Reflection is, unfortunately, one of the first things to go during a busy project when a teacher is first learning how to juggle all the moving parts. Projects can feel rushed, given the need to learn the material, do research, complete products in time for presentations, and all the other to-dos. Allowing time for students to reflect is seen as something that’s not quite as important as “work time” or “learn this piece of content time.” Which is too bad–because reflection is something veteran PBL teachers know is essential.
“Reflection” is one of the six criteria in the Framework for High-Quality PBL. Why is it so important? As John Dewey pointed out, we learn not just from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience. What he meant was that reflection is key to internalizing and organizing learning–to storing it in memory by connecting it to existing knowledge and being able to transfer it to new situations.
Others since Dewey have noted the value of metacognition–thinking about one’s thinking–which is a key aspect of reflection. Learning how to think about their own thinking improves student motivation and their ability to learn. It also helps students develop confidence and a greater sense of control over their education.
During a project, students should reflect on what and how they are learning, on themselves, on their work, and on the project itself. Let’s look at some examples of the kinds of questions students could reflect on at the beginning, middle, and end of a project.
Reflection can take many forms in PBL. It can be formal or informal, done individually or with others, be done in writing (or drawing) or by speaking. The teacher should provide regular opportunities for reflection throughout a project, giving prompts and supporting the process by teaching students how to reflect. Regular protocols for reflection help to make it a familiar and effective process.
Informal reflection can happen anytime–for example, when a teacher is walking around the room talking with students or when a project team discusses its work.
It’s important to build a classroom culture of reflection, too. Teachers can model what it means to be reflective–to think deeply about a topic, about learning, about themselves, or about something they’ve created. They can co-create norms with students that include reflection and make the classroom a safe space for honest and open discussion. Students should know that the thoughts they share during reflection will be honored, acted upon when called for, and not used against them. After such a culture is established, you’ll see and feel it when you walk into the room–and the work students do will get better and better!
About the Author:
John Larmer is a project-based learning expert. In his 20 years at the Buck Institute for Education/PBLWorks, he co-developed the model for Gold Standard PBL, authored several books and many blog posts, and contributed to curriculum and professional development. John is now the Senior PBL Advisor at Defined Learning.