Summaries & Reflections

Introduction

In college, you will frequently be asked to "summarize and reflect" something, whether it's something you have read, watched, interacted with, experimented with, interviewed, etc. However, what are you really being asked to do?

As an instructor and a former college tutor, I have frequently seen students mix these up or combine them. For instance, I will see their opinions or interpretations in a summary. Nope: summaries are just reserved for the original text's ideas while opinions/interpretations about that text will be in a reflection. Keep these differences in mind as you learn more about summaries and reflections.

Overview of Summaries & Reflections

An effective way to check your understanding of something that you read (or watched, heard, experienced, etc.) is to summarize it. A summary is just taking the material and making it shorter, using your own words, and including the main points and original order of information.

A reflection is written usually after you have checked your understanding using a summary. Reflections depict what you, the reader, think about the text. You can include your opinions, connections, critiques, etc. Taking the step of writing a reflection helps to commit the information you read to memory. The more you reflect and the more complicated the reflection, the more likely you'll remember what you read, meaning that you will hopefully avoid having to reread the entire text again later before an exam or to help you write a paper. We'll discuss this concept more in the next lesson.

Utilizing 3 Levels of Questioning

The answers to questions formulated while using 3 Levels of Questioning Method can easily be used to help you write both a summary and a reflection.

A summary does not contain your opinion on what you have read, or even what you have inferred in the reading. It is only focused on "Level One Question" answers.

A reflection, on the other hand, uses "Level Two" and "Level Three" answers since those answers can differ from reader to reader.

Differences Between a Summary and a Reflection

A summary is often written before a reflection. This is because a summary is a good tool for checking to see if you just understand what you read. After that, you build on that understanding by creating a reflection. Therefore, even though summaries and reflections often work together, they are not the same. The lists below discusses their differences.

Uses for Summaries and Reflections

Think about what types of texts writing summaries and reflections would be a useful strategy for. Could it be used when gathering information from non-traditional texts as well, like a movie or a conversation?

This method is also useful for after you are done taking notes during a class lecture. Instead of shoving your notes in your folder only to look at them again right before an exam, see if you can summarize them that night. If you can, awesome; that means you understand the material. If there are a few gaps in your understanding, it's time to do some research by doing an internet search or asking for help from classmates, your instructor, a tutor, friends, family, etc. After you feel confident that you understand the notes, write a reflection. Then, before an exam, all you will have to review are your summaries and reflections. This means that you have cut down on review time, and because you have summarized and reflected, reviewing is just activating information already stored in your memory. Yay for no more cram sessions!

How will you use summaries and reflections?

Key Takeaways

• Summarizing and reflecting are common post-reading strategies that students are asked to use.

• Summarizing is asking the reader to explain the main points of the text.

• Reflecting is asking the reader to explain any inferences, opinions, connections, and critiques the reader has about the text.

• Summarizing and reflecting can be used in other learning situations where a student wants to ensure understanding and memorization of material.