Ideas for reflection exercises

[Radka Jágriková]

Whether you work with children or adults, community or a group of peers, reflection is always an important part of the success of the whole experience. There are many ways to reflect in the moment, depending on the group, the space and resources, the energy levels, the time available, etc.

Below you will find a few examples of the many reflection exercises used by Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) and its associates. However, there are many more possibilities. Do you know good reflection exercises that you’ve used successfully or would like to try? Share these with us!

 

SCALE GAME

What happens?

• The facilitator uses a space to represent a scale that measures opinion or feeling about a subject.
• Individuals are asked to place themselves on the ‘scale’ according to whether they agree or disagree with a statement. The facilitator starts with some fun statements first and then goes more deeply (such as starting with a statement “I like football” and then going deeper with “I feel confident speaking in front of large groups of people” or "I enjoy learning by doing.").
• The facilitator asks some people why they are standing where they are.

 

I NOTICED

Useful for: Reflection, feedback, refinement after an exercise or assignment; can be used with groups of any size.

What happens?

• The facilitator writes ‘I Noticed’, ‘I Liked’ and ‘Could you try…’ each on a separate sheet of paper.
• Participants offer feedback by standing in front of one of the pages and beginning with that phrase.
• People/groups receiving feedback are not allowed to respond, but instead must just absorb and consider what is said.

 

STICKY VALUES

Useful for: Closing a longer activity, leaving the group on a very positive note. A wrap-up exercise designed to praise and reflect moving forward.

What happens?

• Using a sticky note (post-it), participants write something positive about someone in the room and place it on someone.
• Everyone should have at least one note!