Reflections...

So, I just spent a couple hours reading an article on reflection for class. The title, for those interested is "Silence: Reflection, Literacy, Learning, and Teaching." The author, Pat Belanoff. And I thought I'd share some of her thoughts with y'all. Me? I had problems in the reading (hence the literal two hour reading time). I had problems with the length of the work. I thought the section in which Belanoff defines every word she's using was a bit much--and a bit high school--but I kinda understand the need to look into etymological roots of words before we "invoke" their full power.

The point, though, is not the article. The point is that Belanoff argues the need for reflection in teaching. That is, she argues that we need to find a way to encourage our students to think and meditate in silence in the classroom. I like that idea. AND I think that it can be done best in an online class! Now, I have to find a way to encourage my students to do this whole reflection thing. I don't think I'll have them read the article, though. It is not too dense for them. It is not too complex for them. It's too long--and I am ashamed to say that. But, really, some editing would have been nice.

SO how does one encourage reflection in an online class? I don't know yet. But I'm working on it. I do know that in an online class, there is the time, the space, the availability for reflection.

If any of y'all have any ideas, let me know.