Reflection and Its Role in Higher Order Thinking

As a parent of two young adult university students, I periodically receive inquiries as to why there needs to be so much "reflection" in the process of learning theoretical concepts.  Similarly, I hear College students in my classroom question why they can't just learn the concepts without having to reflect upon it.  As I've considered a carefully crafted response to the emerging professionals before me, I have been prompted to delve deeper into the role that reflection plays in developing higher order thinking.  Yes, facts and theories are important elements of broadening one's academia; however, I am convinced that without the process of considering how the new understandings influence who we are as professionals, the knowledge will be static. 

 

While reading "Reflection as a Rationalistic Ideal" (Adult Education Quarterly 60(4) 339-356), I was reminded through Marianne vanWerkom's writing that emotions are engaged through the reflection process.  By pulling the information from a cognitive to an affective level, it allows the learner to activate responses that are life changing.  For example, if I were reading about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, I would cognitively learn that humans have the basic needs of food, water, shelter, and clothing.  However, through the reflection process, I would consider what happens if one of more of these needs are not met. Perhaps, I would consider how I would be impacted if I could not meet one or more of these needs or what if one of my students did not have one of more of these needs met.  How would the absence of fulfillment influence the student's ability to learn or my strategy in teaching? 

 

As my learning partner and I discuss the role of higher order thinking in adult education through Skype this week, I look forward to considering how deeper understanding of the higher order thinking will influence my teaching practice.