Vancouver Community College PIDP

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Vancouver Community College Provincial Instructors' Diploma Facebook

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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.

Another leg of the education journey begins...
I have always claimed to be a life long learner; however, I am only beginning to feel authentic in doing so as I find myself yearning to explore what's new, what's been confirmed once again as true, and what is no longer held as valid. As an early childhood educator and as a parent, I have been committed to the goal of "fostering a love for life long learning" as we explore this world together. However, as the world seems to be progressing faster than my less than technologically savy skill set serves me, I quickly realize that the next generation exudes carefree initiative to explore electronic devices much like I did the dirt pile on my parents' farm. Awareness of this reality motivates me to "catch up", so that I can teach with relevancy using the language and mode of today's emerging professionals.
On your mark, get set, go....