The Reflection Process

Student reflections are the sole basis for the 5th Criterion, Engagement. These reflections are written at different points of the year after holding formal sessions with the mentor.  The I.B. has prepared a very useful GUIDE to regarding these reflection sessions. I’ll be summarizing from that guide in this module.

All three reflections are written solely by the student after holding a Reflection Session with the mentor. The reflections are submitted to Managebac’s Planning and Progress section. (See image to left). All three written reflections must not exceed a combined word count of 500. Students who aren’t completing their reflections in a timely fashion receive counselling from the Extended Essay Coordinator.

Reflection is the process by which students recapture their experience and think about its impact on them as learners. This includes how they envisage applying what they have learned to other circumstances, including future studies, career, or life in general. To assist students with this, there are three mandatory, formal reflection sessions with the supervisor.

The reflection sessions also give students the opportunity to:
• reflect on their engagement with the research process
• consider the effectiveness of their choices
• re-examine their ideas and decide whether changes are needed.

The final reflection session is the viva voce, a short interview (10–15 minutes) between the student
and the supervisor. The viva voce serves to check academic integrity, reflect on successes and
difficulties, and think about what has been learned.

Reflective thinking is recorded as a 500-word reflective statement.

Mandatory Student Reflection Space in Managebac

Mandatory Student Reflection Space in Managebac

The student writes the statement at the end of the extended essay process and includes it on the Reflection and progress form (RPF). The form also notes the student’s attendance at each reflection session.

Reflection #1: Generally held during the first month.

This session, which runs for about 20-30 minutes allows the mentor and the student to discuss initial explorations. It is recommended that the student provides their research proposal ahead of the meeting in order to give the supervisor the opportunity to review their work. This will ensure that the reflection session is focused and productive. Managebac’s Reflection Space is the ideal place for the student to share that information.

Topics of discussion that should arise during this session include:

  • a review of the requirements and assessment criteria for the subject
  • a review of ethical and legal implications, if applicable
  • a dialogue about possible approaches and potential problems that might arise
  • a discussion of strategies for developing the student’s ideas for the essay and expanding the research so that the essay starts to take form
  • probing and challenging questions that will help students focus their thinking; this should lead to the development of the student’s working research question
  • an outline of the next steps that the student should undertake in order to refine their question; this should take the form of a research and writing timeline.

Reflection #2: Generally held after major research and some writing has been done. This reflection session might be held as early as May/June or as late as early September.

This session is a continuation of the dialogue between supervisor and student in which the student must demonstrate the progress they have made in their research. They must also be able to discuss any challenges they have encountered, offer their own potential solutions and seek advice as necessary.

During this session the supervisor might discuss:

  • a completed piece of sustained writing from the student in order to ensure that they understand the academic writing requirements, including referencing formats
  • whether an appropriate range of sources has been accessed and how the student is critically evaluating the origin of those sources
  • what the student now has to do in order to produce the full draft of their essay, and ways and means of breaking down the task into manageable steps.

By the end of the interim reflection session both student and supervisor should feel satisfied that there is:

  • a clear and refined research question
  • a viable argument on which to base the essay
  • a sufficient range of appropriate sources
  • a clear vision for the final steps in the writing process.

Reflection #3: Known as the Viva Voce, this interview takes place after the assessment of the Final Submission. It likely takes place in January or February. Students are mandated to submit this final reflection to Managebac within 24-48 hours of the interview.

The viva voce is a short interview between the student and the supervisor, and is the mandatory conclusion to the extended essay process. Students who do not attend the viva voce will be disadvantaged under criterion E (engagement) as the Reflections on planning and progress form will be incomplete. At this point in the process no further changes can be made to the essay. The viva voce is a celebration of the completion of the essay and a reflection on what the student has learned from the process.

The viva voce is:

  • an opportunity to ask the student a variety of open-ended questions to elicit holistic evidence of the student’s learning experience.
  • an opportunity for the supervisor to confirm the authenticity of the student’s ideas and sources
  • an opportunity to reflect on successes and difficulties encountered in the research process