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I think reflections is a skill and students must be taught how to make meaningful reflections. You can give them some phrases or a template to get them thinking in the right way. You may want to give feedback at the beginning.

Student reflection is a critical component to student understanding. When entering reflective writing in a journal, students are able to look back and determine if their earlier theories were on target or need more understanding. I found an article that explains it pretty concisely and may help you teach your students the "how to" of writing reflections. http://peterpappas.com/2010/01/reflective-student-taxonomy-reflection-.html [color=#595959][size=2][font=Verdana, sans-serif][b]Bloom’s Remembering[/b]: What did I do? [b]Student Reflection:[/b] What was the assignment? When was it due? Did I get it turned in on time?[/font][/size][/color] [color=#595959][size=2][font=Verdana, sans-serif][b]Bloom’s Understanding:[/b] What was important about what I did? Did I meet my goals? [b]Student Reflection:[/b] Do I understand the parts of the assignment and how they connect? Did my response completely cover all parts of the assignment? Do I see where this fits in with what we are studying? [/font][/size][/color] [color=#595959][size=2][font=Verdana, sans-serif][b]Bloom’s Application:[/b] When did I do this before? Where could I use this again? [b]Student Reflection:[/b] How was this assignment similar to other assignments? (in this course or others). Do I see connections in either content, product or process? Are there ways to adapt it to other assignments? Where could I use this (content, product or process) my life?[/font][/size][/color] [color=#595959][size=2][font=Verdana, sans-serif][b]Bloom’s Analysis:[/b] Do I see any patterns or relationships in what I did? [b]Student Reflection:[/b] Were the strategies, skills and procedures I used effective for this assignment? Do I see any patterns in how I approached my work – such as following an outline, keeping to deadlines? What were the results of the approach I used – was it efficient, or could I have eliminated or reorganized steps?[/font][/size][/color] [color=#595959][size=2][font=Verdana, sans-serif][b]Bloom’s Evaluation:[/b] How well did I do? What worked? What do I need to improve? [b]Student Reflection:[/b] What are we learning and is it important? Did I do an effective job of communicating my learning to others? What have I learned about my strengths and my areas in need of improvement? How am I progressing as a learner?[/font][/size][/color] [color=#595959][size=2][font=Verdana, sans-serif][b]Bloom’s Creation:[/b] What should I do next? What’s my plan / design? [b]Student Reflection:[/b] How can I best use my strengths to improve? What steps should I take or resources should I use to meet my challenges? What suggestions do I have for my teacher or my peers to improve our learning environment? How can I adapt this content or skill to make a difference in my life?[/font][/size][/color]