Exercise: Year-End Reflection

We always ask our drama students to reflect on their experiences, and for good reason. Reflecting helps students gain a deeper understanding of the lessons taught, skills learned, and experiences practiced in the drama classroom. Students can consider what they’ve learned and how they can use those skills in the future. The end of the year (or semester, or term) is a natural time for students to reflect on their theatrical process – what they’ve learned, what resonated with them, what they liked or disliked, what surprised them. These reflections can also benefit you. Your students’ thoughts and opinions can give you insight and help you shape your lessons and classes in the future.

The following questions can be used together as a long written reflection assignment, or used individually as exit slip questions. Feel free to include or omit questions as appropriate. Alternatively, challenge students to record themselves on their smartphones responding to these reflection questions verbally, and submit them electronically.

• Why did you decide to take drama? 
• What expectations did you have coming into the class? 
• Did your experience live up to your expectations? Why or why not? 
• What skills, topics, or lessons were you hoping to learn (or learn more about) in drama class? Were they covered to your satisfaction? 
• What skills, topics, or lessons would you have liked to study, that weren’t covered in drama class?
• What unit did you enjoy the most? Why?
• What unit did you enjoy the least? Why?
• What unit was the easiest? Why?
• What unit was the most challenging? Why?
• What was an ah-ha or lightbulb moment for you? (In other words, what was a moment that strongly resonated with you or stuck with you?)
• What was a moment in drama class that you’d like to do over, if given the chance?
• Describe a moment in drama class when you felt proud of yourself.
• Who was your favourite scene partner? Why?
• My most memorable moment in drama class was __________.
  I’ll never forget it because __________.
• What is one thing you know now that you didn’t know before taking drama class?
• What was a lesson you learned in drama class that could be applied to the real world?
• Will you take another drama class in the future? Why or why not?
• What advice would you give to a future drama student after having taken this class?

For more thoughts on reflections, check out the following articles:

• Coming to the End: Reflecting on Your Process
• Reflection: Looking Back and Looking Forward
• A Classroom Skills Reflection for Drama Teachers