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Student Reflection
Student Reflection
We’ve all been there - “project chaos”. You and your students have put countless hours into some magnificent projects and they turned out great. Now what? What do you do when those wonderful, chaotic projects are finished? Kate Lee has found student self-reflection to be a critical piece of the student learning process that makes that project feel complete.
IMG_6699 2.MOVBesides putting a true “end” to the project, Kate has found that the reflection process has helped her students think about the entire process of learning throughout the project. Using different forms based on their age levels, Kate’s art students share the favorite part of their artwork, what they learned, and what they would have done differently. “I find it so interesting to read their responses,” Kate says. "The responses allow me the ability to know what they’re thinking, especially students that are quieter."
Each student in Kate's HS class filled out this self reflection sheet when they finished a project.
Students gave productive feedback to their classmates about each other's artwork using these critique sheets.
Kate tosses these ping pong balls to students during class discussions in order to help them provide productive feedback to their classmates about their artwork.
In art, standards are centered around the process of creating, presentating, responding, and connecting. In her high school class this year, she had her students center their artwork around their personality. After taking a personality test, students created artwork that showcased the features of their personalities. First, they had to sketch and plan their project. Second, they created the piece. Finally, they reflected on their own artwork, critiqued others’ artwork, and responded to their classmates’ critiques. Artwork is often perceived differently by viewers and creators, so it is usually an interesting exchange and learning experience for all.
Student reflection and self-assessment has been shown to increase intrinsic motivation, a mastery goal orientation, and more meaningful learning (McMillan and Hearn, 2008). Kate has found the more her students practice, the better the reflection responses get. Instead of simply turning in the project and “never thinking about it again” Kate says the reflection process helps students retain knowledge (knowing they’ll be writing a response), helps them justify their responses and their thought process, and puts an “end” to the entire process.
How might you use student self-reflection in your classroom? Check out the resources below for more information about the do’s and don’ts of quality self-reflection and examples for all age levels.
Learning Through Reflection by Costa and Kallick (2008)
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