To reflect is to gain better understanding of oneself as an individual, and to also gain a better understanding of the world around them.
When we reflect on the things that we encounter and experience we gain a more in-depth understanding of why we do the things that we do and how that affects us on the whole. Through reflecting on how we learn we also gain a better understanding of what will help us learn things more effectively and what our interests are when it comes to what we learn, what we like to do etc. The more we know about our own styles of learning and understanding the more room we have to work in ways that benefit and add to our own intellectual thought(s).
It is important to have children and students reflect on their own work and assignments so that they can learn how to make connections between what they learn and what they already know or have experienced for themselves. When children/students have such an opportunity they can then see how what they learn in class can be applied outside of class, and how it affects them in ways that they may not have seen before until they had the chance to really think about it.
As a teacher I will always allow my students some time to reflect on the things that we have covered and discussed in class so that they have the chance to express themselves in written form and also have the chance to connect their world with what they have learned. :)
