Tutorial: Reflecting on Your Goals

Read this short tutorial on the importance and practicalities of reflecting on your learning progress.

What is reflection?

  • A process in which learners monitor and regulate their own learning progress independently. By reflecting on how you have implemented the skills that you have learned in this course, not only will you further develop those skills, but you will learn to evaluate how effective they are for you. In so doing, you will avoid continuing with habits that don't work for you by implementing better ones.  

Why reflect?

  • You will learn about your individual learning styles and individual values as a student and will be more able to tailor your goals and strategies to your needs and skills.
  • It will help you work against the uncritical use of ineffective learning strategies.
  • You will develop your problem-solving skills as you generate solutions to any challenges you have faced.
  • You will be more productive as you streamline your learning.
  • You are learning the key skill of critical thinking, which you will use frequently during your time at university.

How does this look? 

Ideally, throughout your week (or at the end of the week), you will review how your timetable, goals, notetaking, and revision are working for you. If you have set measurable goals, you can start your reflection by asking if you have successfully completed these goals. If the answer is yes, then ask yourself why you managed them: 

  • Which factors facilitated your completion of the goals?
  • Which environments were most conducive to your success (for example library or home)?
  • Could you implement what helped you in one goal to complete another future goal?

If the answer is no, then ask yourself:

  • How were you stopped from reaching your goal?
  • How will you avoid making the same mistakes in the week to come?
  • Which resources can you get a hold of to help you improve your timetable, goals, and revision?
  • Is there anyone that you could ask for some advice? 

Key Questions to Ask

  1. What have I achieved this week and how?
  2. What were the factors that helped me to be successful?
  3. What are my strengths as an individual that helped me meet my goals?
  4. What didn't work so well for me that I can change easily for next week?

Next Steps

Have a look at the reflection grid included in this section; use this example alongside the blank template when you come to reflect on how well the skills you have learned in this course are working for you in real-life practice. Remember that the key to reflection is in honestly identifying what is working for you; what is not working for you; what you can do to maximise your success; and then implementing those changes. 



Last modified: Sunday, 9 August 2020, 1:47 PM