# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
18 Life-Changing Tips For Keeping A Journal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Maybe you should write these down...in your journal!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You might consider yourself a visual learner, but is there really a way to categorize different types of students? SciShow takes a closer look.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free personality test - take it to find out why our readers say that this personality test is so accurate, "it's a little bit creepy." No registration required!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Millions of people have taken the free VIA survey to discover their greatest strengths so they can use them in their everyday lives.

How is a Report different from the free VIA Survey?

Our free survey provides your rank order list of character strengths with the strengths that are most core to your identity at the top. A VIA Report provides personalized, in-depth analysis of your character strengths, including actionable tips to apply them to find greater well-being.

Explore Reports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Personality Test, Personality Assessment: VIA Survey | VIA Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Millions of people have taken the free VIA survey to discover their greatest strengths so they can use them in their everyday lives. Our free survey provides your rank order list of character strengths with the strengths that are most core to your identity at the top.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Chef's table, an original Netflix documentary series, is one of my favourite tv show. World's most renowned international chefs are interviewed in the show and they share their journey of being a chef through powerful storytelling. They talk about the trial and error process when crafting their cuisine. They reflect on their childhood and their relationships with people and/or with communities, and how they applied their new understanding in their food creation. Different concepts behind the dishes are beautifully illustrated through their narrative. Through their stories, the audience discover how these chefs make personal connections and find their own identities through their food. I am always inspired by the powerful messages and how concepts are synthesized and succinctly conveyed through their cuisine, through their stories. It's far more than just a dish. It's not just what they do. They care deeply about they do it and deliberately tell their stories with curation. Through their stories, I've had an epiphany that creative and critical reflection with curation not only leads to innovation, but also identity formation.

As reminded by John Dewey, the famous American educator and philosopher, "we don't learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experiences." It is through reflections that we connect dots (linking prior learning with new acquired knowledge, understanding and skills) and make sense of our experiences. It is a powerful way of thinking that helps us develop personal growth in all aspects and enables us to develop confidence and capacity. Examining attributes of successful people in different professional fields, we often identify one common quality that contributes to their success. That is being reflective. Having a reflective mindset has been crucial and will remain paramount for us when generating innovative ideas and solutions in the unknown future.

​Reflection (way of thinking) is a core element of the MYP inquiry cycle and assessed in different subject groups. Reflection requires intension and critical thinking (analyzing, inferencing, explaining, evaluating, conceptualizing). These are the skills that require explicitly coaching and scaffolding. Students are often asked to reflect through question and answer format, written communication or video recording. I sometimes feel that students perceive reflection is time consuming and tedious. If we, teachers as facilitators, are not mindful and intensional, students end up recording superficial random events of what happened but not deeply analyzing the 'how' and the 'why' for moving forward. Another observation is that students often collect 'everything' on their learning portfolio without editing. Instead, students should be taught and have opportunities to practice on how to curate their stories, focusing on quality but not quantity. Through curated reflective practices, students could be encouraged to think as an artist, a photographer, a food critic, a musician, a museum curator and so on.

After reading written by Amy Burvall and Dan Ryder, I begin to rethink the ways of how we could encourage students in reflecting critically and creatively on their learning. What are possible ways for them to make meaning out of learning experiences? Many creative ideas are provided in the book, . I also re-read Jennifer Gonzalez's blog post, To Boost Higher-Order Thinking. Try Curation. I notice these great strategies engage students in using multimodal communication for reflective thinking tasks. It will make sense for students to reflect through multimodal texts as we currently live in an increasingly multimodal world. Teachers can guide students to reflect through different forms of modality. It is very important to set up 'creative constraints' and we also need to remember that "What matters is the quality of analysis, not the medium through which the evidence is delivered." Students must interpret their learning, explain and synthesize their thinking, and learn how to justify their choices.

I have brainstorm 10 ways to curate reflections. (Curating about curation!)

1. Photo essay: Students choose a series of photos that capture their learning and thinking. They give captions and write short paragraphs to each photo selected.

2. Infographic reflection: Students organize and communicate learning in a graphic format, which is a combination of texts, icons, charts, graphs or images. Encourage students to consider how fonts, colors, graphics, and imagery can help convey an effective visual message.

3. Graffiti: Student can create a "graffiti wall" manually or digitally that captures their learning.

4. Quotes: Teachers can provide a page of quotes or have students search quotes from books or from the internet. Students choose relevant quotes relating to their learning and provide explanation.

5. Phecha Kucha: Phecha Kucha means "chit chat" in Japanese. It's a powerpoint presentation and presenters can only allowed 20 slides and those slides must automatically advance every 20 seconds. Phecha Kucha style presentation focuses on visuals, rather than text-heave texts.

6. Song playlist: Students select perhaps songs from Youtube or Spotify. They can use lyrics from the song to make connections with their learning. Alternatively, they can also create a top ten list to reflect on their learning.

7. Vlogging; Students create a short video to reflect on their learning and post it on their website (or their e-portfolio). It will be useful to discuss with students what vlog is and key elements in a vlog. Additionally, teachers can also share with students a couple of good vlogs.

8. Drama: Students can create a drama performance, such as monologue, skit or pantomime to share their learning.

9. Mini documentary: A mini documentary is one way to share stories and convey a message.

10. Musical composition: students can compose a piece or write a song that captures their learning. (Alternatively, they can also choose a song and create a music video.)

All these reflective practices will require quality analysis from students and should be followed up by their justification. I hope these reflective practices can help our students share their stories with a wider audience and develop their creativity.

Critical reflection is the process by which curiosity and experience can lead to deeper understanding. Learners must become critically aware of the way they use evidence, methods and conclusions. Reflection also involves being conscious of potential bias and inaccuracy in their own work and in the work of others. (MYP: from principles into practices, 11)

Burvall, Amy, and Dan Ryder. Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom. EdTechTeam Press, 2017.

Gonzalez, Jennifer. "To Boost Higher-Order Thinking, Try Curation." Cult of Pedagogy, 21 Sept. 2018, www.cultofpedagogy.com/curation/. ​

​ International Baccalaureate. MYP: from principles into practices.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Harness the power of reflection through storytelling

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Chef's table , an original Netflix documentary series, is one of my favourite tv show. World's most renowned international chefs are interviewed in the show and they share their journey of being a chef through powerful storytelling. They talk about the trial and error process when crafting their cuisine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Approaches to Learning (ATL) for student reflection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Introduction

As designers we use reflective thinking in order to understand:

01 / The connections between creativity, criticality and reflection

02 / The importance of curiosity, experimentation and risk taking in design education

03 / Life at University and their responsibilities towards undergraduate learning, including self-regulation, motivation and management

04 / Experiential Learning, including active participation, research, and critical reflection on your own learning.

Why reflect on practice?

In collaborations, it is essential to be able to articulate as much as you can about this process, about how you practice, so that you can work with others productively... and reflect collectively.

In addition, reflection on practice

Anchors theory in meaningful, concrete experience, helping to bring it alive;

Gives recognition to learning gained in non-academic contexts;

Provides a bridge between practical experience and academic study;

Helps develop understanding of difficult work situations, improving professional practice. (adapted from S. Cottrell 2011b p. 225)

What is reflective writing?

First, read and think about the following examples:

(from 'Reflective Writing', The Learning Centre, UNSW http:www.lc.unsw.au)

Why do reflective writing?

According to philosopher and educator John Dewey (1933), we begin to reflect on a complex situation when we face that situation and ask ourselves what needs to be done.

Reflective Practice is an approach that emerged from Donald Schön's work in education and action research (Schön 1983). Jasper (2005) suggests that reflective writing intends to be transformative particularly 'in terms of knowledge generation from the exploration of practice, the development of analytical and critical thinking and the potential for creativity and connecting disparate ideas'. (RMIT Study and Learning Centre 2012)

Research shows that the more we write about what we are doing and thinking, the clearer our ideas become. Repeated writing on a theme allows for the development of abstract ideas and complex relationships. Furthermore, when we return to earlier entries in our journals, we may discover we are able to answer a question, or we may suddenly understand the importance of a certain thought to the development of our work.' (RMIT Study and Learning Centre 2012).

A model of reflection

Reflective models share three basic assumptions. There are that we can

Think back over our experiences;

Understand them at a deeper level;

Use that understanding to do things differently in the future - that is effect change through learning.' (S. Cottrell 2011b p. 221)

'Design projects must ultimately pass through three spaces.... We label these "inspiration," for the circumstances (be they a problem, an opportunity, or both) that motivate the search for solutions; "ideation," for the process of generating, developing, and testing ideas that may lead to solutions; and "implementation," for the charting of a path to market. Projects will loop back through these spaces - particularly the first two - more than once as ideas are refined and new directions taken.' (Tim Brown)

Method of Reflection:

The DIEP strategy The four steps in this approach (adapted from Boud, D. 1985, Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning) are to describe, interpret, evaluate and plan.
D - Describe objectively what happened
Answer the question: 'What did I do, read, see, hear, etc?'
I - Interpret the events Consider why events happened in the way they did. Explain:

What you saw and heard

Your new insights

Your connections with other learning

Your feelings

Your hypotheses and/or conclusions

Answer the question: 'what might this mean?'

E - Evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of the experience
Make judgments that are clearly connected to observations you have made. Answer the questions:

What is my opinion about this experience?

What is the value of this experience?

Why do I think this?

P - Plan how this information will be useful to you

Consider: In what ways might this learning experience serve me in my: Course program, Future career, Life generally

Answer the question: 'How will I transfer or apply my new knowledge and insights in the future?'

(from RMIT Learning Centre, www.rmit.edu.au/studyandlearningcentre)
Some questions to answer in reflective summary

What broad lessons did you learn?

What was the most fulfilling part of your experience?

And the least fulfilling part of it?

What does this suggest to you about your values?

What happened that contradicted your prior beliefs?

How did your thinking develop and what were the effects of this on your project?

How have your assumptions about design practice changed?

What were the consequences of unexpected or difficult feelings?

Integrating knowledge of design and design practice

What design practices informed your thinking?

What design literature supports your new insights into design practice?

Suggesting creative solutions and change strategies

How as the experience changed the way you see design?

What reasons can you give to change your practice?

How will you put into practice the new knowledge you have gained?

Examples of reflective writing
Examples adapted from student reflections. Describing tasks and working experience
The Wk 4 homework task required us to actively observe and record our responses to the current UTS Gallery exhibition "The Bakers Dozen". The group comprised of students with a wide range of design interests... I hadn't expected to become preoccupied with my own anxiety.
Reflection/ critical thinking on a 'critical incident'
My colleague realised he didn't know how to use Final Cut Pro X. This situation made me stressed because he just wasted my time using a workstation that is meant to be shared with other students, but I didn't say anything to embarrass him.
Depth of analysis (including ideas from readings)
With my other video I decided to do all by myself after reading Bill Viola's interview (Bellour 1985), that he prefers to film himself which ended up making it a lot simpler...

The process of examination through sketching and research has given me a dialogue with the island [Cockatoo Island] that previously did no exist. I began having "reflective conversations" (K. Dorst, 2011) with my sketches and research. It has taken away some of the apprehension I was feeling about 'going into the unknown'. It has allowed me to focus on potential problems we would face on the island and consider which of my newly acquired 'designerly tools' I might use in resolving them.
Revising and suggestion of a 'new' method or approach
My colleague's most significant contribution was to switch the order of the story breaking it going back and forth. Still using the same start and end but breaking the middle into a few parts and mixing them. He has shown me a new way to tell a story. I've seen it in the movies, I've done it in conversations and in art but I have never tried that technique in my previous animations. Clarity and linearity do not necessarily make the best and most interesting story.
What I have learned and what I need to learn
I think being honest with yourself is not just a relief but it also helps focus your skills. I can keep a dialogue going with any person, but I don't often come up with a big story to tell or making a big story of something very small. It is a skill I push myself to practice more, but the reality is I construct a much better story by putting it together over time with planning and editing. Coming to this conclusion has inspired me to try to make short documentaries. The most important skill I need to develop is to communicate my ideas in a team situation. I realise that I do not readily put my ideas forward in a group and that this will be very important in my future work as a professional designer. I therefore need to develop the confidence to do this more effectively. Donna is able to construct high quality and often challenging garments. She uses her research to apply materials creatively and transforms existing expectations of fashion and textile design. In the same way we must take advantage of the limited resources that Cockatoo Island might present.

Assessing Reflection

(adapted from K. Burton & J. McNamara 2009, 'Assessing reflection skills in law using criterion-referenced assessment.' Legal Education Review, Vol. 19, Nos. 1-2 pp. 171-188)

My reflection skills as evident in my assignment.

Unsatisfactory
Merely sets out what happened

Satisfactory
Sets out what happened and why it happened.
Approaches the experience and its rationale from a personal perspective.
Follows practices because of habit.
Identifies strengths in previous understanding.

Good - Very Good
Makes logical connections between new and previous knowledge.
Adapts or applies previous knowledge to real world experience.
Considers alternative options or solutions.
Identifies strengths and weaknesses in previous understanding.

Excellent
Questions assumptions and values underpinning previous knowledge.
Solves inconsistencies between expectations from previous knowledge and the experiences in practice.
Shows an awareness of contextual considerations (historical, social, cultural, political).
Uses literature and previous knowledge to support alternative options or solutions.
Identifies strengths and weaknesses in previous understanding and suggests a way forward to dealing with weaknesses.

References
Oxford Brookes University 2013, 'What is a Reflective Journal?' viewed 4 November 2013, http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/upgrade/pdf/reflectiveJournal.pdf

Boud, D. 1985, Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning

Burton K. & J. McNamara 2009, ' Assessing reflection skills in law using criterion-referenced assessment.' Legal Education Review, Vol. 19, no. 1-2, pp. 171-188.

Cottrell, S. 2011, Critical Thinking Skills, 2nd edn, Palgrave, London.

RMIT Study and Learning Centre 2012, 'The Reflective Journal', viewed 4 November 2013, (http://emedia.rmit.edu.au/learninglab/sites/emedia.rmit.edu.au.learninglab/files/Approaches-The%20reflective%20journal.pdf)

Schőn, Donald 1983, The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action, Ashgate, London (see Preface).

Videos
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1aYWbLj0U8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0plCU9oyZlM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRF8whWLjqc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As designers we use reflective thinking in order to understand: 01 / The connections between creativity, criticality and reflection 02 / The importance of curiosity, experimentation and risk taking in design education 03 / Life at University and their responsibilities towards undergraduate learning, including self-regulation, motivation and management 04 / Experiential Learning, including active participation, research, and critical reflection on your own learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Click for pdf copy of this document

This routine is an adaptation of the Traffic Light Reflection Red Light, Yellow Light thinking routine. It invites learners to examine their current understanding of concepts and skills through:

utilising a colour coding system

examining where learning is currently at

identifying ways learning could move forward

justifying their response with reasoning

​Documenting Thinking

In this routine, students may or may not record their thinking. It can be very useful to document thinking, reasoning and goals, although this is not always necessary.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This Traffic Light Reflection routine is an adaptation of the Red Light, Yellow Light thinking routine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A 3-2-1 prompt helps students structure their responses to a text, film, or lesson by asking them to describe three takeaways, two questions, and one thing they enjoyed. It provides an easy way for teachers to check for understanding and to gauge students' interest in a topic. Sharing 3-2-1 responses is also an effective way to prompt a class discussion or to review material from the previous lesson.

1. Ask Students to Answer the 3-2-1 Prompt
After students engage with a text or a lesson, ask them to list the following details in their journals or on separate paper:

Three things that they have learned from this lesson or from this text.

Two questions that they still have.

One aspect of class or the text that they enjoyed.

2. Evaluate Students' Responses
Use students' responses to guide teaching decisions. 3-2-1 responses can help you identify areas of the curriculum that you may need to review again or concepts or activities that hold special interest for students.

Content-Specific 3-2-1: You can modify the elements of the 3-2-1 strategy to focus on particular content questions. For example, if the class has just been studying the International Criminal Court, a teacher might have students write down three differences between the ICC and tribunals such as Nuremberg, two similarities between the ICC and these tribunals, and one question they still have.

Identifying Main Ideas 3-2-1: You could also use the 3-2-1 structure to help students identify main ideas from supporting information. For example, you could ask students to record three of the most important ideas from the lesson or text, two supporting details for each of these ideas, and one question they have about each of these ideas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A 3-2-1 prompt helps students structure their responses to a text, film, or lesson by asking them to describe three takeaways, two questions, and one thing they enjoyed. It provides an easy way for teachers to check for understanding and to gauge students' interest in a topic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Reflective Student: A Taxonomy of Reflection 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The 3Ys: Project Zero Global Competency Routine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Project Zero "Global Thinking" routine to discern the significance of a topic in global, local, and personal contexts. This routine encourages students to uncover the significance of a topic in m...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is a Reflective Journal?

A reflective journal is a place to write down your daily reflection entries. It can be something good or bad that has happened to you that you can self-reflect on and learn from past experiences.

A reflective journal can help you to identify important learning events that had happened in your life. The events include your relationships, careers and personal life. By writing a reflective diary, you can find the source of your inspiration that defines you today. A reflective journal also provides a better understanding of your thought process.

Reasons to Write a Reflective Journal

1. To understand the things that have happened.

2. To reflect on why it happened this way.

3. To align future actions with your values and lessons learned from your past experiences.

4. To share and get your thoughts and ideas out of your head.

How to Reflect Effectively

According to Schön, there are two types of reflection, one during and one after an activity or event.

Reflection In-Action

When you are thinking about or reflecting while you are in an activity, you are using reflection in-action. Some reflection include:

Experiencing

Thinking on your feet

Thinking about what to do next

Acting straight away

Reflection On-Action

You can do reflect-on-action once the activity has finished based on what you can remember about it. Step back into the experience, explore your memory and retrieve what you can recall. Reflect and understand what has happened and draw lessons from the experience.

Thinking about something that has happened

Thinking what you would do differently next time

Taking your time

Examples to Reflect Effectively

Before the Experience

Think about the things that could have happened.

What are the things that you feel might be a challenge?

The things that you can do to prepare for these experiences.

During the Experience

Observe what is happening at the moment, as you make a particular decision.

Is it working out as expected? Are you dealing with the challenges well?

Is there anything you should do, say or think to make the experience successful?

After the Experience

Describe your thoughts immediately after, and/or later when you have more emotional distance from the event.

Is there anything you would do differently before or during a similar event?

What are the takeaways from this experience/lesson?

How to Write Reflectively

Use the three "W"s to write reflectively. The three "W"s are What, So What and What next.

What (Description)

Recall an event and write it down descriptively.

So what? (Interpretation)

Take a few minutes to reflect and interpret the event.

What is most important / interesting / relevant / useful aspect of the event, idea or situation?

How can it be explained?

How is it similar to/different from others?

What's next? (Outcome)

Conclude what you can learn from the event and how you can apply it next time.

What have I learned?

How can it be applied in the future?

Reflective Journal Prompts

Here are the 10 writing prompts to guide you in self-reflection and self-discovery.

1. What makes you unique?

2. Name someone that means a lot to you and why?

3. Write a letter to your younger self.

4. What is something you can do to focus more on your health and well-being?

5. What makes you feel at peace?

6. List 10 things that make you smile.

7. What does it mean to live authentically?

8. What is your favourite animal, and why?

9. How do you maintain your physical/mental health? What can you do to improve the methods of recovery?

10. List the things that you want to achieve this week.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Journey.Cloud - Free Online Journal & Diary

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A reflective journal is a place to write down your daily reflection entries. It can be something good or bad that has happened to you that you can self-reflect on and learn from past experiences. A reflective journal can help you to identify important learning events that had happened in your life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Clear your mind

Quickly organize your thoughts using simple ways scientifically proven to increase retention, comprehension, and clarity.

Process the present

Discover what adds real value to your life and what distracts you from what matters.

Cultivate what works

Filter out distractions and put your best insights into action.

Write your life

Become the author of your story, one page at a time.

Peek Inside

Explore Membership

Shop goods

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meet the analog method for the digital age that will help you track the past, order the present, and design your future.