Self-reflection concerns the critical assessment of one’s own performance and actions. The process consists of looking back (retrospection) as well as evaluating one’s own actions (introspection) to inform and, possibly, improve future conduct (prospection). Through self-reflection, we can learn from our mistakes and, consequently, develop to grow within our field. This holds on an academic level, but it can also be applied to situations in daily life. By reflecting on one’s own behaviour, students will learn to navigate different social situations and adapt to different environments. As such, self-reflection concerns an ongoing, circular process, during which we make mistakes, learn from them and adjust, only to make new mistakes and continue again from there on. Self-reflection is thus performance-based self-analysis focused on actions of doing. In this sense, self-reflection is complemented by the skill of positionality which revolves around being.
Tips & tricks
With these tips & tricks, you can introduce students to the skill in an accessible way.
Doing something badly
This fun exercise can give students a short-lived change of pace during a course session and provides opportunity for some light-hearted learning. To teach students self-reflection, they can be asked to perform a specific task poorly or to intentionally behave below the accepted standard level. Alternatively, they can be asked to reflect on a situation “where your performance was underwhelming”. Highlighting how not to do an exercise not only teaches what mistakes can be avoided in the future, it also allows students to realise that not everything can or should be done perfectly.
Weekly notes
To reflect on readings and course activities, weekly notes provide an easy way for students to engage with what they are learning. Such periodical notes can be taken individually or exchanged within a small circle of trusted peers. They consist of cognitive associations or concrete ideas that students came up with while studying or revising course topics. Notes could, for example, link readings to current situations in society, to courses they have completed or to (m)any other things. Students could also come up with questions in their note or explain how they think the readings connect with their personal lives. The topic of the notes should not be too strictly defined, because that limits students’ freedom to reflect on aspects they find important.
Teaching activities
With these teaching activities, you can enable students to apply the skill concretely within your educational practice.
Ongoing reflection
To encourage self-reflection, students can be asked at the start of a new course to set personal goals in terms of cognitive as well as soft, inter-personal competencies. Having students set goals for learning and performance will make them more focused while studying and will give them a clear purpose during the entire course. It can be a good idea to provide (regular) opportunity throughout the course to provide time for students to reflect on their goals, and discuss whether they are achieving them, and what the reasons are for (not) doing so. Several options exist to structure the reflection: the instructor can ask participants to set their goals and discuss them in class (which is likely to foster listening skills). If this does not fit into the lesson plan, however, reflection can be done in writing, or even in presentation form. Teaching students how to reflect on their actions and the learning process works best when the teacher is aware of the students’ goals, and when students receive feedback on these goals, or a chance to discuss them.
Post-grading dialogue
Feedback and discussion are crucial in teaching students how to (self-)reflect. One way to facilitate this is by making time for a dialogue after grading, ideally in a one-on-one or small-sized group setting. Such (review) sessions should aim at giving students insight into the mistakes they made and how their work (be it a written, oral, or visual piece) can improve. This insight can be provided by peer students and/or by teaching staff involved in the actual grading. In any case, students should get a chance to look at their performance or submission, how it was graded, and there should be room for constructive suggestions and questions. A key factor here is that the instructor takes adequate time to allow students to learn from their efforts. Alternatively, post-grading dialogue can also take the form of insightful comments and meaningful feedback that does not require in-person consultation. A detailed model answer and extensive grading criteria can be useful in this respect.
Assessment
With these assignments, you can encourage students to further train and develop the skill.
Reflection Paper
An assignment that encourages the skill of self-reflection can be a paper in which students reflect on their own (learning) process. It is important that students critically assess their own way of learning, what they learned, and how it influenced them. However, a reflection assignment does not necessarily only aim to trace steps in their learning trajectory. A reflection component can also be integrated as part of a wider assignment on specific content. Moreover, the reflection exercise can be organised in such a way that it requires students to actively discuss the content as well as their learning process with classmates. Furthermore, a (self-)reflection assessment does not per se necessitate a paper; there are more creative ways of practicing this skill, such as through a podcast or through a video. The main objective is to incentivise students to critically examine themselves and dare to question their assumptions by engaging in retrospection and introspection.
Experience Based Paper
From the beginning, the experience-based paper is founded on the epistemological assumption that life experiences function as a legitimate source for ‘doing science’. Since every person has their own unique experiences, these experiences provide novel insights into scientific problems. The goal of such an essay is to take personal viewpoints seriously, and to let the writers reflect critically upon their own feelings and thoughts. It teaches students that their experiences are valid, and that they can learn from their environment and kin. This, additionally, opens opportunities for those who feel marginalized or unheard in the scientific community, to present their thoughts in a safe environment. Lastly, writing an essay based on personal experience will lead to more passionate and involved writing, which encourages the enjoyment of the writing process and deepens interests in scientific puzzles.
Good practices
These examples provide insight into how students have successfully applied the skill in practice.
Reflection Exercises (City as a Lab)
This self-reflection exercise consist of two parts. The first self-reflection is written as preparation before a larger assignment. In this self-reflection students have to ask themselves what their expectations are for the assignment, what pre-existing assumptions they have about the topic, and how their own opinions and experiences influence these assumptions. After having finished the larger assignment, a second self-reflection exercise is written, with the intention to reflect on what was learned during the assignment, and whether the results were satisfactory. If the assignment was done in a group, this second exercise can also include a reflection on group dynamics and how it influenced the outcomes.
In this specific example, the larger assignment concerned a cooperation with a Rotterdam-based organization to work on a societal issue, but it could be a larger assignment in any field that requires significant effort and preparation.
Chan, C. K., & Lee, K. K. (2021). Reflection literacy: A multilevel perspective on the challenges of using reflections in higher education through a comprehensive literature review. Educational Research Review, 32, 100376.
Colomer, J., Serra, T., Cañabate, D., & Bubnys, R. (2020). Reflective learning in higher education: Active methodologies for transformative practices. Sustainability, 12(9), 3827.
Ibarra-Sáiz, M. S., Rodríguez-Gómez, G., & Boud, D. (2020). Developing student competence through peer assessment: the role of feedback, self-regulation and evaluative judgement. Higher Education, 80(1), 137-156.