scholarly journals Using reflective writing to enhance student engagement, inquiry, critical thinking, and learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Lister
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Transfer ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Research Writing ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Lifelong Learners ◽  
Student Reflection ◽  
Writing Class

Student engagement is often touted as a key component of enhancing student’s ability to learn and helping students becomes lifelong learners. But engaging students, helping them invest in the class, making their learning more visible, and helping them see how various course components connect can be challenging, particularly in active learning classes. One approach is to implement more reflection and reflective writing throughout our courses and assignments.This session will explore a range of strategies for integrating student reflection throughout complex writing assignments or long-term projects and throughout the course to enhance engagement and intrinsic motivation, facilitate critical thinking, help students be more aware and in control of their learning and learning processes, and facilitate learning transfer. While focused on practices developed in composition and literature classes, particularly in a Students as Scholars based research-writing class, these strategies can be successfully implemented in any course. 

scholarly journals Reflective Writing as an Assessment for Student Analysis and Synthesis Ability in a Landscape Design Course

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 668-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Marie VanDerZanden
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Landscape Design ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis

Horticulture graduates entering the field of landscape design and installation must be able to integrate technical skills with practical applications. This requires higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking, which can be practiced through various teaching and learning strategies in an undergraduate curriculum. The objective of this project was to develop a series of three reflective writing assignments in a landscape design course to help students improve their critical thinking skills of analysis and synthesis. Scores on an 18-point quiz question for 110 students enrolled in Beginning Garden Composition (HORT 380) from 2005 to 2009 were compared. The comparison was between 2 years when the reflective writing assignments were not part of the course and 3 years when the assignments were included in the course. Quiz scores increased significantly for the students who completed the reflective writing assignments (average of 16.2 out of 18) compared with students who did not complete the assignments as part of the course (average 10.2 out of 18).

Developing Pre-Service Teachers' Critical Thinking and Assessment Skills With Reflective Writing

2019 ◽  
pp. 146-173
Author(s):  
Tracey S. Hodges ◽  
Chyllis E. Scott ◽  
Erin K. Washburn ◽  
Sharon D. Matthews ◽  
Carly Gould
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Literacy Interventions ◽  
Assessment Skills ◽  
Small Group Reading

Teacher education programs are implementing more reflection into their coursework to better prepare future teachers to think critically in their classrooms. In this multiple-participant case study, the researchers analyze nine PSTs from two different teacher preparation programs. All PSTs participated in one-on-one or small group reading interventions with young children and conducted a series of assessments and intervention lessons over one semester. At the same time, the PSTs took a course focused on reading assessment and intervention. Through the course, PSTs reflected on their intervention practices, student growth, instructional strengths and weaknesses, and additional concerns that could arise during the sessions through the use of reflective writing assignments. Through learning about literacy assessments and conducting literacy interventions and tutoring, PSTs practiced and enhanced their critical thinking skills.

Critical Thinking and Clear Writing

1985 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Anne F. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
Voluntary Commitment ◽  
The University

As part of an on-going effort at West Oahu College (a small, liberal arts, upper-division campus of the University of Hawaii) I am experimenting with ways to help my political science students improve their ability to think critically and communicate clearly. For some time we have been aware of a large number of students having difficulties in writing and critical thinking. We have made an informal and voluntary commitment to use writing-across-thecurriculum (WAC) with faculty participating in workshops and conferring with the writing instructor who coordinates our WAC program.1In-coming students must now produce a writing proficiency sample which is analyzed, returned with numerous comments, and results in students being urged to take a writing class if there are serious problems. A writing lab is offered several times a week and students are free to drop in for help.

scholarly journals Scientific Conferences as Way to Develop Students’ Foreign Language Communicative Competence

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01155
Author(s):  
Yuliya Savinova ◽  
Tatiana Akhmetzyanova ◽  
Svetlana Pozdnyakova ◽  
Ekaterina Dvorak ◽  
Zhanna Zarutskaya
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
High Level ◽  
Development Of Students

The issues of the student engagement in science-related activities and the development of students’ language communicative competence are especially relevant in a technical university, where due to the prevailing of the Sciences, the professional communicative competence has become increasingly vital. The goal of this article is to examine how interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages can foster the foreign language communicative competence of students. In the article, we present the definition and the three basic models of communicative competence. A method of pedagogical observation is used that represents comprehension and analysis of goal-oriented preparation of students for practical scientific conferences. We reveal the fact that interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages allow educators to foster the foreign language communicative competence of students and deepen their knowledge in professional area, as well as to equip them with research skills since students’ participation in the conferences increases their attention and focus, motivates them to practice critical thinking skills of high level.

Assessment as Learning in Medical Education: Feasibility and perceived impact of student-generated formative assessments (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
RITU LAKHTAKIA ◽  
Farah Otaki ◽  
Laila Alsuwaidi ◽  
Nabil Zary
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Peer Collaboration ◽  
Formative Assessments ◽  
Deep Dive ◽  
Assessment As Learning

BACKGROUND Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a vital competency, desirable to sustain lifelong learning in health professions education. Contemporary education practices emphasize this aspect of undergraduate medical education through innovative designs of teaching and learning like the flipped classroom and team-based learning. Assessment as learning (AaL) can be a unique way to inculcate SRL through active learning habits. It charges the student to create formative assessments reinforcing student-centered deep learning, and critical thinking. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore, from the learners’ perspective, the feasibility and perceived learning impact of student generated formative assessments. METHODS The study relied on a convergent mixed methods approach to research. An educational intervention was deployed on a cohort of students in the second year of a six-year undergraduate medical program as part of a single course curriculum delivery. This AaL intervention engaged students in generating assessments using peer-collaboration, tutor facilitation, and feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data of student perceptions were collected through a survey. Quantitative survey data was analysed using SPSS. Qualitative inputs underwent thematic analysis. RESULTS Students’ overall score of satisfaction with the AaL educational intervention was 84%. On quantitative analysis, this was strongly correlated with scores for ease and impact on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis, included: prominent characteristics, immediate gains, and expected long-term benefits of their engagement. The prominent characteristics included individuals’ engagement, effective interdependencies, novelty, and time requirement. The identified immediate gains highlighted increased motivation, and acquisition of knowledge and skills. The expected long-term benefits, included critical thinking and problem solving, and clinical reasoning. CONCLUSIONS As a form of AaL, student-generated assessments were perceived as viable, constructive, and a stimulating educational exercise by the student-authors. In the short term, the activity provided students a fun, challenging opportunity to deep dive into the content, be creative in designing questions, and improve exam-taking skills. In the long-term students expected an enhancement of critical thinking, and inculcation of student-centred attributes of self-regulated lifelong learning and peer collaboration, vital to the practice of medicine.

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