Authentic Reflection Topic Examples

 

 

Youth

 

Students thrive when they are engaged in authentic reflection, which invites them to exercise their abstract thinking skills. Developmentally they are beginning to examine their decisions and relationships, values and beliefs, and life experiences, all of which contribute to students' evolving insights and learning.

 

• decisions Sometimes it can be hard for me decide because. What I might do is

• relationshipsWhen I first met I thought. Now I realize

• values & beliefs What's most important to me is because , which makes me think

• life experiences What surprised me about is .. I wonder

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Learners can feel overwhelmed and throw up their hands when they meet a challenge. Facilitators can use authentic reflection to help anyone gain problem solving skills, which are an imperative form of critical thinking that is necessary for people of any age to navigate through life.

 

The person I might ask for help in solving the problem of is . Therefore I will

 

Academic Tutoring and Literacy

Teachers, tutors, and youth development practitioners face the central challenge of scaffolding a student's new learning to his or herself. Authentic reflection is a writing tool that inspires students to engage in learning. Helping students to take full ownership of their learning eliminates boredom and frustration. Reflection assists learners to see/make interesting connections; it encourages broad and expansive thinking.

 

• Comprehension What I now realize that I hadn't before is because.

This makes me think

• Connections I see the link between and because. So

 

Experiential Activities

(art classes, sports, etc.)

It can be demanding for even the most skilled worker to excite students about the world around them and enlist them in energetic and thoughtful discussions about their activities and experiences. Young people often reflexively shut themselves down to new learning and experiences. Authentic reflection provides a way to engage students in their own lives. It sidesteps the power struggle by encouraging authentic participation. It extends the benefits of experiential activities beyond a way to pass time, creating true learning moments in which young people are completely involved.

 

What I discovered about myself . This helps me see . Therefore

 

Community Service

Youth can often feel disconnected from the world around them. They also don't automatically perceive their immediate environment as a holistic, single community on which they can have an impact. Facilitators can use authentic reflection to help foster a sense of community and encourage students to devise ways in which they can make a difference.

 

What I realize about my neighborhood is , which makes me feel .

To make a contribution to my community I might . So what I need to do is

 

Leadership

Adolescents typically experiment with different roles and styles in order to figure out and develop their own self-concept and identity. Youth workers can help young people try on new, positive roles such as personal leadership. Specifically, they can help teens to recognize their innate leadership qualities, identify and observe leaders in their environment and, visualize themselves as leaders. By de-mystifying leadership, young people can become leaders in their own lives.

 

It seems that people who take on leadership roles , which makes me think If I took on a leadership role I