Reflection
whichis a fundamentaitheoreticalpreceptof constructivism(Vygotsky,1978;1986).
,,.
1-Y:A*-
Pre-flectionstatementscan be written dowir bn index cardsor slips of scratchpaperso
they canbe circulated. in this way, participantsseeotherperceptionsand
conceptualizations
of the topic that might validate,challenge,or enhancetheir own initial
undersLanding.
Srudentsquickly andefficiently seetherei"smore than one way to view
thetopic. This initial thoughtaisoservesasa baselinethat eanbe revisitedat the end of a
discussionor evenan entirecourseto determineto what extent new insight or knowledge
hasbeengained. The processis straightforward.
For example,when conductingprofessionaldeveiopmentworkshopson sewiceleamingwith faculty, I will oftenbeginby asking them to write down their initiai
is,
understaading
of what service-lean'iing
.They
readthe circrllatedwritten descriptions
prior to the discussion.At the end,participantsare askedto revisit or reconsidertheir
iriitial thoughtsto ascer[ainif they havea more comprehensiveunderstatrdingof the
concept.lnvariably, nearly 100%of the partieipantsacknowledgegrowth in their
conceptualfran"ieworks,ln this wa1,,the pre-flectionactivity is a reflection technique
that is incorporatedbefore and afteranexperience,whelher it is a seryice-learriing
assignment
or a traditional didacticteachingformat. Pre-flection canbe useddwing the
fust classsessionof an entirecourseandrevisitedat the end of the course.I collectthose
initial thoughts,savethem, andthen redist'ibutethem to the studentsso they can reflect
on andrespondto what hastranspiredovertime, It can alsobe usedat the beginningof
eachclasssessionto activatethe reflectionprocessfor that topic and reviewedwhen the
sessionconcludes,Application in both contextsservesas a useful and simple way to
Reflection- 10
returoto the learningobjectivesof the courseor classsessionto assessto what extent
they goalshave beenmet.
What? So What? Now What?
This methodwas an integralpart of students'refiectionin the CampusOutreach
OpportunityLeague(COOL). Its elegantsimplicity hasinfluencednot oniy my teaching
but much of my scholarship.This is attestedby the fact this simplerubric is the
fundamentalcore of the kiadie frameworicof deepereducationpresentedthroughoutthis
book, This methodhas alsofound its way into my workshopssuchas one on acadernic
cultureof higher educationhostedby CampusCompactfor new directorsof service
review G.PT) processis
centers.Key conceptssuchasthe retentior:/prpmotion/tenure
the "what" foliowed by a reflectivediscussionon the ramificationsfor faculty engagedin
service-learntnsas the "so vr'hat"and how this will influencethe way eenterdirectors
conveyservice-leamingand supportfaculty during the "now what" process, Using these
3 questionscan be overt, A key conceptor definition from aclasscan be presentedon a
white board, or Powerpointpresentationin a box or column to be intr-oduced
wori<sheet,
and discussed,The i4portance or significancsoilhis is then explorediii'a varief of
contexts. This could simply be in hypotheticalapplicationandpractice,or as viewed
experience. Finaliy, sfudentsandinst'uctor can consider
during the service-learn:ing
future applica,iionbasedonthis new insight and understanding.
One colleagueof mine in SociaiWork beganusing this methodin a very overt
the top of each
maruterby drawing 3 columnson the boardwith eachcomponentat
poverfy
colurur. The "what?" might be poverfy andthe "so what?" examinedhow
impactedthe family in variousways suchashealth. The "now what?" was consideration
Reflection- 11
of the role of socialworlcersin direct sewice as well as influencing policy. The first two
"\o-
stepsof this methodcould easilybe the focus of in-classdiscussionswith the "no'w
r'.,hat?"usedin out-of-classassignments.I have evencombinedthis techniquewith
otherssuchas a methodknown as Graffiti.
Graffiti
Graffiti involves studentswriting a brief responseto a reflection topic or term on
a pieceof posterpaper(s)postedon the walls of the ciassroom. Multiple and related
topics,situations,or terms can be posted, Studentscanbe askedto respondindividually
or in dyadsor smali groups. As they rotatearoundthe paperpostedthroughoutthe room,
studentsoftenreadothers' responsesthat were recordedprior to their written response
which may includea reactionor commentsto qthatthey haveread. Graffiti is both public
andsomewhatanonymousreflection responses.A-fteran allotted period of time to read
andrespondto eachposterpaper,the classcan be reconvenedto discussiryhathas been .
recorded.This methodcan also be usedin online threadeddiscussions.
'Graffiti lendsitself well.to having studentscompareand contrastalopic or
experiences.One sheetmight havestudentsconsiderand record advantagesto a given
topic or approachwhileanothersheetof paperis for disadvanlages.In this way, students
canseethe variousargumentsand complexitiesto an issue. For example,studentsmay
be askedto reflect on the pros and consofNAFTA in an economicscourse,strengthsand
weaknesses
of hydrogenpower in an environmentalscienceclass,or the merits and
drawbacksof a given poiicy in a political scienceclass'
Reflection- 12
This methodcan also be usedto generateprovocativereflection and discussionby
travingstudentsrespondfrom various contextsor positions. For example,studentsmay
be assigneda given role suchas an executiveto an oil companyto respondto various
forms of alteinativeenergy. In a socioiogyclass,studentsmight be askedto takethe
identity of a given group suchas having white malesrespondto topics, terms,or policies
as if they were a singlemother of color, In this way, graffiti createsa cognitive
dissonancethat movesstudentsto anothefcontextto foster a senseof empathyor t'otherness," As ailudedto above,I have combihedthe "What? So What?Now What?" with
Graffiti by listing eachof thosequestionson a singlesheetof posterpaper. Studentscan
'
individually or in groupsrespondin writing to be discussedlater'in class.
Take A Stand/ Get Off the Fence
This methodcan be modified into two formats. Take a Standis easierto conduct
as studentsmerely standup when askedto respondto a question. Get Offthe Fence
requiresmore spaceas all the participantsstandand then stepforward in response.
Regardiessofthe forma! participantsare activelyengagedin diaioguein which the
irstructor essentialiyasksthe questioriaridihen stepsback to facilitb-teparticipants
teachingeachother. The wonderof this approachis facilitating a discussionin which
participantsmust literally take a standand supporttheir position. The instructoror
facilitator asksone of the individuals standingto explain his or her position. Then,the
inskuctor calls on one of the sitting pariicipantsto respondto what they heard.
Inevitably,.each"side" hearsand agreeswith somemerit of the other argument.As a
result,thereis civil discourse,often resultingin participantsadjustingor evenchanging
thek position. Not all responsesare so "cut anddry" asthere areoften degreesof
Reflection- 13
agreementanddisagreement.This can be accommodated
by creatinga Likert-type
continuumof responsesby indicatingone wall of the room represents"strongly agree"
andthe oppositewali is "strongly disagree." Studentsthen "place" themselvesalong the
continuum.
of
Listeningto the discourseprovidesan immediateandeffective assessment
and
participants'understandingof the topic. This servesas an effective assessment
teachingtool for the instmctor. For example,when conductingworkshopson serviceleami::g,I will illusfi'ate"Take a Stand" as a reflection methodby stating,"Sfudents
shouldbe requiredto do service-1earning."Undoubtedly,the responseis divided.
Tluough the discourse,I candiscernby commentsif participantstruiy understand
sewicelearningasa pedagogyas opposedto being "voiunteering" and then clarify.
Likewise, afterposingtwo or three examplesfatementsin a workshop,I ask participants
to describewhat they are observing. It is clearly evidentthat the participantsare teaching
eachother while the Lrstructoris merely facilitating the dialogue.
The Target
This reflectionmethodutilizes an integral approachto cornplbxissue,borrowing
salientconceptsftom the work of Ken Wilbru's book, Theorv of Everythins (2000) by
integratingperspectivesfrom various conteirtssuchas culture,the environrnent,health,
economics,or politics. Using sucb an approachpromotesan interdisciplinaryperspective
in what otherwiseis often a natrow view of phenomenafrom one given field or
discipline. The nameof this methodmerely describesatool usedto frame reflection. At
the centerof this frarneworkis the studeator any individual, From here,concentricrings
representeverexpandingsettingssuchas family, neighborhood,city, nation, to the world
Reflection- 14
at-large. The rings are divided into at leastfour contextsthat might include economics,
health,envirorunent,or politics. A topic for reflectioncanbe tamed in any given setling
An instructor can usethe targetto
or contexteitherby random or deliberateassignment.
intentionaliyselecta frame of reference,let studentschoosefor themselves,or employ
the randomseiectionprocess. I haveactuallytosseda rolled up bail of maskingtape
tor*'arda projectedPowerpointimageof the targetdepictedbelow in figUre 9.1 to
ranciomiyselectthe frame of reference.For example,I did this in a reflection workshop
with faculty from a Departmentof Communication.The topic was "women's rights" and
the coutextthat wasrandomly selectedby tossingthe wad of maskingtaPewas a culture
at a global perspective.The dialoguethat ensuedexpioredthe imposition of westem
cultural valueson other cultures,specificallyIslamic, andthe moral complexities
associated.
with the issue. Participantswere ableto explorethe topic ftom a different
context,and thus, createa broaderunderstanding'
A colleagueof mine is a professorof Englishwho teachesa service-learning
,,Literatureof Poverty." Shehasusedthe targetto generatetopics and
courseon the
perspectivesfor *,ritten reflectionjourrlal topics. Another,colleaguein Chemical
Engineeringusedthis integral approachin planninghis coursein which studentswere
conskuctingsolar poweredhydrogencelis. Prior to the course,the instructor askedfor
assistancein identifying faculty membersftom otherdisciplinesto seryeas gpest
speakers.We identified willing andinterestedcolleaguesfrom Communication'
a
Economics,Political Science,and EnvironmentalStudiesto make 9Q-minute
tire
presentationto the class. Pre-professionalengineersgainedinsight into
cost/benefit
tire impact
of tbeir efforts,how to communicatetheir work in a petroleum-basedsociety,
Reflection- 15
of their altemativeenergyon the environment,and how foreign policy is influencedby
energydevelopmentand needs. The instructorusedthis information and contextsto have
ChemicalEngineeringstudentsreflect on tbeir work. The result was a deeper
u:rderstanding
of the complexintegrai issuesandinter-relatedfactors that shapethe work
ofengineers.
Politics
T'.1
r,cotrorucs
I
I
Environrnent
The ABCs of Refleetion.
This methodwas developedout of sheerdesperationfrom the initial kustrating
confessedabove. The fiindamentalcomponentsand premisecamefrom a
experiences
scholarlyarticie that was providedto me by the staff of the Bennion Center. Hondagneu-
Reflection- 16
SoteloandRaskoff (I9g4) articulateda theoretiealrubric of reflectionthat resonatedwith
me asit providedan essentialstucture of Wruq.*Tstudentsshouldreflect on. I took their
basicprinciplesand incorporatedthem into what I calledthe ABCs of reflection (Welch,
1999)andlater evolvedinto the ABCl23 hybrid approachof assessingthe depthof
sfudents'reflection (Welch & James,2007)'
Studentsareinstructedto include 3 distinct dimensionsduring their leflection.
The letter "A" representsAFFECT, which ailows studentsto considerhow they feei
Studentsreflect on their behaviol for the "8"
before,duri:rg,or after tn""ilnence.
and predicting
portion of the rubric. This includesreflectingon their previousbehaviors
.,
..
i
.:.,,
Oimensiohis cognition, representedby
how they might behavein the futr.ug,The *rira
t.,'
.,
i l ' ,' ' t
.
conbeCtionbetweenwbat they
the letter ,,C.,, Studeot, ur*.,in!t*,it"O.to mali€;aq.ci'bcrcie
be in oral
experiencedin their serviie to cllusroom'Coittdrit:Studentfesiioff€Slcguid
.
., .:',..
doesnot have to
during classdiscussior,*'olVnittenihjoiirnals or on-lindi The rebponse.
'.
dirnensions'
follow a linear ,"q.roic*j',if.ABC, butstudentsare requiredto addiessaif 3
,
.i
:
on
The following is achralr.eflectq topic ftommy serviie-learniirgclasSfocusing
,"
' ,.' .
t.'t:
factorsthatplacechildrenAtiftl(j{ sdhdolsdttin$s:
We have discussedcultural varibblesand differencesin'oral communicationin
your
class, yow readingsinclude speeificexar:rplesin ihapter 4, Think baci(to
you
cbild
a
or
the
classroom
interactionswith the child you areworitng with in
haveobserved.Identify and desuibe specific examplesof the cultural traits in
oral comrnruricationyou haveseenICOGMTION]. Now that you have a better
you
understandingand awarenessof that communicatisnbehavior,how might
of
that
rvith
someone
respondo, .igug" in an oral communicationexchange
interpretation
cuitwal or ethnic group in the future? What wasyow behavioror
anindividual
think
you
do
How
past?
IBE]IAWORI
of a similar situatio; ii ttt"
&omadifferentculturalorethnicgroupfeelswhentheyareorally
was
with a dominantgroup? How would you feei if the situation
cour.municating
others?
with
reversedaodyou were the minority ati.emptingto communicate
IAFFECT]
Reflection - 17
Thefollowing is an actualreflectionrcsponsefrom a classof rnine on civic
engagement.Early on in the course,studentshad to collectively createthe evaluationand
gradingrubric for oral presentationsto be madelater in the semester.The curicular
contentof the classhappenedto be on the processof democraticdecision-making. Two
approaches
from the coursetext were examined:participaiorydemocracyand the
democratictheory of elitism (Rimmerman,200i). Thesehad beenpresented,read about,
andbriefly discussedi.nclass. This studentcompletedher reflection through an audio
recordingandher responseclearly demonstatesan understandingof the fwc concepts,
but at a muchdeeperandpersonallevel. The transcriptbelow (usedwith permission)
clearly rllustrateshow sheusedthe ABCs to reflect on andmake meaningof her
experiencein the classdeliberation. Her reflectionwas a streamof consciousness
narrativeandso shedid not explicitly allocatesectionsto addresseachof the ABCs,
lnstead,eachof the componentsof the ABC nrbric is very apparentas indicatedin
parentheses
Weweresupposed
to takesometaskthatwasreallyeasyanddefinea verybasicrubric.
with thewholeprocesstAFFEbt]. Firstwe weresittingthere
WellI wasvery frustrated
discussing
andwe foundwhatI thoughtwasa goodrubric, Right? And a1lof the sudden
onepersonraiseshis handandsaysI don'tlike this,it's too muchlike thisor that andwe
thatwasreallyeasy.In theend,
spentat leasthalf anhourtying to figureout something
just gaveup andsaid,"You knowwhat,I'm tired of talkingaboutthis,
Ithink everyone
muchmoreabout
let'sjust doit." But asfrtistrbtedit mademe feel;I actuallyunderstood
ourgoverrurlent.
[COGNITIO].|Whatwepracticedin ourexercisewaswhatwe could
callanexampleof participatorydemocracy.Thebooksays,[quotingfrornthetextbook]
by thecitizensin thecommunitvand
activeparticipation
it is theideathatembraces
touchesall shouldbe iudsed bv all. It requiresmuch more thanjust voting for cQ]mpeting
elltists. Tiuaugh a processof decision.debate.and comoromise.they lintritheir concerns