11 Conclusion

In writing this book, I have come to accept that while so much of the learning process is still being debated and detailed by academia, while terminology and frameworks are being created and destroyed by competing interpretations, I (like the average educator) just want to know what is best to have students work on— the best learning strategy. Until I chose the path that led to this research, I lived the truth that educators don’t have time to review the latest research from educational journals, but they also would like to think that what they try should work. If perhaps you just skipped the Theory section and jumped right in to Practice (and that’s fine), be assured that this is a research-backed book and trust that reflection can work for your students.

The Reflective Cycle is about the content and the process. It is both identifying the important ideas and investigating the strategies for successfully analyzing and understanding. It provides students opportunity to deepen thought, improve their learning process, and master ideas. It will aid students in asking the right questions when it comes time to learn independently, with or without digital learning, in your class or beyond.

If you have been paying attention, the start of this conclusion section had me return to a quote I used in chapter 5, as I found it to be the most inspiring one of them all. While perhaps not especially eloquent, I find it perfectly encapsulates my reality and my own reflective practice: nothing I do ever goes well initially, sometimes not even on the 100^th attempt; however, as I continue to reflect and refine, I recognize that what I do matters, and the skills and ideas I hope to encourage and instill in my students matter. And that is what I hope you take away from this book is: Reflection matters.