Reflection in Action: Cognition Development and Language Acquisition

Woven into your program are several themes and topics meant to enhance your learning experience and support your development as a professional who is capable of acting as a leader, thinker, visionary, and advocate.

In each course, there will be one reflection-in-action journal assignment that is designed to provide opportunities for you to reflect upon and assess your professional knowledge and skills. It is appropriate to write your journal entries in first person. See the Differences Between First and Third PersonLinks to an external site. for assistance.

The journal prompts have two parts. You will reflect upon and discuss each of the reflective questions in Part 1 and Part 2 outlined below.The following content areas are required for this assignment:

• Part 1: Course/Program Reflection 
  • How does having a solid understanding of the theoretical frameworks related to cognitive and language development in children from birth to age three connect to what you have learned in other courses in this program?
• Part 2: Career/Personal Reflection
  • How has your view of cognitive and language development frameworks, influences and referral, and intervention strategies for students with exceptionalities changed?
  • How will you advocate for the language and cognitive development needs of diverse learners based on the content acquired in this course?
  • In what way will you use the information in this class to help you create referral and intervention strategies for students with exceptionalities related to language and cognitive development, including family involvement?

  Journal Options:

• Written reflection journal
• Create a VokiLinks to an external site.. If you need help creating your Voki, use the Voki Getting Started GuideLinks to an external site..

Suggested Journal Length:

• One to two double-spaced pages (not including title and reference pages).

Integrative and Critical Thinking Expectations (demonstrated within the content of the journal):

• Connections to Experience: Meaningfully synthesizes connections among experiences both within and outside of coursework to deepen understanding of fields of study and to broaden own points of view.
• Reflection and Self-Assessment: Envisions a future self (and possibly makes plans that build on past experiences) that have occurred across multiple and diverse contexts.

Research and Resource Expectations:

• Sources are not required for your journal assignments. However, if you need to cite information, you must cite in APA format and include a reference page. Please see the In-Text Citation Helper: A Guide to Making APA In-Text CitationsLinks to an external site. and the APA References ListLinks to an external site..

Writing and Formatting Expectations:

• Professional Reflective Voice: Journals may be written in a less formal but still professional voice (avoids casual language). First-person voice is encouraged. See the Differences Between First and Third PersonLinks to an external site. for assistance.
• Organization: Demonstrates logical progression of ideas.
• Syntax and Mechanics: Writing displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• APA Formatting: Papers are formatted properly, and all sources (if used) are cited and referenced in APA style as outlined in the Writing CenterLinks to an external site..