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Imtcr Reversereflection

This activity guides participants through a visualization and writing exercise called "reverse reflection" to gain insight into experiences they felt misunderstood or unappreciated. Participants visualize a past experience in detail, writing a brief description. They then write preceding events in reverse order to trace back underlying factors. Reading their account bottom-up relives the experience's context. Partners then discuss to identify assumptions and consider experiences from multiple perspectives. The goal is to promote open-mindedness and sensitivity to others by investigating experiences more deeply.

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47 views

Imtcr Reversereflection

This activity guides participants through a visualization and writing exercise called "reverse reflection" to gain insight into experiences they felt misunderstood or unappreciated. Participants visualize a past experience in detail, writing a brief description. They then write preceding events in reverse order to trace back underlying factors. Reading their account bottom-up relives the experience's context. Partners then discuss to identify assumptions and consider experiences from multiple perspectives. The goal is to promote open-mindedness and sensitivity to others by investigating experiences more deeply.

Uploaded by

api-283935863
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reverse Reflection

Trace back difficult experiences to reveal underlying issues and instill sensitivity towards
making quick, generalizing assumptions about others.
1. The instructor asks participants to consider a distinct experience in which
they felt misunderstood or unappreciated.
2. Participants close their eyes and relive the experience, based on cues from
the instructor.
a. For example, the instructor can ask participants to imagine:
i. What types of feelings they associate with the experience
1. Did they feel overwhelmed? Lonely? Excited?
ii. What types of images they associate with the experience
1. Where were they? What was the weather like? Where
they alone or in a crowd?
iii. What sounds they associate with the experience
1. Was the environment busy or loud? Were there several
others talking, or was there silence?
b. The purpose of this portion of the activity is to create a sharp image of
the experience that encompasses all of the senses.
3. Individuals are given a blank piece of paper and a writing utensil. At the top
of the paper, they write one or two sentences to describe their experience.
4. Participants are then instructed to replay the experience, tracing back
circumstances that led to the experience they wrote at the top of the paper.
Individuals describe these circumstances, or reverse reflection statements,
in reverse order underneath the experience they previously recorded.
a. Instructors should encourage participants to be as detailed as possible,
tracing the experience back as far as possible.
b. For example, the individual could write the following statement to
describe their experience:
i. After my first boyfriend and I broke up, he called and told me I
had changed and didnt have the same priorities.
ii. The reverse reflection statements could be:
1. Right after he told me I had changed, my whole body
grew hot. I felt like everyone was watching me and
telling me I wasnt a good person anymore. One of my
friends walked in and asked me if I was OK. She said I
was acting strange. I got really upset and walked away.
2. I answered the call, even though I didnt want to talk to
him.
3. I was trying to study in the library but I couldnt
concentrate. I looked at my phone and saw his name
pop up, and immediately felt anxious.
4. The guys I sat with were actually nice to me. I
remember feeling both nervous and excited, it was good
to branch out of my typical friend group.

5. When I got to the library, I saw a group of guys I knew


from a previous class. I hardly knew them, but after my
boyfriend and I broke up, I told myself I wanted to be
more outgoing. I asked if I could sit with them, even
though I felt like I wasnt cool enough.
6. I was supposed to go to the library with friends, but
they ended up being busy, so I had to go alone.
7. I woke up late that morning, since I had trouble falling
asleep. It was really cold outside and I wanted to stay
inside.
5. After reverse reflecting for several minutes, participants read their paper from
the bottom up, thus reliving the circumstances that led to the experience they
initially described.
6. Individuals form partners or small groups and share their reverse reflections
with one-another. Group members are encouraged to point out assumptions
that could potentially impact the interpretations of each others experiences.
a. For example, it may be tempting to assume the individual didnt want
to talk about the breakup, since she walked away from her friend.
However, the assertion that she had changed was likely to trigger
feelings of fear after the phone conversation. Furthermore, the fact
that she spent her time in the library with a group that she didnt feel
cool enough to sit with most likely highlighted her fears of
changing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Before writing their experiences, the instructor encourages participants to use
visualization techniques, engaging all of the senses to relive the experience. Such
techniques promote wellness and open-mindedness (Goff & Torrance, 1991). Guided
reflection provides appropriate scaffolding for participants to engage in critical reflection,
resisting the temptation to reach pre-mature conclusions (Ash & Clayton, 2009).
Thinking in reverse requires individuals to remain open-minded, considering multiple
factors that impact the interpretation of experiences. This activity requires lateral
thinking, since individuals brainstorm multiple associations with a single problem and
create various solutions (deBono, 1970). Collaborative discussion encourages individuals
to consider experiences from multiple viewpoints. Furthermore, investigating the
underlying explanations of experiences promotes sensitivity towards making quick
generalizations about others.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This strategy is inspired by Digging Deeper, a metaphor used in the Incubation
Model of Teaching to refer to the information processing strategies that allow individuals
to think beneath the surface, investigating the hidden or unseen. Torrance and Safter
(1990) asserted this type of thinking requires learners to encounter difficulties, integrate
diverse kinds of information, and elaborate on their experiences and feelings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ash, S. L., & Clayton, P. H. (2009). Learning through critical reflection: A tutorial for
service-learning students. Raleigh, NC.

deBono, E. (1970). Lateral thinking: Creativity step by step. England: Penguin Group.
Goff, K., & Torrance, E. P. (1991). Healing qualities of imagery and creativity. Journal of
Creative Behavior, 25(4), 296-303.
Torrance, E. P and Safter, T. (1990). The incubation model of teaching: Getting beyond the aha.
Buffalo, NY: Bearly Limited.

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