The What This reflection protocol prompts students to identify key takeaways from a Unit or other sustained inquiry experience. Use this to support students in sharing their thoughts with the whole class and making connections to others’ ideas.
The How
1. Display learning artifacts from the Unit or sustained inquiry experience.
2. Prompt students to silently examine these artifacts and reflect by writing 3 (or more) ideas related to these artifacts on separate note cards.
These can be standout ideas they've learned, ideas they would like to teach others, a favorite question they’ve explored, or a question they have yet to answer.
3. Invite a student to share a single note card aloud, and invite others to Popcorn share any notes they have that relate to that idea in some way.
Collect the related note cards as they are read aloud, or invite students to tape their note cards to the board or chart paper, posting them together in clusters.
4. Continue inviting new students to share different note cards, one by one, until all have been read aloud and clustered by topic.
Draw a line connecting clusters of note cards that seem to connect to other clusters, or draw arrows to indicate causes and effects.
Invite students to share connections they are noticing as well.
If time permits, students may be invited to help title each cluster.
5. Step back from the board and marvel at all that students have learned and continue to wonder. Foster a moment of reflection and celebration, considering how much has been accomplished during this Unit or sustained inquiry experience.