Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to Be Reflective and Effective Learners

Reflection is a natural and necessary part of learning, but it's too often overlooked in classroom instruction. No more! Welcome to the Reflection Era!

In this practical book, veteran educators Lynne Dorfman, Catherine Gehman, Pérsida Himmele, and Aileen Hower explore reflection's potential as a truly transformational classroom practice: a powerful, no-cost way to increase student engagement, deepen understanding, build agency, and boost achievement. Writing for teachers and teacher leaders across grade levels and subject areas, the authors draw on research and their own experience to provide

• • Targeted advice for using reflection as a magnifying glass, a mirror, and a map;
  • More than a dozen ready-to-use protocols to help you integrate reflective practices into everyday instruction;
  • Relatable classroom snapshots of reflection in action; and
  • Considerations for multilingual learners, who benefit greatly from using reflection to process information and articulate their thoughts in a new language.

The embedded and chapter-specific individual and group reflection prompts make Now That I Think About It a perfect choice for a school- or district-based book study and let you experience firsthand how reflection enhances understanding. With artificial intelligence transforming the education experience, it's more important than ever to empower students to be meaning makers, metacognitive learners, and metastrategic thinkers. Reflection is the way. Get started here.

Lynne Dorfman, EdD, has 38 years of experience in Upper Moreland Township School District as a classroom teacher, K-5 gifted education teacher, writing coach, literacy coach, reading specialist, and staff developer. She is an adjunct professor for Arcadia University, an independent literacy consultant, and an advisory board member for West Chester Writing Project. Lynne is an active presenter and the coauthor of 10 books, including Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to Be Reflective and Effective Learners; Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6; Welcome to Writing Workshop; and Welcome to Reading Workshop.

Catherine Gehman, MEd, has devoted more than 25 years to classroom teaching, serving primary, intermediate, and middle grade students in New York, Iowa, and Pennsylvania, including English learners and students with disabilities. A coauthor of Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to Be Reflective and Effective Learners, she is a National Writing Project fellow and brings the project's emphasis on writer identity, reflection, and authentic voice into her 4th grade English language arts classroom. She leads professional development in her district and presents locally and at state and national levels, sharing research-informed, ready-to-use strategies that help students understand their thinking, reflect with intention, and grow as learners.

Pérsida Himmele, PhD, is a professor of teacher education at Millersville University, where she has taught for more than 20 years. She has 10 years of public school experience as an elementary and middle school bilingual and multilingual classroom teacher in New York and California and as a district administrator in Pennsylvania. Pérsida's latest coauthored book is Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to Be Reflective and Effective Learners; she and her husband, William Himmele, have collaborated to write several ASCD books and resources, including the bestseller Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner. She can be reached via her website at totalparticipation-techniques.com.

Aileen Hower, EdD, is an associate professor of literacy education at Millersville University, where she serves as the coordinator for the Language and Literacy Masters graduate program and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses. She has 16 years of teaching and administrative experience as a reading specialist and high school English teacher and an additional six years as a PK-12 literacy supervisor. Aileen is a coauthor of the ASCD Quick Reference Guide Centering ELLs in the Science of Reading and the book Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to Be Reflective and Effective Learners and has written various articles focusing on language and literacy. She can be reached via her faculty page on the Millersville University website.