The Importance of External or Collegial Reflection

Before we share several external reflection formats and practices, consider what Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick (*April 2000) have written about the power of collegial reflection:

 

The act of externalizing our internal voices, and listening to the self-statements of our colleagues provides educators with an opportunity to:

 

1.     Amplify the meaning of their work through the insight of others.

 

2.     Apply meaning beyond the situation in which it was learned.

 

3.     Make a commitment to modifications, plans, and experimentation

 

4.     Document learning and provide a rich base of shared knowledge      

*Costa, A. L. & Kallick, B. (April, 2000).  Getting into the Habit of Reflection. Educational Leadership. 57(5), 60-62.

 

In the next post we will share some suggested methods to encourage your mentee to use different internal reflection tools.