Lesson wrappers are a type of learning activity that encourage student reflection at the start and end of lessons. They are typically brief, written exercises that help students to reflect on their prior knowledge of a topic before a lesson, and to consolidate their learning after a lesson.
At the start of a lesson, a lesson wrapper may ask students to recall what they already know about the topic, or to write down any questions they have about the topic that they hope the lesson will address. This helps to activate prior knowledge, focus students' attention on the topic at hand, and prepare them for the upcoming lesson.
At the end of a lesson, a lesson wrapper may ask students to summarize what they have learned, or to reflect on how they could apply what they have learned in a real-world context. This helps to consolidate learning, promote metacognition, and encourage students to think about how they can apply their new knowledge in their own lives.
Lesson wrappers can be a powerful tool for promoting self-regulated learning and improving metacognitive awareness. By regularly engaging in reflective activities before and after lessons, students can develop a deeper understanding of the material, improve their ability to regulate their own learning, and become more self-aware learners.
Student Reflection at the Start of Lessons
There are many benefits to using student-reflection exercises at the start of lessons, including:
Improved understanding of the material: By reflecting on what they have learned, students can develop a deeper understanding of the material and how it relates to their own lives.
Increased engagement: Reflection exercises can help to increase student engagement by encouraging students to take an active role in their own learning.
Greater self-awareness: By reflecting on their own learning processes, students can develop a greater sense of self-awareness and become more confident learners.
Better learning outcomes: Research has shown that reflection exercises can lead to better learning outcomes, including improved retention of information and higher test scores.
Additionally, reflection exercises at the start of lessons can help to:
Promote metacognition: Metacognition refers to the ability to think about one's own thinking. Reflection exercises can help students to become more aware of their own thought processes, including how they learn best, what strategies work for them, and how they can improve their own learning.
Foster independent learning: By encouraging students to reflect on their own learning processes, teachers can help to promote independent learning. When students understand how they learn best and what strategies work for them, they are better equipped to take charge of their own learning.
Develop self-regulated learning: Self-regulated learning refers to the ability to control and regulate one's own learning processes. By reflecting on their own learning, students can develop strategies for managing their own learning, such as setting goals, monitoring their progress, and adjusting their strategies as needed.
Student Reflection at the End of Lessons
The primary goal of student-reflection exercises at the end of lessons is to help students consolidate their learning and to encourage them to think more deeply and critically about what they have learned. By reflecting on what they have learned, how they have learned it, and what they can do to improve their learning in the future, students can develop a deeper understanding of the material and become more self-aware learners. Additionally, reflection exercises at the end of lessons can help to:
Reinforce learning: Reflection exercises can help to reinforce what students have learned during the lesson, which can improve retention of the material.
Identify areas of weakness: By reflecting on what they have learned, students can identify areas of weakness and focus on improving those areas in future lessons.
Develop self-regulated learning: By reflecting on their own learning, students can develop strategies for managing their own learning, such as setting goals, monitoring their progress, and adjusting their strategies as needed.
There are many benefits to using student-reflection exercises at the end of lessons, including:
Improved understanding of the material: By reflecting on what they have learned, students can develop a deeper understanding of the material and how it relates to their own lives.
Increased engagement: Reflection exercises can help to increase student engagement by encouraging students to take an active role in their own learning.
Greater self-awareness: By reflecting on their own learning processes, students can develop a greater sense of self-awareness and become more confident learners.
Better learning outcomes: Research has shown that reflection exercises can lead to better learning outcomes, including improved retention of information and higher test scores.
General Advice for Student Reflection Activities at the Start & End of Lessons
Student-reflection time can be a powerful tool in promoting metacognition, independent learning, and self-regulated learning in the classroom. Here are some tips for teachers to help maximise the effectiveness of this time:
Set clear expectations: Make it clear to students what the purpose of reflection time is and what you hope to achieve from it. This can help students take reflection time seriously and engage with it more effectively.
Provide guidance: Give students some guidance on what to reflect on, such as what they learned, how they learned it, and what they could have done differently. This can help students to focus their reflection and make it more productive.
Encourage honest reflection: Encourage students to be honest with themselves about what they struggled with and what they found easy. This can help them to identify areas for improvement and focus on their weaknesses.
Give feedback: Provide feedback on students' reflections to help them develop their metacognitive skills. This can also help you to better understand your students' learning processes and adapt your teaching accordingly.
Be consistent: Make reflection time a regular part of your lessons, so that students come to expect it and are more likely to engage with it.
Provide time: Ensure that students have enough time to reflect properly. If they feel rushed or pressured, they are less likely to engage with the process.
Make it interactive: Encourage students to discuss their reflections with their peers. This can help to deepen their understanding of the material and promote collaboration and teamwork.
Use different formats: Consider using different formats for reflection time, such as written reflection, group discussion, or digital tools. This can help to keep the process fresh and engaging for students.
Tie it to learning goals: Make sure that reflection time is tied to your learning goals for the lesson or unit. This can help students to see the value of the process and to understand how it contributes to their learning.
Model reflection: Finally, model reflection yourself. Share your own reflections with your students and show them how you use reflection to improve your own teaching practice. This can help to normalise reflection as a valuable part of the learning process.
We've created lesson wrappers that you can download and use today. Our printable lesson wrappers are ideal for making progress visible whilst our 'Virtual Lesson Wrapper' is a way of using the lesson wrapper technique without needing to print!
This download contains ten different lesson wrappers and is a comprehensive collection that will enhance learning in your classes!
This lesson wrapper is delivered via PowerPoint and features fifty metacognition and self-regulated learning activity slides; twenty-five that can be used at the start of lessons and twenty-five that can be used at the end of lessons.
