Reflection in the EE

Reflection in the extended essay

This is a skill, it tales practice and should be relevant, personal and authentic.

Inquiry-based problem-solving requires curiosity, scrutiny and a quest for knowleding, insight or understanding of some some sort. If reflection is done properly, it should inform learning, action and your own identify.

Learning: evaluating what has been learnt and how it has been learnt

You can

- Plan and track your process of learning especially frustrations or ‘ah ha moments’ and to become aware of your own personal cognitive framework

- Record your discoveries and consciously search for meaning in what you have done

- Make connection with prior learning

A LACK OF REFLECTIONS INDICATES A LACK OF ACTION!

Action: conscious evaluation at pivotal moments which then provide a lasting insight or guide responses in the future.

Triggers could be when:

- Something significant happens

- You have to make a decision

- You are stuck

- You have just completed something and have to move onto something else

- You’ve been asked to do something

- You have encountered something unexpected or unfamiliar

- Your equilibrium has been disturbed by other events

- You are encountering, anticipating or seeking change.

Effective reflection should always inform action, either at the time or in the future.

Identity: evaluation creating self-knowledge and a conscious regard who we are and our place in the world

Effective reflection creates a complex map of the routes that we have travelled, places we have been to, resources that you have had and how we have used them. It allows you to distance yourself from the specifics of the task and consider the bigger picture.

Reflection therefore enables you to understand yourself better as a person and as a learner. It often involves secondary reflection – reflecting on your reflections.

Secondary reflection

- Examines the relationship between past and present learning to give depth to understanding

- Explores the similarities and differences between the past and present

- Identifies the relationship between your context, your actions, and the consequences of your actions.

- Provides a mechanism for goal setting and future planning.

Setting up a Researchers Reflective Space (RRS)

This is an essential part of your EE process. It should be a regular reflection on what you are reading, writing, thinking and feeling. It should be written in your voice – don’t be afraid to experiment until you find out what this is. Assessment Criterion E – Engagement – will draw, in part from your RRS.

It is where you will demonstrate your planning, discuss what you have learnt, evaluate your progress and set personal targets. In other words, by documenting your refelctions, you will not only capture your thoughts, but formulate new thoughts, and develop your own understanding and identify in the process. More broadly, the RRS will:

· highlight your engagement with the intellectual and personal process of completing your EE e.g your emotions and decision making processes

· document how you have changed as a learner throughout the EE process e.g time management, organization, perseverance etc

· support your learning, thinking, critical analysis and evaluation throughout the research process

· stimulate discussion between you and your Supervisor

· help you to prepare for the formal reflective sessions with your Supervisor

· enable you to carry out secondary reflection (ie reflecting on your reflections)

Reflection does not have to be formal writing. The format is often determined by what is being reflected on. For example :

Questions to consider when reflecting in your RRS are:

● What has already been written about this topic?

● Was it easy to find sources of information?

● Is there a range of different sources available?

● Is there a range of views or perspectives on the topic?

● What interesting questions have started to emerge from this reading?

● What has already been written about this topic?

● Was it easy to find sources of information?

● Is there a range of different sources available?

● Is there a range of views or perspectives on the topic?

● What interesting questions have started to emerge from this reading?

● What has already been written about this topic?

● Was it easy to find sources of information

● Is there a range of different sources available?

● If I want to collect my own data, is this feasible?

● Are there a range of views or perspectives on the topic?

● What interesting questions have started to emerge from my reading so far?

However, reflections should be collated in the RRS as the central record. Remember that you can revisit and comment on them as often as necessary. Nothing should ever be deleted from the RRS though!

Supervisors supporting reflection

Your Supervisor is there to help you to clarify your thoughts and prompt you to reflect on your processes and the development of your work (primary and secondary reflection).

The RRS will provide something concrete to discuss, typically how to develop more descriptive, analytical or evaluative reflections.