Reflection Assignments
Making Meaning
Often you will be provided with specific prompts to guide you in reflection assignments. Notice how they ask you to consider how your personal experiences, opinions, and observations relate to the assignment. Try your best to make connections between what you are learning in the course and your own interpretations and experiences. For more on this, expand the Learning Lab.
Summarizing
Reflection assignments are not summary assignments. It may be easier to repeat the main ideas from a lesson, reading, or viewing instead of thinking about your own thoughts. While you can give a brief summary, the main goal of reflection is to make new comments that are relevant for you.
Learning Lab
Below are some questions to consider that may help you compose a thoughtful reflection (Trent University, n.d.).
If you’re reflecting on an experience:
- What did you learn from the experience? About yourself? About children in your program? About the Early Childhood Education profession?
- Did your experience fit with the goals of the assignment? Why or why not?
- What are your lessons for the future?
- What was successful? Why? What would you do differently? Why?
If you’re reflecting on a reading:
- What ideas stood out to you? Why?
- What do you already know about the topic? Where does your existing knowledge come from? What are the observations or experiences that shape your understanding?
- How does the text reinforce your existing ideas or assumptions? How does it challenge them?
- How does the text help you better understand the topic of study or the early childhood profession?
Citations
Trent University (n.d.). How to write a reflection paper. [Article]