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Reflective

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The International Baccalaureate (IB) approach applies ten characteristics to describe an IB learner. As an IB World School, at Blair all students, staff and teachers strive to demonstrate the attributes of Inquirer, Thinker, Caring, Balanced, Knowledgeable, Open Minded, Risk taker, Communicator, Reflective and Principled. 

This "IB Learner Profile" also demonstrates how the IB approach is about much more than academic success. Each month at Blair one characteristic is highlighted. 

Reflective people give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

Three Essential Elements of Reflection

Think

  • What do I see others doing around me?
  • What do I see myself doing around others?
  • Am I helping myself grow and learn?

Reflect 

  • What can I do differently? 
  • How can I achieve that?
  • What should I do the same? 
  • What will that look like this time around?

Grow

  • How can I be the best me? 
  • How will that help others?
  • What change can I make to benefit my world?

Reflection is a key component to IB learning. The learning process is not finished without reflecting on what has been learned! Blair students even write a reflection when they report their community service hours, and in their IB Diploma Programme service hours (CAS- Creativity, Action, Service).  The IB Diploma Programme Extended Essay has a companion Reflection piece, and instructors in IB courses may ask for a reflection response after each lesson. While working on the IB Middle Years Programme's Personal Project in 10th grade, students make entries in a Reflection notebook for a record of the process.

Students who are REFLECTIVE know what they are good at and what they’re not. They try to think about these things, and they make changes where they can. They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and consider their personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner. 

  • Encourage students to keep a journal
  • Encourage students to make a one second everyday video*
  • Encourage students to spend some time reviewing their report card. They should have the opportunity to look at this document and consider it as well. Discuss it with them and truly consider their thoughts on their strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Consider the goals that students could set for the next term. Make a list not only of the goals, but of specific actions that can be taken to achieve these goals. You might want to list action that the student will take independently as well as action they will take to seek support. For example, if one of the goals the students sets for herself is to improve her writing, her action might be to keep a journal and write in it for at least 10 minutes each night. Parents or teachers might decide to participate in shared writing, for 30 minutes each week and produce a writing piece together.
  • Ask students to stop and think throughout the day about their behaviors. Assist him/her with focusing on the following prompts:
    • Is what I'm doing appropriate? If so, explain why it is. If not, explain how it is not.
    • How can I change my behavior? Have student think of positive ways to make changes.
    • Is the situation I am in a positive situation? If not, how can I make it a positive situation?
    • Am I doing my best? Am I working my hardest?
  • Model the above thinking process by talking aloud to yourself, ask and answer yourself these questions about things you are doing throughout your day. This way the student sees you working through the Reflection process, and can use your examples as their models to learn from.
  • Model how to make mistakes, how to fail. And then, how to pick yourself up and dust yourself off. It's okay to make mistakes, making mistakes is part of learning. Being Reflective teaches us how to grow and learn from both mistakes and from positive experiences.

Possible Provocation Questions

  • What does reflection look like for you?
  • How does reflection help us figure out who we are?
  • How does looking back help us move forward?
  • Why is reflection sometimes difficult for people?
  • How does the process of reflection change for people over time?
  • What causes people to become more interested in reflecting?


Blair is an IB World School with three IB programs. The Middle Years Programme is all students grades 6-10. The Diploma Programme is offered for 11th and 12th graders, with the option of pursuing the full Diploma or individual course certificates. In the Career-related Programme, Health Careers Academy students integrate IB Diploma courses with their technical training and other requirements.