Reflecting on Reflection as a form of learning and assessment in the Literature Classroom

Reflecting on Reflection as a form of learning and assessment in the Literature Classroom

As I started thinking about how to use reflection in my Literature classroom to enhance students’ learning and as a form of assessment, I came across many issues concerning reflection. I began asking myself these questions:

1.      What is reflection?

2.      Why should we get students to reflect?

3.      What purposes can reflection serve in the Literature classroom? (to revisit what they have learnt in class, to analyse the text deeper, to evaluate their work, to think about themselves as Literature students, to think about the value of the text or Literature as a whole with regard to their lives and/or society)

4.      How should reflection be assessed? Or should it even be assessed?

5.      What are the practical ways of implementing reflection in a typical Singapore classroom?

Due to the limitation of length, I will only attempt to address a few of these concerns in this short reflection.

            

          Reflection, according to Dewey (2008), is thinking which involves “overcoming the inertia that inclines one to accept suggestions at their face value”.  This view of reflection is the type of thinking we, as Literature teachers, want to instil in our students. We work towards teaching our students to not merely accept what the text tells them and we try to equip them with the skills to read between the lines and to read a deeper meaning into the text.

For Kolb (as cited in Stevens & Cooper, 2009, p. 24), reflection is part of the learning cycle where it is a tool to further learning as it enables learners to gain new understanding from their experience. Again, this is what we hope students are able to do after every lesson. Students should not let what they learn in class remain as knowledge that is static. Instead, reflection should enable them to first internalise what they have learnt, then be able to apply their knowledge and learn something new.  

For Schon (2002), reflection can help to bridge the gap between theory and practice. For Literature students, this form of reflection might come in useful in several ways. For example, reflecting on their writing may eventually help our students to bridge the gap between what they have been taught about what constitutes good Literature essay writing and their own piece of writing.

The idea linking the theories of the three writers about reflection is that reflection is never just a stream of consciousness. It is active. Effective reflection is an activity requiring rigorous thinking.  

Through this reflection, I have addressed briefly my first two concerns listed above. Through these understandings of reflection, I hope to be able to think further and deeper about using reflection in my Literature classroom as I sincerely believe that getting students to reflect will enhance their learning and eventually also get them to appreciate Literature better.  

References

Stevens, D. D., & Cooper, J. E. (2009). Journal keeping: how to use reflective writing for effective learning, teaching, professional insight, and positive change. United States of America, USA : Stylus Publishing.

Dewey, J. (2008). The middle works of John Dewey 1899-1924. J. A. Boydston (Ed.). United States of America, USA: Southern Illinois University Press.

Schon, D. (2002). Readings for reflective teaching. A. Pollard (Ed.). United Kingdom, UK: Continuum International Publishing.