Student: Initial Reflection
I assign student initial reflections on the first day, and ask students to complete them before they do any other work for the course or project. The goal with this initial reflection is threefold:
To give them space to reflect on their overall goals and imagine how this course plays into those goals
To uncover their preconceptions about the course or project, thus a) establishing a baseline from which they should be able to demonstrate growth or change and b) highlighting for me any common areas of knowledge (or misconceptions) that I can build from in teaching
To learn about student strengths and values, as well as areas where the individual student may need support
To support both time management and reflective writing, this reflection activity is explicit about the amount of time it should take to complete, how to approach reflective work, and what the experience of completing the assignment may look like. This reflection activity also makes explicit the difference between different kinds of time -- this is in response to previous iterations, where students would commonly respond that they would complete their work during "free time".
Initial Reflection
Find two hours in your day in a space that will let you do quiet work. Set up your work environment to let you think and focus.
While this reflection activity asks you multiple questions, they are all related to each other. So start by reading each question before answering. This is your time to step back and think about the big picture! Feel free to talk through these questions with friends, supportive family, or mentors.
As you complete this reflection, be aware that it is normal in reflective writing to hop back and forth between questions, answer nonlinearly, and even change your answers to previous questions as you continue to write.
Reflective writing asks you to be vulnerable and to share your vulnerability with others. While this may not be comfortable, it's important - learning is not comfortable! Be assured that your responses to these questions will remain confidential, with only the instructor and TA having access to them unless you give permission to share more broadly. You are not being judged on your responses, and there are no right or wrong answers to these questions.
What typically motivates you in your studies? Try to think past external rewards (e.g. grades, awards, getting a job) and focus on internal and intrinsic motivation. What keeps you going? What do you find yourself prioritizing?
Identify three long-term (5+ years) goals that you have. At least one of them should be related to your imagined profession or career after this phase of your education. Write a little about not just what the goal is, but why you have it, and what you think the biggest opportunities and risks are for these goals.
Now think a bit about what you already know about this course, and what you think and hope it can be. What are three short-term goals you can identify that are related to this course that are steps along the way to your longer-term goals? Note: try to make your goal achievable and something that, at the conclusion of the course, you can look back on to see if you were successful. For example, "I will not pull any all-nighters to complete work for this course" is a clearer goal than "Get good sleep."
For each of this course's learning areas*, write a paragraph describing what you already know that relates to the area. Include mention of any prior projects, related courses, or other experiences that are related.
What technical skills (such as art production techniques, programming language proficiency) do you want to learn this term? Be as specific as possible
What transferrable skills (such as teamwork, writing) do you want to learn this term? Be as specific as possible.
What's something you have done recently in your education that makes you feel proud, and why? What did you learn from it?
What's something you have done recently in your education that you wish had gone differently, and why? What did you learn from it?
What is your plan for completing work for this class? When (and where) will you work? Are there some times or places that are better for some kinds of work (e.g. reading, design sketches) than other kinds -- if so, what's your plan for each kind of work?
How will you protect your free time this term?
*Instructor's note: In my courses and projects, I typically replace "learning outcomes" with "learning areas" or "learning goals" - this is to reflect that all students need to build skills and understanding in particular areas, regardless of the baseline skills they enter the course with. I typically view course and project design as offering students a lens for altering their understanding of the content area, rather than a bucket of knowledge and facts for them to learn. This works for my discipline; it may not for yours! "Learning area" can be replaced with something more specific, if so.
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