How to Lead Reflection During a Faculty Led Study Abroad Trip
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The Power of Reflection in Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs
Studying abroad can be life-changing for students, and faculty-led programs make it possible. Reflection is a key part of the learning process, helping students grow from their experiences.
This article provides simple, effective strategies for leading meaningful reflections during your program. Let’s explore how to make the most of this powerful tool!
Why Reflection Matters in Study Abroad Programs
Reflection plays a crucial role in faculty-led study abroad programs, acting as a bridge between experience and learning. In experiential education, reflection helps students process what they’ve seen, felt, and done, turning moments into meaningful lessons. Without it, the full potential of their journey may go untapped.
Benefits of Reflection:
Cultural Immersion: helps students navigate new environments and understand different perspectives.
Academic Connection: links classroom theory to real-world practice, making concepts more relevant.
Personal Growth: encourages students to think critically about their values, assumptions, and goals.
Group Bonding: by sharing their thoughts and feelings students will draw closer and support each other
Risks of Skipping Reflection:
Missed learning opportunities: traveling abroad can be an overwhelming experience. Reflections help students organize and process what they experience.
Fragmented experiences: students might not realize the value of visiting a botanical garden on a history program. It’s up to faculty to help them stop and smell the flowers - and perhaps the history of horticulture as it relates to colonialism and world trade.
Potential inaccurate conclusions (e.g., viewing cultural practices as “strange” instead of meaningful): people are usually biased toward cultures different from their own. Reflections helps dispel misconceptions.
In short, reflection isn’t just an add-on—it’s an essential element of any successful FLP. It ensures students don’t just “see” the world but truly engage with it, gaining insights that last long after the program ends.
6 Key Principles for Leading Effective Reflections
Guiding reflections during faculty-led study abroad programs requires a few key principles:
Create a Safe Space:
To build trust and openness for honest discussions and ensure students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts find a location that is casual and private. A hotel restaurant between meal times usually works well, as does a park on a warm day.
Verbalize the intention to create a safe space. Ask students to open their minds and not judge each other’s questions, but rather aim to understand and help each other.
Be caution inviting local residents or others who are not part of the course into the reflection, at least initially. Everyone should start on even footing to promote balanced conversation.
Be Intentional:
Link reflections to the program’s goals and learning objectives. Remind students of the learning objectives frequently during the program and write them out during reflection times. Ask students to specifically address the learning outcomes the context of their experience for that day.
Highlight specific issues, concerns, or activities and ask students to comment on specific aspects of those activities. A faculty leader must lead not just the travel component but also the reflection. Share your own thoughts and ask students if they agree or disagree. Encourage disagreement!
Encourage Active Participation:
Ask open-ended questions. Don’t ask yes or no questions and don’t “lead the witness” by suggesting the responses. You will be surprised to learn that students interpreted a situation very differently than you did or others in the group.
Invite all students to contribute, not just a few. You may need to call on students who do not willingly participate or ask some students to respond to comments made by their peers.
Balance Structure with Flexibility:
Have a list of questions but leave room for spontaneous discussions. If the conversation is moving and students are engaged, its better to continue than to cut it short and change topic or ask a new question. Try to connect the next question with the topic that students are engaged with.
Allow students to process and share experiences in their own way.
By following these principles, you’ll help students get the most out of their study abroad experience.
Strategies for Meaningful Reflections
Here are some practical strategies to make reflections engaging and impactful:
Use Guided Questions:
Ask open-ended questions to spark deeper thinking. Sometimes a follow up “why?” really gets the gears moving. For example:
What surprised you most about today’s experience? Why?
How did this activity challenge your assumptions?
What connections can you make between this experience and your own culture?
What is making you uncomfortable here? Why?
Connect to Academics:
Help students link their experiences to coursework. Ask:
How does what you saw today relate to what we studied in class?
What theories or concepts that we learned about apply to this situation?
Incorporate Different Formats:
Mix up reflection styles to keep students engaged. Try:
Group discussions for sharing ideas. Have students break up into small conversation groups and then bring them back together to share their conclusions.
Journaling for personal reflection followed by sharing selections from student entries.
Creative activities like poetry, drawing, storytelling, or even roleplay.
Leverage Technology:
Whatsapp groups are an easy way to communicate with the whole group and the text (and emoji) format is familiar to students. Prime reflection in the afternoon by asking an engaging question in the morning.
Reflection through Social Media is second nature to students and helps to document the journey. Create a channel or handle just for your program and curate a selection of the most meaningful content. This can be shared with groups in future years!
Ask students to make a photo journal or a video project to capture their experience individually or in groups.
Overcoming Common Reflection Challenges
Leading reflections during study abroad programs can come with challenges, but there are solutions for each:
Time Constraints:
Set aside dedicated time each day, even if it’s just 15 minutes before dinner or after breakfast. On the bus between destinations also works well.
Keep reflections focused and purposeful. Once you address the topic of the day, finish the reflection, respecting any set time limit.
Student Disengagement:
Encourage involvement with open-ended questions or ask students to themselves ask their peers questions.
Use small groups or creative activities like drawing or role-playing to stimulate discussion.
Pick a different student leader each time and allow them to ask questions or determine the theme
Cultural Barriers:
Frame reflections with cultural context. After all, culture is always going to be a novelty on a study abroad program. All learning will occur in the context of the foreign culture.
Ask local partners to participate to shed light on unique cultural elements or differences.
By tackling these challenges head-on, you can create meaningful reflection moments that enhance the study abroad experience for everyone.
Learn from Travel guides often support and facilitate reflections along with faculty leaders. Our guides are native to the destinations or fluent in the local culture, making them the perfect conduits for culturally-immersive learning during reflections. Our goal is to ensure your program is not just a trip, but a transformative experience.
Reflection is key to making study abroad programs meaningful. It helps students process experiences, grow personally, and connect learning to real life. Use the strategies shared here—like guided questions, creative formats, and overcoming challenges—to lead effective reflections.
What’s your favorite reflection technique? Share your ideas and make your faculty-led study abroad programs even more impactful!
