Reflection has been a huge asset for me as I’ve gone through this program. I think the initial reaction to having to reflect on something is frustration- it’s just one more assignment and something that will take up your time. What reflection actual does for you is provide an after action report of a project, reading, assignment, or whatever activity it is that you’ve undertaken. It’s informal, so you can say what you think, but allows for enough detail for people to understand what tasks you’ve just undertaken.
I really think my most valuable reflections have been the ones I’ve been able to discuss with my site supervisor. Dr. Ealy has done a great job of asking me about the projects and assignments I’m doing and then following up with real life, actual experience questions. These conversations have led me to look deeper into topics, to go back and reread items I may have just skimmed the first time, and really find out how to do something. The most notable time this occurred was during the unit on bidding for contractors; I ended up going home after our meeting and re-reading the entire section to make sure I knew the material. The blogs and wiki pages have also been good too, mostly because my reflections are then reflected on by others. The feedback has been great and this cohort is clearly filled with people who will make outstanding central office personnel. On the flip side, it’s been very rewarding for me to go and look at what other people are writing, compare them to my experiences, and see where I could improve or bring something to my internship experience. The main piece with both of these is the same- the opportunity to go back, analyze what you just did, and then write about it can bring great closure to a large task and allow you to see the end result from a larger perspective.
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