7 minute read
Upon Further Reflection
How Peck Bakes in Research-Informed Practices of Reflection to Foster Independence and Lifelong Learning
You don’t learn from experience. You learn from reflecting on experience.
This profound truth informs The Peck School's philosophy on student reflection and its practice of incorporating it at every step of the learning journey.
Peck, a K-8 in Morristown, NJ, is well-known for its synergy between academics and character education; ensuring that soft skills (critical thinking, self-advocacy, leadership, etc.) have a defined place in the curriculum.
Reflection is one such soft skill that is key to emotional intelligence.
“Reflection is allowing yourself time to pause and think instead of moving right onto the next thing,” says Head of Upper School Virginia Savage '05.
From their earliest days in kindergarten to their final moments on campus at Commencement, Peck students hone their reflection skills and, in so doing, power their pursuit of lifelong learning.
Reflection is allowing yourself time to pause and think instead of moving right onto the next thing.
For students, most learning occurs through structured experiences. But in life, most of the learning people do is organic and spontaneous. Reflection is an essential executive functioning tool that converts raw experience to meaning.
“I think students need to know that their first shot at it doesn’t have to be the perfect, fully formed idea,” says Head of the Upper School Virginia Savage.
“We all iterate and test things out and revise, and reflection is a critical part of prompting them to examine their thinking.”
Research shows that students who engage in reflection are more likely to retain their learning. This is why it is critically important that adults resist the urge to solve problems for kids. Instead, they should help them reflect and move forward independently.
“Once someone completes a task, the book shouldn’t be closed,” Head of Lower School Ashley Tabor agrees.
The skill of reflection applies to all spheres of life, from academics and athletics to arts and social interactions. Therefore, reflection is baked into the curriculum in both big and small ways.
Peck’s faculty support this practice through modeling and asking questions like: How did you approach this? What was your first step? What could you do differently next time?
“We explicitly teach how to give and receive feedback, listen to it, and use it to improve work and make revisions,” says Lower School Tech Integrator Jen Garvey.
Some of the ways reflection is incorporated into the Peck curriculum are:
Bound Books: A Peck tradition for decades, each student receives a collection of their work at the completion of first through fourth grades and then a compilation for their Upper School years.
Bound books could include an assignment a student aced or one they struggled with. You might also see a piece of original writing, art, or a photograph of a memory from the year. The process of determining what is included in the book involves reflection and dialogue between students and their teachers.
Both Savage and Tabor share that students often want to edit out the more challenging moments of a school year.
“We encourage them to include those growth moments because acknowledging that they occurred is part of the tapestry,” Savage says. “It informs who they are now.”
Lower School Math: One might think of reflection as synonymous with the humanities, but Director of Lower School Math Sophie Brady begs to differ. Brady’s approach to teaching math focuses more on the process than the final product.
“In math, children often focus mainly on getting the answer,” she said. “But we’ve learned that students reflecting on their process with each other is more meaningful than where they actually end up.”
In fourth grade, faculty teach multiple strategies for breaking down complicated multiplication problems. Then, students dialogue about which approach makes the most sense to them and why.
Similarly, in third grade, Brady guides students to reflect on what their test scores highlight as to which concepts they firmly grasp, and which present an opportunity for growth.
We’ve learned that students reflecting on their process with each other is more meaningful than where they actually end up.
“Having time to reflect on which strategies work and patterns we’re noticing helps kids understand that math is really about sense-making,” Brady says.
“The more we can teach kids to pay attention to how they learn best, the more equipped they’ll be to advocate for themselves when they need to.”
Lower School Music: Throughout the year, and especially during concert preparation season, Lower School music students reflect on their progress through a visual (and unique!) self-assessment.
A favorite music class activity during concert season is “How Did We Do?” A randomizer wheel selects two students to serve as judges (a la American Idol ) while the class rehearses a particular song for the concert.
The student judges are tasked with evaluating their class on specific qualities of the performance. The judges hold fluffy emoji pillows: one represents positive attributes, and the other represents opportunities for improvement. Following the rehearsed song, the judges share their feedback: what the class did well, and what could be improved.
“Students learn to give and accept feedback, and work toward strengthening and refining their skills,” shares Lower School Music Teacher Lisa Wichman.
Upper School Student-Led Report Cards and Conferences: All Upper School students preview their report card comments ahead of parents and have an opportunity to discuss results with their advisor, reflecting on areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
Then, in fifth and sixth grades, students reflect on what they would say if they were present at their parent-teacher conference and what information they predict the teacher will communicate.
In seventh and eighth grades, students not only attend parent-teacher conferences, they lead them. In preparation for the conference, students write their own report card comments for Reading Zone and Capstone and spend time reflecting on their strengths and areas for growth.
“Students participating in their parent-teacher conferences gives them a sense of agency and ownership over their own progress,” says Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development Chris Weaver.
Eighth-Grade Personal Narratives: In their English classes, students write seven to 10 personal narratives over the course of the year. Each narrative begins with a guiding question that helps the student reflect on who they want to be.
One such personal narrative asks students to reflect on their life story with prompts such as, “How did this experience shape your perspective or beliefs?” and “How did you change or evolve as a person as a result of this experience?”
Many of these personal narratives go on to inform the content of a student’s eighth-grade speech: a milestone moment when each eighth grader shares their narrative before peers and teachers at an assembly.
These impactful speeches often detail stories of influential people in the student’s life, memorable experiences, the importance of family, and tales of perseverance.
