When students become reflective about the teaching and learning process, they are strengthening their own capacity to learn. Central to this is the principal of reflection as metacognition, where students are aware of and can describe their thinking in a way that allows them to "close the gap" between what they know and what they need to learn.
"Reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes, and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, and their metacognitive ability (that is, their ability to think about their own thinking)."
Effective Pedagogy, The New Zealand Curriculum p.34
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Resources to assist teachers and students to become reflective about the teaching and learning process.
Reflection using the six hats (Rise Up Academy)
(PowerPoint 2007 103 KB)
Reflective prompts for senior students
(Word 2007 120 KB)