Reflective Learning

REFLECTIVE LEARNING

Lisa Phillips

P.L.C.

Term two in Year 7 History is usually devoted to studying the history of PLC. The logic behind such a course is the accessibility of a wide variety of Primary sources. (Old Collegian, photographs, school magazine, an Archive that is full of objects) and secondary sources (PLC is lucky to have had two books written that trace it's history)

To complete this unit, I not only wanted my students to focus on their new knowledge of the school's past but reflect on the value and limitations of the sources available to the historian. I developed a communication sheet along these lines.

Task one required students firstly to comment on the value of each source used, then to discuss the problems encountered when using that source. Task two requested that the students select the source that they found the most useful and explain why.

I was amazed by the quality of student responses. This particular class has a wide range of abilities, yet each student was able to reflect on the learning process and make thoughtful comments about each source used. This exercise was a positive one for the students, helping them to pull together different strands of the unit of work. It also gave me great insight into how much each student had learnt as well as their capacity for reflective thinking.

Below are a selection of comments from students with a range of abilities. I have intentionally included more comments regarding the problems and the limitations, as this indicates the students appreciation of the problems associated when studying the past. ( An important Criteria in each of the major assessment tasks in Year 12 History)

Each point indicates a different student's comments.

Physical Evidence - Useful / Valuable

It is useful because you can touch it and get the evidence for yourself
Physical evidence is useful because I did not get confused by long descriptions and I could actually feel the objects so did not have to assume something that could be wrong. Physical evidence shows you the object from your view so you can describe it as you saw it rather than how somebody else saw it.

Limitations / Problems

The old school buildings have been demolished so you can not look inside the buildings.
The problem with physical evidence was that it didn't explain much leaving you to research more.
The evidence can be damaged which could even end up giving misleading information. (This comment really amazed me).

Oral Evidence - Useful / Valuable

They can remember tiny details and feelings from the time which books or nothing else can. They have tales of their own experiences

Limitations / Problems

You can only see it from their point of view.
People lose their memories so the image can get confusing.
Personal feelings may distort facts.

Photographic Evidence - Limitations / Problems

The problem with photographic evidence was that sometimes the photos were unclear and you couldn't be to sure of what it was.
Sometimes blurry, fuzzy, out of focus, hard to define where they are.

Secondary Sources - Limitations / Problems

The problem with the books are that if someone had a bad temper they would not put that in the book.
Items unknown or not famous may not be in these general books.

The two students who wrote about Secondary Sources wculd be considered as being at opposite poles of ability. Yet despite the difference in expression both students have demonstrated that they appreciate the selectivity of secondary material.