Promoting individual and collective reflection is a universal design for learning (UDL) guideline that supports multiple means of engagement. The UDL guidelines were developed by an organization called CAST. This article will explore how teachers and other educators can help learners recognize and regulate their emotional responses to personal and group learning.
Promoting Individual and Collective Reflection in Universal Design for Learning
Promoting individual and collective reflection means supporting learners as they gain the skills to monitor their own progress and emotions. Learners need to recognize and regulate their emotions when they work to achieve goals and when they develop awareness of themselves and others. Likewise, learners need to recognize the emotional responses of others to support them. While some learners respond to feedback or models outlining their progress in gaining these skills, these strategies rely on learners’ abilities to perceive and change their emotional reactions. However, learners have different degrees of awareness about their own emotional responses and how to regulate them.
Teachers can use many strategies for promoting individual and collective reflection. For instance, teachers can provide charts, journals, or other methods for learners to log their own progress. For example, learners can keep these logs:
- On paper
- In audio recordings
- On electronic devices, such as tablets
- Through visual aids, such as drawings
Learners can then connect their feelings to the progress they make. Moreover, learners can read earlier notes or entries in their logs to observe measurable changes in their responses or reactions.
In addition, teachers can create lessons that give learners the chance to receive feedback, especially action-oriented feedback. This feedback shows learners that others recognize the progress they make as they regulate and reflect on their mistakes and their achievements. Moreover, feedback from teachers and peers gives learners many models for how people assess or monitor their progress. These varying models will allow learners to find and grow accustomed to the methods of reflection about self and others that work best for them.