Bonner Reflection Resources
Effective Bonner Programs integrate reflection
in a consistent way throughout the program. This reflection
happens in many venues besides meetings—in van rides
to and from the site, through personal journaling, and in
late night dorm-room conversations. Regardless, some structured
reflection is critical for students to process what they learn
through their service involvement and to grapple with some
of the deeper societal issues and root causes and solutions
to the societal needs their work addresses.
Great opportunities for structured reflection
include weekly, class-based or other small group meetings.
All Bonner Meetings, can also be effective, especially when
students divide into small mentor-based, team-based, or other
reflection groups. Another strategy is to promote more individualized
reflection, with students engaging in journaling or personal
reflection, often with the help of prompts.
We aim to provide a variety of resources and practical tools
for deeper reflection that can be used in any of these settings.
These include trainings, the student essays on civic engagement
(currently being published in book form, along with film,
literary, and training resources, as well as reflection questions),
and other reflections. See the information below, where you
can access some interesting activities for reflection.
The Service-Based Reflection is a training
module available in the Bonner Civic Engagement curriculum
that is highly recommended for integration at some point in
the Bonner Program experience. This workshop provides participants
with an opportunity to engage in thinking about and doing
reflection related to service. In doing so, the workshop is
designed to expose participants to the elements of effective
reflection and its function, approach, and philosophy. By
providing a framework and model (based on Kolb’s theories),
it teaches participants a way to incorporate reflection into
any kind of activity, be it service, activism, organizing,
etc. In a hands-on way, it also gives participants some ideas
about how to do reflection, introducing facilitation tips,
tools, methods, and activities.
The Experiential Learning Cycle consists of five major areas:
- Experiencing
The activity phase
This is when group members gain a common experience, such
as through doing a service project together. In the context
of that work, learning happens, but if the process stops
here long-lasting learning may not occur!
- Sharing
Exchanging reactions and observations
This is when learners share what happened and how they experience
it. In this part, observations are shared, including how
things felt, sounded, looked, and so on. In the context
of sharing about service, participants may share stories
or observations about what they did, interactions they had,
and how those interactions affected them.
- Processing
What happened and WHY did it happen
This is when learners try to make sense of or process what
they experienced, what happened, and why did it (or does
it) happen. In the context of service, for example, a participant
who works at a homeless shelter may begin to process observations
and questions about the nature and cause of homelessness,
or what types of services seem most useful.
- Generalizing
Relating experiences to everyday life
This is when learners begin to connect their experiences
to everyday life, or to sift through their own mental models
or constructions of the world around them. They may begin
to generate insights about an issue, responses to the questions
they raised through experience and observation.
- Applying
Using experiences in everyday life
This is when learners begin to apply their experiences and
insights into new actions and endeavors. They can be guided
by asking, how will you use what you learned?
Kolb’s Model of Reflection is one of the most practical
and memorable frameworks a person engaged in reflection
can use in an ongoing way.
It consists of only three components:
- “What?”- The Descriptive
phase
- “So What?”- Interpretive
and emotive phase
- “Now What? - The Active/Applying
phase
- Two reflection training
modules feature many tips and tools in addition to more
information about theoretical background:
The reflections here were developed
by Andrew Brown, a student at Princeton Theological Seminary
and intern at the Bonner Foundation in 2005-2006. They incorporate
provocative readings and discussion about current events,
philosophical ideas, and broader themes connected to the Bonner
Common Commitments. What is excellent about these reflections
is that they also incorporate readings and exposure to noteworthy
authors, playwrights, and other thinkers, which students may
also be encountering in their coursework.
You can download each of them for
use in your meetings, programs, or other reflection activities.
Please review the summary paragraphs below.
AIDS
Day Reflection:
The purpose of this reflection is to
raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic and the effect it has
on the world and our more local communities. The reflection
explores how AIDS is tied into other social, economic, political,
and even religious problems and struggles. More than 39 million
people around the world are living with HIV – slightly
more than the population of Poland. Nearly two-thirds of them
live in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the dramatic rise in cases
among women is particularly evident. More than 25 million
people have died from AIDS since 1981. If no improvements
are made, reports suggest that the number of new infections
could be as high as 45 million by 2010. This reflection engages
participants in reading a few key articles (easily web-accessible)
and considering some of the ramifications and applications
within their own context, projects, and actions.
Arthur
Miller’s “An Enemy of the People” Reflection
on Democracy:
This reflection looks critically at
democracy through the eyes of Henrik Ibsen’s play “An
Enemy of the People” as retold by Arthur Miller (author
of “Death of a Salesman” and “The Crucible”).
It attempts to apply the questions raised by this play to
America and contemporary and historical situations. This reflection
is not a condemnation of democracy or a support for alternative
government styles. It is a criticism, and as such should inspire
us to think about things that citizens often take for granted.
The reflection includes some analytical questions that engage
participants in analyzing elements from the play and applying
these concepts to their own contemporary situations and interpretations
about government.
Coretta
Scott King: Reflections on Her Life
This reflection engages participants
in considering the life of Coretta Scott King through her
work and through the words expressed by fellow Americans at
the news of her death. This exercise provides a unique opportunity
to not only celebrate Black History but also to discuss the
ideals of Mrs. King and American progress towards justice
and liberty. The reflection draws on King’s biography
as well as quotes from a variety of individuals made in celebrating
her life, and offers provocative questions for discussion.
Federal
Budget Analysis Exercise
This exercise is intended to look at
the discretionary federal budget, which makes up 1/3 of total
federal spending. This will provide a chance to compare what
we think it is important for the government to focus on vs.
what the government actually does. It includes a great interactive
activity where students create a federal budget and then compare
theirs to the real one.
Grapes
of Wrath and the Living Wage
This reflection looks through the eyes
of one of America’s literary giants, John Steinbeck,
at the contemporary debate surrounding the ‘living wage’.
Using quotes from The Grapes of Wrath, the activity engages
students in examining Steinbeck’s social theory and
criticism to see if it is relevant for today’s America.
It raises prevalent social and economic issues in a way that
also connects them with the historical legacy of immigrants
and workers.
Kurt
Vonnegut’s Reflections on Poverty
This reflection uses excerpts from
Kurt Vonnegut’s classic novel Slaughterhouse Five to
understand and contemplate the notion of the American Dream
and meritocracy and to raise questions about who in society
has not benefited from the distribution of wealth and opportunity.
It engages students in asking about the treatment and livelihoods
of poor people within society, the struggles they face, and
what can be done about poverty.
Liberty
and Dr. Martin Luther King
This activity engages students in reading
and analyzing some of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King
given in his 1964 acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. In
these, Dr. King discusses the social problems that threaten
American ideals of freedom, liberty, and democracy. This is
an excellent way to involve students in deeper discussion
of the link between ideals and reality and in a broader understanding
of civic engagement.
Rosa
Parks and Her Life
This exercise engages students in examining
the life and story of Rosa Parks to understand how it has
been presented throughout history and how that presentation
has shaped our view of the Civil Rights Movement. It is important
to understand how this shapes our view of service and greatness
in general and then what our view of figures like Rosa Parks
(as an example) does to the way we approach service in our
own lives.
The
Life of Pi and Night
The following reflections engage students
in reading and thinking critically about the Life of Pi by
Pi Patel and Night by Elie Wiesel. It raises questions about
faith and religion and the roles that these beliefs systems
can and have played both for constructive and destructive
impulses and events. It engages students in grappling with
their own deepest beliefs and moral values.
Victor
Hugo’s Perspective on America Thought Exercise
This reflection integrates the writing
of Victor Hugo, whose work includes Les Miserables, to provoke
reflection about the sometimes controversial decisions of
the American government about protecting the rights of people
in the United States and protecting the country from potential
dangers. It asks students to consider the implications of
decisions made in times of war or ‘high terror alert”
in contrast to the ideas of one priest and his approach to
treating neighbors in Les Miserables. This reflection addresses
some of the deeper issues about themes like security, national
and global citizenship, and the tradeoffs that individuals
and governments face.
Additional reflection resources can be found from http://civicreflection.org/ |
