Month: February 2024

Spaces for reflection beyond the classroom

By Honorary Associate Professor Anne-Louise Semple, PhD, Macquarie University and Associate Professor Kate Lloyd, PhD, Macquarie University

This is the fifth post in the Reflection for learning develops metacognition series.

The aim of this series is to support educators and learners with their reflective practice as a foundational skill in developing metacognition.

The blogs in the series each focus on a different mode of reflection, with the aim of introducing a spectrum of approaches to reflective practice spanning analytical,

personalistic, critical, and creative. Each blog provides the scholarship underpinning the practice and shares a reflective activity to engage readers experientially.

There are many meaningful ways to engage with, and practice, reflection and a focus of this series is engaging the reader in a range of experiential activities.

The authors of this series are members of the Reflection for Learning circle. We have experimented, practiced and researched Reflection for Learning for over ten years.

The question

This post asks: How can your surrounding environment support reflection?

Reflection and Metacognition

Metacognitive skills involve awareness of what has been learned or needs clarification, and the way you learn (Stanton et al., 2021).  Awareness of and reflection on one’s surrounding environment, and one’s place within that, can enhance knowledge and understanding in ways that support metacognition.

Studies on field-based and experiential learning demonstrate the significance that reflection on one’s place/surrounds/environment can have including: increased self-awareness, ability to relate theory to real world practice, and the articulation of learning (Fedesco et al., 2020; Lloyd et al., 2015). Indeed, spending time in nature is known to enhance creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and it improves attention and focus; it is restorative (Taylor & Kuo, 2008; Rios & Brewer, 2014).

Our experiences during COVID revealed, however, that we can adapt reflection to any environment, be it indoor or out. Encouraging reflection on and in your surrounding environment, wherever you may be, supports mindful awareness and in turn contributes to “implicit knowledge in association with explicit knowledge, and insight into others’ perceptions” (Bolton, 2010, p. 15).

screen shot of link to website https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ztR73N_LcI?feature=oembed

Therefore, taking time to explore your surrounding environment in detail, and your experience of that, can enhance our connection to that place and create new ways of seeing, thinking, doing and being. (See the Reflection as Exploration video.) This self-awareness, which draws on both the physical and physiological, contributes to metacognition as individuals gain an enhanced ability to understand how different things and their location are interconnected, including in relation to themselves (Stolz, 2015; Leigh & Bailey, 2013).

What does this look like in practice?

Whether a place is familiar or unfamiliar, whether you are in the classroom or outside in nature, the mission is simple: start by slowing down and taking time to notice things in your surrounding environment that previously might not have been apparent. “Everything is interesting. Look closer…alter your course…notice patterns…trace things back to their origins…” (Smith, 2008, p.5).

Person looking out a window.

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

Document your observations in a way that suits you: use a camera, art supplies, pen and paper, laptop or audio recorder to document an object, a feeling encountered during the exploration, an experience that unexpectedly occurs, or a sense of something that evolves as a result of your exploration.

How can I learn more?

For more information, and to discover other practices including one that engages all five senses as one experiences their surrounding environment, please see our reflection for learning scholarly practice guide.

The online Reflection for Learning video series provides further demonstration:

References

Bolton, G. (2010). Reflective practice: Writing and professional development (3rd ed.). Sage.

Fedesco, H. N., Cavin, D., & Henares, R. (2020). Field-based learning in higher education: exploring the benefits and possibilities. Journal of the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching, 20 (1), 65-84. doi: 10.14434/josotl.v20i1.24877

Harvey M., Lloyd K., McLachlan K., Semple A-L., & Walkerden G. (2020). Reflection for learning: a scholarly practice guide for educators.  AdvanceHE. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/reflection-learning-scholarly-practice-guide-educators

Leigh, J., & Bailey, R. (2013). Reflection, reflective practice and embodied reflective practice. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy: An International Journal for Theory, Research and Practice, 8(3), 160-171. doi:  10.1080/17432979.2013.797498

Lloyd, K., Howitt, R., Bilous, R., Clark, L., Dowling, R., Fagan, R., Fuller, S., Hammersley, L., Houston, D., McGregor, A., McLean, J., Miller, F., Ruming, K., Semple, A-L., & Suchet-Pearson, S. (2015). Geographic contributions to institutional curriculum reform in Australia: the challenge of embedding field-based learning. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 39(4), 491-503. doi:10.1080/03098265.2015.1103710

Rios, J.M., & Brewer, J., (2014). Outdoor education and science achievement. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 13(4), 234-240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2015.975084

Smith, K. (2008). How to be an explorer of the world. Portable Life Museum. Penguin Group.

Stanton, J.D., Sebesta, A., J., & Dunlosky, J. (2021). Fostering Metacognition to Support Student Learning and Performance. CBE Life Sciences Education, 20(2), 1-7. doi: 10.1187/cbe.20-12-0289

Stolz, S.A. (2015). Embodied learning. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 47(5), 474-487. doi: 10.1080/00131857.2013.879694

Taylor, A.F., & Kuo, F.E. (2008). Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park. J Atten Disord, 12(5), 402-9. doi: 10.1177/1087054708323000


Practicing reflection beyond text to sensory and creative

By Dr Kathryn McLachlan, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, PhD, Macquarie University and Associate Professor Kate Lloyd, PhD, Macquarie University

This is the fourth post in the Reflection for learning develops metacognition series.

The aim of this series is to support educators and learners with their reflective practice as a foundational skill in developing metacognition.

The blogs in the series each focus on a different mode of reflection, with the aim of introducing a spectrum of approaches to reflective practice spanning analytical,

personalistic, critical, and creative. Each blog provides the scholarship underpinning the practice and shares a reflective activity to engage readers experientially.

There are many meaningful ways to engage with, and practice, reflection and a focus of this series is engaging the reader in a range of experiential activities.

The authors of this series are members of the Reflection for Learning circle. We have experimented, practiced and researched Reflection for Learning for over ten years.

The question

This post asks: “How can arts-based creative practices support reflection?”

Reflection and Metacognition

Creative practices like drawing and weaving have been shown to be associated with relaxation, reflection, creativity, and mindfulness (Belkofer, Van Hecke & Konopka, 2014), which in turn have been linked to enhanced cognitive and academic performance (Shapiro, Brown & Astin, 2008). Offering different and arts-based modes of reflective practice can be a “novelty seeking” activity that can enhance creativity and divergent thinking (Goclowska, et al., 2019). These creative new experiences can support a growth mindset (Dweck, 2017) and enable learners to discover that they can, with effort, improve their creative skills.

Reflective practice supports development of executive function such as working memory and cognitive flexibility and learners who engage in arts-based reflection activities can “amplify” their learning, enhancing academic performance. (Magsamen & Ross, 2023). These creative practices are often new or novel mediums for the students’ reflective repertoire, evoking different processes of reflection (Harvey et al., 2016). Examples of arts-based practices include painting, drawing, video, colouring-in and many uses of images such as photos which can “ignite inquiry…promote self awareness, self monitoring, reflective and reflexive practice while producing questions and answers….” (Lemon, 2007, p.183). Similarly, arts-based activities incorporating music in higher education teaching can enhance cognitive processing (attention, learning and memory) (Magsamen & Ross, 2023).

What does this look like in practice?

The “drawing with both hands” activity involves participants drawing in three different ways, and then participating in personal and group reflection. Follow this link for details on how to facilitate the process: see p.64 of our practice guide.

Three photos showing left and right hands demonstrating different types of drawing: Dominant hand leads, Mirror drawing, and Free flow drawing

Other creative techniques such as weaving can also foster reflection, mindfulness and connection. For examples see Indigenous led practices of weaving from Bawaka in Northeast Arnhem land or the The Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

two photos, showing different types of weaving

How can I learn more?

For more creative practices go to:

References

Belkofer, C. M., Van Hecke, A. V., & Konopka, L. M. (2014). Effects of drawing on alpha activity: A quantitative EEG study with implications for art therapy. Art Therapy, 31(2), 61-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2014.903821

Dweck, C.S. (2017). The new psychology of success. How we can fulfill our potential. Ballantine.

Goclowska, M., Ritter, S.,Elliot, A. J. & Baas, M. (2019). Novelty seeking is linked to openness and extraversion, and can lead to greater creative performance. Journal of Personality, 87(2), 252-266. DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12387

Harvey, M., Lloyd, K., McLachlan, K., Semple, A-L., Walkerden, G. (2020). Reflection for learning: a scholarly practice guide for educators. AdvanceHE, York (UK).

Harvey, M., Walkerden, G., Semple, A. L., McLachlan, K., Lloyd, K., & Baker, M. (2016). A song and a dance: Being inclusive and creative in practicing and documenting reflection for learning. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 13(2),3.

Lemon, N. (2007). Take a photograph: teacher reflection through narrative. Reflective Practice, 8(2), 177-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623940701288982

Magsamen, S. & Ross, I. (2023). Your brain on art. How the arts transform us. New York: Random House

Shapiro, S. L., Brown, K. A., & Astin, J. A. (2008). Toward the integration of meditation into higher education: A review of research. Center for Contemplative Mind. https://www.contemplativemind.org/files/MedandHigherEd.pdf 


Practising reflection with cognitive text-based activities

by Associate Professor Agnes Bosanquet, Macquarie University

This is the third post in the Reflection for learning develops metacognition series.

The aim of this series is to support educators and learners with their reflective practice as a foundational skill in developing metacognition.

The blogs in the series each focus on a different mode of reflection, with the aim of introducing a spectrum of approaches to reflective practice spanning analytical,

personalistic, critical, and creative. Each blog provides the scholarship underpinning the practice and shares a reflective activity to engage readers experientially.

There are many meaningful ways to engage with, and practice, reflection and a focus of this series is engaging the reader in a range of experiential activities.

The authors of this series are members of the Reflection for Learning circle. We have experimented, practised and researched Reflection for Learning for over ten years.

The question

This post asks: Where is a good place to start with reflection?

Reflection and Metacognition

Reflection is a learned skill and an ongoing process.

In The Reflective Practitioner, Schön (1983) describes reflection as a process whereby individuals try to understand “some puzzling or troubling or interesting phenomenon” (p.50). Those who are new to reflection can start with a form that sits comfortably within the cognitive domain: writing.

Written activities such as journals, diaries, and learning portfolios are well-established for documenting and assessing reflection (Brookfield, 2017; Harvey et. al., 2016). Written reflection is an expansive pedagogy – simple to resource, easy to adapt, and flexible in form. With scaffolding, students can develop their written reflection literacy (Chan & Lee, 2021; Chan, Wong & Luo, 2021; Cheng & Chan, 2019).

photo of a man writing while sitting outside

Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

Text-based reflection is a way of ‘thinking through writing’ or ‘writing along the way’. Thomson and Kamler (2010) call it “writing that is intended to sort out what we think, why, and what the implications of a line of thought might be” (p. 149). Students and teachers can articulate learning in progress – including “musings, unproven hunches, and still-forming hypotheses” – in a “relatively informal and conversational way” (Cook-Sather, Abbot, & Felten, 2019, p. 15).

What does this look like in practice?

Having students engage in written reflection can support their metacognitive development. Educators can also practice written reflection to enhance teaching and career development.

‘Seeking clarity’ is a cognitive text-based exercise that asks learners to respond to a single question. Ask the question: What was the most significant (useful, meaningful, surprising, etc.) thing you learned? Clarity of thought is a metacognitive aim and this reflection question is a strategy to achieve this. It is also important to make the purpose of the activity explicit to students.

Screenshot of link to website https://www.youtube.com/embed/D0vy9LBvRjA?feature=oembed

This version of the activity adopts a strengths-based approach (Harvey, 2014) that supports students’ development of their metacognitive skills as they reflect on what they know and what they need to know after a learning experience.

 

Other examples of written reflection practice include: minute papers, five main points, the application list and one word at a time. Details and a template for these practices can be found in our guide and demonstration videos are available on our YouTube channel.

How can I learn more?

For more information, and to discover other practices please see our reflection for learning scholarly practice guide.

The online Reflection for Learning video series provides further demonstration of written reflective practices such as:

 References

Brookfield, S. D. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher (2nd edn). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Chan, C. K. Y & Lee, K. K. W. (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 .https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100376Chan, C. K. Y, Wong, H. Y. H. & Luo, J. (2021) An exploratory study on assessing reflective writing from teachers’ perspectives. Higher Education Research & Development, 40 (4), 706-720. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1773769

Cheng, M. W, T. & Chan, C. K. Y. (2019). An experimental test: Using rubrics for reflective writing to develop reflection. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 61, 176-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.04.001

Cook-Sather, A., Abbot, S., & Felten, P. (2019). Legitimating reflective writing in SoTL: ‘Dysfunctional Illusions of Rigor’ revisited. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.7.2.2

Harvey, M., Walkerden, G., Semple, A. L., McLachlan, K., Lloyd, K., & Baker, M. (2016). A song and a dance: Being inclusive and creative in practicing and documenting reflection for learning. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 13(2), 3.

Harvey, M. (2014). Strengths-based theory and practice. In D. Coughlan and M. Brydon-Miller (Eds), the SAGE Encyclopaedia of Action Research. Volume 2 (pp.732-735). London: SAGE.

Harvey M, Lloyd K, McLachlan K, Semple A-L, Walkerden G (2020). Reflection for learning: a scholarly practice guide for educators. AdvanceHE, York (UK). https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/reflection-learning-scholarly-practice-guide-educators

Schön, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. Basic Books.

Thomson, P., & Kamler, B. (2010). It’s been said before and we’ll say it again – Research is writing. In P. Thomson & M. Walker (Eds.), The Routledge doctoral student’s companion: Getting to grips with research in education and the social sciences (pp. 149–160). Routledge.


Preparing for reflection with mindfulness

by Dr Greg Walkerden, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, PhD, Macquarie University

This is the second post in the Reflection for learning develops metacognition series.

The aim of this series is to support educators and learners with their reflective practice as a foundational skill in developing metacognition.

The blogs in the series each focus on a different mode of reflection, with the aim of introducing a spectrum of approaches to reflective practice spanning analytical,

personalistic, critical, and creative. Each blog provides the scholarship underpinning the practice and shares a reflective activity to engage readers experientially.

There are many meaningful ways to engage with, and practice, reflection and a focus of this series is engaging the reader in a range of experiential activities.

The authors of this series are members of the Reflection for Learning circle. We have experimented, practiced and researched Reflection for Learning for over ten years.

The question

This post asks: “How do we shift to being deliberately mindful of our experience?”

Reflection and Metacognition

Mindfulness is a metacognitive practice with a very long history. In the written record, it goes back at least to the early Buddhist texts (Kabat-Zinn 2015), and, in the last 50 years, secular uses of being deliberately aware of our own experiencing have flourished (Harvey et al 2020).

At its heart, mindfulness is being aware of what we are experiencing as we are experiencing it, and aware of how we are acting as we act. Doing this deliberately might seem like quite a modest contribution to learning, since, in some ways, we are always aware of what we are experiencing and what we are doing. However, the wide variety of terms in English for being unmindful underline how helpful this shift can be: we may be distracted, tired, troubled, frustrated, disinterested, overwhelmed, burdened, weary, fuzzy, disoriented, anxious, inattentive, discouraged, upset, unmotivated, unnerved, uninterested, procrastinating, frazzled, and on and on.

Being open, attentive and sensitive is not something we can take for granted in ourselves or others. So ways of shifting deliberately to being mindful have a lot to contribute to many of the things we do, and specifically to reflecting on our practice, both as we are practicing – reflecting-in-action – and afterwards – reflecting-on-action (Schön 1987).

What does this look like in practice?

A very simple way of shifting into being mindful is to simply relax, pause, and do any of the following …

  • think about something enjoyable, slowly, savoring it …
  • quietly take in the sights and sounds of where you are …
  • gently follow your own breathing … and if you drift off, gently return …
  • take a little time to notice how you are feeling, particularly whatever is in the background (usually some amalgam, perhaps of curiosity, comfort, discomfort, doubt, ease, …) … let the background reveal itself …

In a teaching setting, the practice can be that when students hear the sound of a bell, or any other pre-arranged cue, they simply pause, relax, and spend a minute doing one of the above.

photo of a hand holding meditative chimesPhoto by petr sidorov on Unsplash

As these instructions indicate, the heart of being deliberately mindful is pausing, relaxing, and then being aware gently, slowly, quietly – letting what is happening register. There is a great deal of empirical evidence – both in practice traditions and in the research literature – that mindfulness is a metacognitive practice that supports sensitivity, insight, and learning (Kabat-Zinn 2015, Harvey et al 2020). Such practices can be individual or shared.

screenshot of link to website https://www.youtube.com/embed/FCkCNRL5w-g?feature=oembed

How can I learn more?

For more detailed instructions for using this simple mindfulness practice in teaching, see our Mindfulness Cues video and the section ‘Mindfulness Cues’ in our guide (2020, p.34).

Two related mindfulness practices that explore mindfulness in nature and in movement are:

Both are very helpful in everyday life and in teaching.

References

Harvey, M., Lloyd K., McLachlan K., Semple A-L., & Walkerden, G. (2020). Reflection for learning: a scholarly practice guide for educators. AdvanceHE. (https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/reflection-learning-scholarly-practice-guide-educators)

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2015). Mindfulness. Mindfulness, 6, 1481–1483. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0456-x

Schön, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. Jossey-Bass.