Teachers Teaching Teachers: PROMPTing quality reflections

by Pam Reese, Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders

While I was in my Ph.D. program, courses taught by my advisor always used opportunities to reflect. As an older person, I very much enjoyed these class. Two or three articles would be assigned to read and prepare to discuss. We were also asked to choose one to “reflect” on. I never asked what it meant, and threw myself into reflecting and writing about it. It was one of my favorite activities and I drew connections to past and current events.

When I came to IPFW, I wanted my students to benefit from the same type of activity. I would show a video clip, or assign an article to read and ask the students to turn in a “reflection”. They would look at me blankly, or ask what it was, or even ask for a rubric. This was a breakdown in my teaching. A rubric?  There is no grade for reflecting, no points off for poor reflecting. The grade is for participating in the process, which I believe is an essential component of critical thinking.

I came to realize that my undergraduate students needed some support in learning to think reflectively. My research on the “best” reflection questions led me to the 21^st Century Learning Academy and their list of “The 40 Reflection Questions”. While written broadly and not specific to my field, it helped me to organize my thinking. The reflections questions were grouped under broad categories: backward-looking, inward-looking, outward-looking and forward-looking. This framework, I believe, could help my students.

For example, the reflection questions I plan to use in my class on phonological disorders are:

• How much did you know about the PROMPT method before we started? What else would you like to know about the method? (backward-looking
• What was especially satisfying to you about the minimal pairs method? What did you find frustrating about the method? (inward-looking)
• How was your treatment plan different from the others presented? What grade would you give it and why? (outward-looking)
• What do you need more help with? What is one thing you could improve on your assessment assignment? (forward-looking)

I plan to use specific reflections questions around each assigned reading or project in CSD 321 this semester. My students and I will let you know how it goes.