Has this begun to change the way they think? Moving undergraduate learners’ level of reflection from where it is to where it needs to be

Abstract

This paper documents the ongoing development of a framework for reflection for undergraduate learners new to the reflective process. Motivated by the gap between students’ abilities and experience of reflection and the expectations of them at undergraduate level, the author experimented with a variety of approaches over a number of years. After much trial and error, a three-step pyramid method loosely based on Mezirow's three stages of the reflective process has been meeting with some success and is presented here. Findings indicate that recognizing the limitations in novice practitioners ability to reflect effectively, and providing them with a practical framework of initial support can empower them and result in greater expression and confidence in their reflective journal writing.