The Didion and Thomas pieces serve as wonderful models from which you may imitate your reflective essay. The focus for this assignment, however, is developing skills to meet your goals to achieve a desired lifestyle. Throughout your life, culture has subjected you to an expectation of creating a lifestyle worthy of living. Education (developed and exercised skills) seems a corner stone in this process. This assignment gives you the opportunity to reflect on the influence of education on that process . . . its impact . . . its legitimacy . . . its fairness. Review the notes below that specifically focus on reflective/reflexive criteria. These notes will guide your content and thinking about this assignment.

Reflective/Reflexive:

Student is aware of his/her own thinking

Advanced -- Explains in exemplary detail the sequence of thought he or she used when facing a task or problem. Provides a detailed analysis of how an awareness of his or her thinking has enhanced performance.

Proficient -- Explains in detail the sequence of thought he or she used when facing a task or problem. Provides a detailed analysis of how an awareness of his or her thinking has enhanced performance.

Developing -- Writer is somewhat aware of his or her own thinking: provides a vague or incomplete description of how one might think through a task or problem. Provides only a few ideas about how the new information could influence his or her performance.

Struggling -- Student has an emerging awareness of his/her own thinking: provides confusing, little, or no report of the thinking one might use to solve a problem or complete a task; falters in his or her explanation of how the new information will influence their practice.

Student is able to analyze differing perspectives

Advanced -- Explains the reasoning with exemplar depth of thought the differing points of view and considers and discusses alternative views rationally and impartially. Student thinks flexibly and objectively.

Proficient -- Identifies and articulates issues that are not points of disagreement as important issues of disagreement. Shows unexplained bias in discussion of alternative views.

Developing -- Defends his or her dominant and privileged beliefs, expectations, and values without sufficiently considering alternative points of view. Ignores explicit and implicit points of disagreement.

Struggling - Neglects todefend dominant and privileged beliefs, expectations, and values without sufficiently considering alternative points of view. Ignores explicit and implicit points of disagreement.

Student is able to construct support

Advanced --Determines when it is appropriate to take a position on an issue and is able to justify the position by providing "careful and reasoned qualifications or restrictions" for his or her position.

Proficient -- Recognizes obvious position on an issue and justifies the position by providing "reasoned qualifications or restrictions" for the position.

Developing -- Takes a strong position on an issue that does not necessarily warrant defense; articulates a position but doesn't present a clear line of reasoning behind it.

Struggling - Identifies and defends information that does not require support. Fails to identify a claim that should have support.

Student interprets information

Advanced -- Interprets information in accurate and highly insightful ways. Cites readings and prior experiences and explains how these references extend and refine insights.

Proficient - Interprets information in accurate ways. Cites readings and prior experiences and makes connections to these references.

Developing -- Inconsistent or incomplete explanations of how the information will affect their own practice and the practice of other professionals.

Struggling - Reflections are descriptive: a reiteration of what happened or was read. Serious misinterpretations or not interpretation of the information is evident. Reflection is shallow and egocentric.

Student synthesizes information

Advanced -- Clearly identifies and clarifies with situational examples the social, political, and/or professional implications of the information and insights.

Proficient - Identifies and explains the social, political, and/or professional implications of the information and insights.

Developing -- Inconsistent or incomplete explanations of how the information will affect their own practice and the practice of other professionals.

Struggling - Explanations of how the information will affect their practice and the practice of other professionals is not addressed.