Instructors may ask for written reflections on real-world examples to enhance self-awareness and critical thinking skills.
- 📔 Keeping a reflection journal can be a helpful tool for noting experiences, applying the 'What, So What, Now What' framework, and tracking personal growth.
Q & A
What is self-reflection?
-Self-reflection is a process of examining oneself within a learning context to gain transformative insights to apply to future experiences.
Why is self-reflection important for learning and academic success?
-Self-reflection is crucial as it helps in making important changes and decisions, avoiding being stuck in ineffective routines, and preventing reinforcement of stereotypes or offering simplistic solutions to complex problems.
How can one develop self-reflection skills?
-One can develop self-reflection skills through practice and feedback, often prompted by instructors in a classroom setting or after personal experiences such as presentations or assignments.
What is the 'What? So What? Now What?' framework for self-reflection?
-The 'What? So What? Now What?' framework is a method to guide the reflective process by defining the experience, understanding its significance, and determining the insights and next steps based on those insights.
Why is it important to focus on the 'So What?' and 'Now What?' parts of the framework?
-The 'So What?' and 'Now What?' parts of the framework are important because they help in practicing reflection skills and gaining valuable insights that can lead to actionable changes and improvements.
What tips are suggested for engaging in self-reflection?
-Tips for self-reflection include setting aside time to think about the reflection questions, allowing the mind to wander, listing questions or thoughts, and considering the reflection in a comfortable environment.
How can self-reflection be practiced in a classroom setting?
-In a classroom, self-reflection can be practiced by reflecting on course content, activities, or personal learning processes, and by responding to prompts from instructors, such as after a presentation or assignment.
What other skills can self-reflection help develop?
-Self-reflection can help develop self-awareness, the ability to make connections between course content and real-world experiences, analysis, communication, and critical thinking skills.
How might an instructor prompt self-reflection in a real-world context?
-An instructor might prompt self-reflection by asking students to consider a real-world example from multiple perspectives and provide a written reflection, or by encouraging them to think about their own assumptions and beliefs.
What is the significance of keeping a reflection journal?
-A reflection journal allows one to note important experiences, document insights, and apply the 'What? So What? Now What?' framework to new content and milestones, aiding in continuous learning and self-improvement.
Outlines
🤔 Self-Reflection: A Key to Learning and Success
This paragraph introduces self-reflection as an essential tool for learning and academic success. It emphasizes the importance of examining one's learning context to gain transformative insights and make necessary changes. The paragraph explains that without self-reflection, individuals might reinforce stereotypes and offer simplistic solutions to complex problems. It also suggests that reflection skills can be developed through practice and feedback. The 'What? So What? Now What?' framework is introduced as a method to engage in self-reflection, encouraging individuals to define experiences, consider their significance, and determine next steps based on insights gained. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the value of self-reflection in developing skills like self-awareness, analysis, communication, and critical thinking.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Self-reflection
💡Transformative insights
💡Learning context
💡Routine
💡Stereotypes
💡Feedback
💡Reflective process
💡Self-awareness
💡Real-world example
💡Reflection journal
Highlights
Self-reflection is defined and its importance in learning and academic success is emphasized.
Self-reflection allows for transformative insights to be applied to future experiences.
The necessity of self-reflection to avoid reinforcing stereotypes and making simplistic decisions is discussed.
Reflection skills can be developed through practice and feedback.
Instructors may prompt self-reflection on course content, activities, or personal learning processes.
Self-reflection can be practiced after significant events like presentations or assignments.
The 'What? So What? Now What?' framework is introduced for the reflective process.
The significance of experiences is explored in the 'So What?' step of the framework.
Insights and next steps based on reflection are outlined in the 'Now What?' step.
The importance of focusing on the 'So What?' and 'Now What?' steps for deeper reflection is highlighted.
Setting aside time to reflect on each question is suggested for effective self-reflection.
Allowing the mind to wander and listing thoughts can aid in the reflection process.
The suggestion to reflect in a favorite spot or outdoors for a more conducive environment is given.
Self-reflection is positioned as a skill to be continuously practiced and developed.
Instructors may use real-world examples and written reflections to enhance self-reflection.
Reflective exercises can develop self-awareness and critical thinking skills.
The challenge of thinking through multiple perspectives is discussed as part of self-reflection.
The role of assumptions and beliefs in self-reflection and personal examination is explored.
Short surveys and written responses can facilitate self-reflection on learning and course progress.
Maintaining a reflection journal is recommended for noting experiences and applying the 'What? So What? Now What?' framework.
Self-reflection is emphasized as a powerful tool for skill development and professional growth.
Transcripts
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to define self-reflection,
describe the process of self-reflection, recognize the benefits of self-reflection to
one’s learning and academic success, and engage in self-reflection.
Self-reflection is a powerful tool and an important part of learning.
As a student, self-reflection is a way of examining yourself within a learning context,
to gain transformative insights to apply to future experiences.
Self-reflection helps us make important changes and decisions.
Without reflecting on how we study, learn, or work, we miss these opportunities and
may find ourselves stuck in a routine that may not be working effectively.
More importantly, without reflection,
experience alone might cause us to reinforce stereotypes,
offer simplistic solutions to complex problems and generalize inaccurately based on limited data.
We can develop reflection skills and self-reflection through practice and feedback.
In a classroom setting, your instructor may ask you to reflect on course content, an activity
or experience, or on your own learning process.
After a presentation or interview, or after an assignment is submitted,
you can also practice self-reflection to help
you gain important insights about yourself
and make important changes based on your experience.
One way to go through a reflective process is to follow a “What? So What? Now What?” framework.
You can first start by defining the experience or activity or situation.
Think about your own actions and experience, and be specific. Then you can ask yourself:
What was the significance of this experience, for example,
to you personally, to the course material?
What connections are important? This is the “so what” piece.
And finally, what are the important insights?
And what changes or next steps will you make
based on these insights?
This is the “now what” part.
By going through this framework and asking yourself these three questions you can
engage in a process of ongoing reflection.
It’s important to note that you might find yourself initially more focused on answering the
“what” than the “so what” or the “now what” steps of this framework.
Naturally, this question might be a little easier and quicker to tackle, but it’s
in the latter two steps where we really
begin to practice our reflection skills and gain valuable insights, we can use.
It’s important we give ourselves time here.
One tip is to set aside a few minutes to just think about
each of these reflection questions before answering.
Let your mind wonder about the experience you’re reflecting on
and what you’ve learned or been hoping to learn.
List any questions or thoughts that may pop up.
You can even sketch out your thoughts and doodle as you think.
Feel free to spend time outdoors or be in your favourite spot at home as you reflect.
Remember, you can develop reflection skills and self-reflection through practice and feedback,
so keep going!
In class, your instructor may ask you to reflect on a real-world example,
consider the experience from multiple perspectives and provide a written reflection.
They may ask you to think about your own assumptions and beliefs.
This reflective exercise can help you develop many other skills too,
including self-awareness, making connections between course content and the real world, analysis
communication, and critical thinking, but it also offers an opportunity to examine yourself.
Was it challenging to think through multiple perspectives? Why
And what do your assumptions or beliefs say about you?
Your instructor may also ask you questions
that will help you think about your own learning and how you are doing in the course,
through short surveys and other written responses,
but you can also practice self-reflection by
keeping a reflection journal to note important experiences and go through our “what,
so what, now what” framework as you learn new content and achieve milestones.
So, self-reflection is a powerful tool. It gives us the opportunity to think about our skills and
motivations and make important changes based on these insights. To excel as learners and
professionals, self-reflection is a skill we need to always be practicing and developing.
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