Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to be Reflective and Effective Learners by Lynne Dorfman, Catherine Gehman, Persida Himmele, and Aileen Hower Book Review by Janice Ewing
There are many professional books that are recommended for a particular subset of teachers, according to grade level, subject, or a particular area of interest. Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to be Reflective and Effective Learners by Lynne Dorfman, Catherine Gehman, Persida Himmele, and Aileen Hower (to be published in June by ASCD), on the other hand, is one that will be of value to all educators. All teachers who strive to deepen their reflection about their own practice and develop their students’ practice of reflection will find value in these pages. A true work of collaboration, the four teacher/authors have mined the depths of their varied and extensive classroom experience with learners of all ages to create this exceptional resource that speaks to what it means to be a truly reflective and effective educator.
The authors ground the reader by describing and amply illustrating three levels of reflection – looking at, looking in, and looking out — each of which help the learner to truly construct and retain knowledge and understanding. The authors provide examples, right from the classroom, at a variety of levels and from different subject areas. For example, the first level, looking at, refers to the process of making meaning. The authors use the symbol of a magnifying glass to illustrate the importance of deeply exploring a subject or concept, rather than taking a superficial look and moving on. As teachers, we may have had the experience of “covering” a topic, only to find out later that the information could not be retained or acted upon because it was never absorbed to begin with. In other words, they students did not truly make meaning.
At the next level, looking in, the authors explore metacognitive thinking, or thinking about our own thinking. They use the metaphor of a mirror in which students reflect upon themselves as learners in order to become active participants in their use of strategies to assess their own engagement and understanding as their knowledge deepens and/or to self correct if needed. Again, numerous examples are given for how to bring this practice to life in a wide variety of settings.
At the third level, looking out, the authors introduce us to the concept of metastrategic reflection. Using the symbol of a map, they provide us with tools to equip ourselves and our students with the tools to guide us through the learning process, from analysis of how we have learned in the past, to authentic goal-setting, to creating and personalized and actionable plan for growth.
At each level, the authors are bringing to light the kind of behind-the-scenes thinking that we want our students to engage in, and providing us with a vast array of practical strategies to accomplish this. Each chapter ends with thoughtful questions for both individual and group reflection, so we are not just reading, but fully participating in our learning as we go along. In addition, the appendices are a treasure trove of templates and ideas that can be used just as they are presented, or adapted to fit any teacher’s specific needs.
The wealth of information and insight in this book is presented in a conversational, down-to-earth style. The authors are truly teachers talking to other teachers, sharing their ideas, experience, and research, and inviting others to join them in this most rewarding, versatile, and crucial aspect of teaching and learning.
Because of the applicability of this book to such a wide range of educators, it would lend itself well to a whole-school or district-wide book study. Sharing and honing the ideas and suggestions would be of great value to the reflective process for teachers, which can only benefit students. For any teachers who might be feeling as though they cannot do “one more thing” the book is a breath of fresh air, in that reflection is not presented as an add-on, or something to be checked off, but as an integral and essential part of what it means to teach and learn. This is a book to look forward to, to savor, and to share. Janice Ewing is a 2004 fellow of the West Chester Writing Project (the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project at that time) and a current member of the advisory board. Her interests include teacher inquiry, collaboration, and mentoring. She and Dr. Mary Buckelew, are the coauthors of Action Research for English Language Arts Teachers: Invitation to Inquiry (Routledge, 2019).
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