Reflection, according to your text occurs when students evaluate sources of information, demonstrate lines of reasoning from conflicting perspectives, evaluate complex problems or objects, discuss controversial issues, or justify an important decision.
Description, on the other hand, is the act or method of describing.
What I want you all to do is to share your personal understanding of reflection and tell me how it’s different from description?
Also, share how you’re planning to use reflection in developing your e-Portfolio content pages.
Reflection is more abstract rather than description which is concrete. Reflection can vary a great deal between people and still be equally valid while descriptions must maintain a certain degree of similarity between sources to remain true.
ReplyDeleteReflecting on your e-Portfolio content is a good way to critically evaluate the content and determine the best content to include and the best way to arrange it.
To me reflection is more what you do in your own mind when you are thinking to yourself. It is what you do when you are thinking back on something, or remembering something. Description is when you are telling someone about something, or a certain experience.
ReplyDeleteI will be using reflection when I think back on all of my informal and formal education. I have been reflecting on all of my experiences and realizing how they have shaped who I am today. After I have reflected on the past then I use description to try to explain to future employers where I am coming form, and who I am.
Reflection I believe is when you look back at past experiences in your life and mentally try relive those moments. Through this process you are evoking the emotions associated with the event and how things could have gone. When you reflect you think how you could have done things differently and if so would your result have been the same. Reflection differs from description because when you reflect you can learn from your mistakes and try things differently. When you describe the story is exactly how you remember you don't add to it or think how you could have change certain aspects of it.
ReplyDeleteI use reflection in my E-portfolio because it still is developing so I can go back and change certain parts of it. Also a lot of work I have out into my E-portfolio has been reflections on past experiences in my life both personal and professional.
Reflection and description differ in my opinion differ in the sense that, reflection is what occurs when we look back at past experiences, and events and form an idea based on how that has affected us. Describing something on the other hand is simply narrating what you see, feel, or hear - a description does not necessarily have to make a profound change in you as a person, whereas a reflection usually causes a person to sit and analyze.
ReplyDeleteIn my E-portfolio I will use reflection in order to describe what made me want to focus on medicine as a future career. The E-Portfolio is basically composed of stories of ourselves, and our future goals - in order to narrate, and successfully explain my personal short-term, and long-term goals are what they are, I have to reflect.
Kevin, very interesting depiction you've made between reflection and description. You mention the notion of abstract vs. concrete. Perhaps, you can give an example of the two and ways in which they can be applied.
ReplyDeleteMarc S.
Hi Yalida,
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great idea to focus your e-portfolio on stories. This is how future employers and/or graduate schools make the connection with you. Our experiences and reflections are what molds us into who we are today.
Hey Kevin
ReplyDeleteI like your input on how reflection can help you organize your e-portfolio by helping you know what is most important to add.
Hey Cristie
ReplyDeleteI like you description on reflection and description. I feel that I use reflection all the time in my e-portfolio also.
Christie:
ReplyDeleteYour explanation of reflection vs. description is really good, very on point! I also really like the point you made about reflecting on your E-portfolio, because that way you can make certain changes. Since our portfolios are made up of stories, of what we’ve done to get to where we are, and where we plan to go – it is a good idea to reflect over it.
Heather:
I liked the example you gave about how you would reflect on your informal, and formal education and use that to describe that to your future employers where you are coming from and who you are. It’s a good way of tying in together reflection vs. description.
Kevin you bring a great perspective to idea of reflection. Reflection seems to have a emotional connection to the material. This feeling can vary from person to person.
ReplyDeleteMaking sure that there is some sort of emotional connection with your e-portfolio and the person reading is something that can really set you apart.
I think they key is that Reflection can have Description in it. Yet Description can't have Reflection.
ReplyDeleteWhen you reflect back on your college career you should describe the details of your classes. Yet, you can't describe your class and then reflect on how it made you feel, that reflection was to be separate or before the description.
or at least that is how I feel.
Hi Cristie,
ReplyDeleteReflections are great for evaluating the situation and determining what differences you can make in the future to make it a successful experience. Many people get angry or dissapointed when they make a mistake. I for one love to make mistakes. This is how I truly learn about the experience, and I know I won't make the mistake again. Analyzing and reflecting allows us to look back at the situation almost from a 3rd party perspective, especially if it has been some time since it happened.
In my e portfolio I plan to use reflection to describe what made me choose a career in non profit work. I think reflection is a time on looking back to your chosen path where description is setting the scene for the path.
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