Reflections & Reviews
Many teachers present students with a review sheet at the end of a lesson that deals SOMEWHAT with the topics covered. These sheets often look like more practice. However, a closer examination often reveals that the infamous “review sheet” is NOT practice over the outcomes stated in the objective…and it rarely addresses conditions for an effective review. The following list describes strategies for encouraging effective reflection and review experiences following instructional events:
- Opportunities should be provided for learners to summarize the key ideas emerging from the learning experience. This might include the generation of concept or mind maps.
- Opportunities should be provided for the learners to reflect upon and articulate what they learned and how they personally learned it.
- Opportunities should be provided for the learners to identify how their newly-acquired skills, knowledge and attitudes fit into the "Big Picture" presented at the beginning of the experience.
- Learners should be encouraged to reflect on “what’s next…” related to the content and skills they recently acquired.
- The instruction should communicate, or restate, the instructional goal and objectives.