From experiencing to understanding: students’ self-reflection in a skill-based course
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | There is a popular belief that we learn by experience and mistakes. Yet, the transformative impact of these experiences remains unrealized unless we engage in self-questioning and pondering the meaning of our experiences. It is only through this reflective process that we can implement meaningful changes. This paper examines the concept of student self-reflection, wherein students engage in the critical assessment of their learning experiences, skills, and academic progress. The process involves introspection and deliberate consideration of their academic, personal, and, at times, even emotional development. It is based on an analysis of 90 self-reflection journals authored by students during a term of a presentation skills course. Within this course, students compose entries detailing their preparation and execution of various presentation styles. These entries encompass reflections on progress, accomplishments, goal fulfilment, and the challenges inherent in public speaking. Remarkably, the students unwittingly mirror Kolb's (1984) learning cycle. Through the examination of concrete experiences, they discern effective and ineffective strategies, subsequently drawing conclusions about areas for improvement in their future presentations. Ultimately, they engage in active experimentation, as defined by Kolb, during their subsequent speaking tasks. Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. |