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Thinking work is actually very difficult work. At first if I didn't understand something right away, I assumed it meant that I was not cut out for university. Doing assignments and research isn't like doing the washing up. It's more like growing a garden - you've got to dig the ground, fertilise it, add compost, plant, water, wait, get the bugs out, and wait again for the plants to flower.

Vivekananda, K. & Shores, P. (1996) Uni is Easier When You Know How. Hale & Ironmonger : Sydney. p. 9

 

• Reflection is an important strategy for deep learning.
  
• Reflection means thinking about the material you have just learned and the way you learned it.
  
• Reflection can happen anywhere, anytime - while you're taking a walk, sitting in the garden, or having a coffee break.
  
• Reflection is something we've probably all done before, when we're trying to make sense of something new.
  
• When reflecting, here are some questions you could ask yourself:
  

What old knowledge does this new information fit closest to?

What else does it have links to?

Does it conflict with anything?

Does it change anything?

Do I need to test it before I absorb it?

Do I need to make any decisions because of it?

Does it change my world view?

 

Take time out to reflect - it's worth it

Sometimes we are so pressed for time that we think all our study time must be task-driven e.g. reading an article, summarising a chapter, completing an assignment.

Reflection is often unstructured and intuitive, and it doesn't always produce anything tangible. So some students feel that reflection is a waste of time, or they're not really "studying" when they're reflecting.

But reflection gives our brains (and our hearts) time to process all the information we're absorbing, and time to establish the intricate neural connections (brain pathways) that are the foundation of knowledge and expertise.

Reflection can also save you time, because something you've spent hours trying to figure out may suddenly just fall into place.