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We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.

– John Dewey (1933)

Reflection is a cornerstone of experiential education, serving as a bridge between students’ practical experiences and their academic understanding. Through reflection, students are able to synthesize their learning, connect it to their coursework, and discern its broader implications. Without the insights gained from reflection, assessing students’ learning becomes akin to attempting to assemble a puzzle with missing pieces; a comprehensive understanding is unattainable.

Why should students reflect?

When should students reflect?

According to Donald A. Schön (1983), reflection is an iterative process. To facilitate student learning, reflection should be integrated into the experience, both before, during, and after.

• Before: Pre-experience reflection helps students prepare for an experience by focusing on their expectations, beliefs, knowledge, and understanding beforehand. This creates a baseline for comparison and helps them track their learning and progress throughout the experience.
   
• During: Reflection in-action guides students to recognize the implicit skills and knowledge they're employing and focus on key elements of the experience. These prompts ask students to compare their expectations to the actual situation and solve any problems that arise.
   
• After: Post-experience reflections encourage students to revisit their perceptions, assumptions, knowledge, and understanding in light of the experience. Comparing these reflections to previous ones can lead to deeper analysis. Students can examine their own reactions, behaviors, and approaches in retrospect and consider how they might handle similar experiences in the future.

Academic reflection is a skill that requires development. Many students may be unfamiliar with the process and need guidance to extract meaning from their experiences. Without support, reflections might be limited to superficial descriptions or emotional responses.

Reflection frameworks are helpful tools for developing these skills. While various models exist, a common characteristic is their scaffolded approach, guiding students from basic observation to critical analysis.

What? So what? Now what?

DEAL

ICE

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