Attending to lifelong learning skills through guided reflection in a physics class

We describe a tool, the Guided Reflection Form (GRF), which was used to promote reflection in a modeling-based physics course. Each week, students completed a guided reflection and received feedback from their instructors. These activities were intended to help students connect past experiences to future improvements. We analyzed student reflections so that we could (1) provide insight into the reflection process itself, (2) describe common themes in student reflections, and (3) explore how student reflections change over time. Most students were able to use the GRF to reflect on their learning by narrating experiences, identifying areas for growth, and outlining plans for meeting their goals. Moreover, the themes present in student reflections provide insights into struggles commonly faced by physics students and how these struggles change over time. We discuss the design of the GRF in detail, so that others may use it as a tool to support student reflections. (C) 2015 American Association of Physics Teachers.