Reflection Essay

1. Reflection Essay Portfolio Development CSD 5000-1 & 4010

2. Sample Reflection Statement • Following with the topic of local sea grasses covered in the Service Learning unit detailed in standards 1 and 7, students were asked to follow the effects of Hurricane Floyd on sea grasses. The hurricane severely affected our county. One student brought in this article. This gave me the chance to tie real life into learning. This helped to further the students' intellectual and personal development. Students were intensely engaged in discussions concerning the hurricane. The discussions were provoked by student questions. It tied well into the information they had gathered from their canoe trip expeditions (Standards 1 and 7). We discussed precautionary safety measures to follow in the event of a hurricane, how hurricanes are named, levels of hurricanes, and other areas of student interest on the topic. The hurricane affected our area for approximately 8 days. I would devote the beginning activity of class each day to questions concerning the latest developments, then provide a fact about hurricanes as food for thought  while we transitioned into other class activities each day. By covering the hot topic at the beginning of class, I felt students were better able to concentrate on the new material covered following the discussions.

3. Sample of Accompanying Artifact Thanks to: http://www.coe.iup.edu/pttut/Model%20Portfolio/stan2.htm

4. Reflection Statement vs. Reflection Essay • Reflection Essay is longer • Minimum of 1 page typed, 12pt font, double spaced • Covers the entire academic year, not just one element • A reflection statement ties your artifacts together within your element • A reflection essay ties your elements together within your portfolio

5. Reflection Statement vs. Reflection Essay • Reflection statements are always placed in your text box • Reflection essays are uploaded as an electronic word document • Reflection essays are their own element • not placed within an element • Reflection essays need to be placed and named properly

6. Why reflect? • Integral to your production of a portfolio is the process of reflection • Reflection is not an 'add-on' piece to your learning process, portfolio. • It is integral to the complex process of becoming a therapist • Successful reflection enables self-awareness, personal and professional growth

7. Reflection essays • Purpose: to gain information from students on how they view their own work • to enable targeted instructor feedback to students • to get students into a habit of looking critically at their own knowledge and skill acquisition

8. Reflection essay procedure • Students write your reflection essay • Minimum of 1 page • Upload as a word document • Name and Place according to “cheat sheet”

9. What do I include in my reflection essay?   • Describe why you selected your elective artifacts • how they show the uniqueness of your academic year, learning process or life experience • Connect your elements to learning theories, therapy practices, or other knowledge and skills you’ve developed throughout the year • Describe what you learned as a result of the experiences that your elements document • pertaining to learning • working with others • how you grew professionally, academically and/or personally

10. Reflection essays include things like: • Your role as a future SLP • Knowledge gained throughout your learning experience • Impact of the year’s events on student learning • Interactions with other students, staff & professors • Learning theories/therapy approaches as they relate to your learning • Accounts of field experiences related to your future profession

11. Reflection essays include things like: • how and why you think the way you do • what actions you took, what choices you made • the meaning of your actions and choices • what learning and growth has occurred • how you can change your practices in the future • what you believe is the social value of speech and language pathology • what you believe is your role as a professional in the field

12. How can I get started?   • The strongest part of my ePortfolio is… • The part of my academic year or learning experience that I would spend more time on if I had it is… • The most important concept that I have learned this year is… • Now that I approached the end of another academic year, a question I still have is… • In my next year in the CSD program I plan to….

13. The benefits • Student reflections on their own work help faculty respond personally to them in a dialogue about their work • Student reflections give valuable information about how their educational experience is going as a whole • Writing reflection essays help students build a way of looking at their work that is beneficial to them over time. • Show growth; student reflection essays often become more insightful as their academic career progresses.

14. The benefits • Reflection essays allow you to be viewed as a unique individual having a unique learning career • Your reflection essay puts a face and a story to your name • Use your reflection essay to tell the department how your learning experience is unique, and how you are unique

15. Professionally • Your learning and development does not quit when you graduate • Effective reflection essays tell your viewer about • your continued knowledge and skill acquisition • professional development • Work experiences • Professional memberships and activities • And, most importantly, how all these things add up to make you a unique and qualified professional

16. Next Task • Write a reflection essay • Name and place properly • True, it’s not the end of the year! • Reflect on what you’ve done to date • Minimum 1 page • Name and Place properly • This will serve as your starting point for your reflection essay next semester

17. Next Task • Update your shared folder • Add the reflection essay & video clip by November 24th • Presentations on Dec 10th • We’ll see how far we get & adjust as needed

18. References • Arter, J. A., & Spandel, V. (1992). Using portfolios of student work in instruction and assessment. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 11, 36-44. • Constantino, P. & De Lorenzo, M. (2002). Developing a Professional Teaching Portfolio: A Guide for Success. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. • Kilbane, C. & Milman, N. (2003). The Digital Teaching Portfolio Handbook: A How-To-Guide for Educators. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. • Kimbal, M. (2003). The Web Portfolio Guide. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.