| Reflexive statements |
The topic of reflection |
Interpretation |
| “I remembered how much music can inspire and cheer me up. I even went to a concert and enjoyed music quite differently”“I could not listen to that music, it was too heavy for me, even depressing” |
Reflection on the results of activity |
The students were given an assignment to listen to the Rachmaninov's second concert, to read the historical background of the concert, and to reflect on their impressions. This is a variant of the task for simple reflection -- a reflection of an action. In this reflexive text, we see how the student renews his attitude to the world based on his past experience: “I remembered”, “I enjoyed”.It is important to understand what happens to the attitude of the student to the world. If the task does not "fall" into the reflexive field (that is, into the outward past), the student does not manage to use the time of performing this task as a basis for the educational event. Negative variants of reflection are more likely evidence of a negative attitude, rather than a reflection of an educational event. In this regard, it could be assumed that the tasks related to actions require alternatives, there must be several variants of assignments. Online educational platforms are limited in this direction. Alternative tasks significantly impede the automation of control of the task performance. |
| “The lectures of the course made me think about those things that were not previously in the focus of my thoughts”“In general, I thought about how a lying speech could spoil life. It was a long time ago. The study of this topic confirmed my thoughts, made this issue relevant again and even pleased me” |
Reflection on the course environment:Course as a source of discovery and thinkingCourse as a source of change |
A major part the course consists of the video-lectures. It is important to understand the specifics of these lectures, and how they differ from other types of video materials. Reflexive reports show that the essential points of any MOOC video-lectures are their specific exactness, focusing, and customization. Negative reflection, in this case, is more informative than positive. In cases where focusing is not possible, lectures make it difficult to stay in the course and frustrates students. Perhaps the structure of the course should have some rehabilitation practices, which would direct students to those assignments and texts that would help them to establish or restore the correct focus. Students with a rich educational experience (undergraduates, postgraduates) say that they ‘get’ the content not from the first listening, but from the second or third. At the same time, their past experience gradually ‘rises’, and then the meanings of the lectures become clear. |
| “I seriously considered meanings of words; the reaction of others to my ‘verbal gifts’ became unexpectedly pleasant for me”“The texts are not easy, they teach attentiveness and patience” |
Course as a source of events |
| “Unfortunately, I feel a sense of burden, because I do not understand the goals of this course. I feel as if I am wandering in the darkness” |
Reflection on the reasons for the course (in)effectiveness |
| “The structure of the course is not quite clear. Lots of questions arise from the very beginning: why this topic is being discussed; what the intentions of the authors are; what results I should expect from performing the tasks |
Expression of misunderstanding of the objectives of the course and its content / disagreement with them |
| “The information I gained in this course helped me to expand the boundaries of perception, to open one more facet” |
Expression of the usefulness of some elements of the course |
| “This is not what I expected from the course. It did not help me to move forward. Although some of the materials were interesting” |
Criticism |
| “I was interested in the topic of punishment. I have children, for me, it is very important. Thank you”“I realized that in many spheres of my life I live by coercion. I understood the reason for my misfortunes. Some tasks that were given in this course, I apply in my daily life now. For example, regarding music and an exercise to feel happy. When I accomplished the drawing assignment I realized that drawing calms me down and helps me to listen to my inner world.” |
Expression of the importance of the course content in relation to the life of a person |
The course is aimed at the formation of specific competencies for self-realization that is why an important aspect of mastering the course is the integration of the reflected experience and the application of the gained knowledge into life. This involves the emerging outward past, which was being created. Some topics or elements of the course that appear in the statements of the respondents are the main points of mastering the material and forming relevant competencies. This justifies “classical” tasks in the course, that is, tasks which repeat, reproduce classical practices, algorithms, means of self-realization. |
| “The task regarding the gift of words brought sincere joy to the person I gave the gift to”“[Completing the course assignments led] to positive reactions and feedback from my close people” |
Reflection on external events |
These statements relate to a creative activity consisting in “making a gift out of words". The course, which includes assignments that contain external (directed to the world) activity, acts as an initiator of external events, through which a correspondence is established between the received knowledge and its practical application and the formation of an emotionally-motivated attitude to the learning process. This could be defined as a trust-building process. That is why these activities should be given at the beginning of a course. |
