Advancement · School Operations

Reflection forms
that start a conversation

A reflection form helps when it asks what happened, who was affected and how to make it right, in words a student can read in one breath. Build a form for a conflict, a broken rule, missed work or a goal, choose how each question is answered, and write how the adult opens the talk. The tool flags “why did you” questions, blaming words and forms too long for the age, and prints the form and a guide for the adult.

Add a formWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the School operations toolkit, $49 for 60 items.

Reflection forms

The worked example is made up: a middle school form after a conflict, a high school missed-work form full of “why” questions and an early grades goal form. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Advancement · School Operations$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per reflection form: its name, situation, grades, who uses it and the minutes allowed; a row per question with how students answer; the adult’s opening, what happens next and six practice checks; the number and length of questions and which restorative parts are present; a printed student form sized for the age and an adult conversation guide.
Who it is for
Deans of students, assistant principals, counselors, teachers and school teams that use reflection instead of, or alongside, consequences.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per form. Prints the student form, an adult conversation guide, the record, every form in a table or a blank worksheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the School operations toolkit ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The School Operations space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Name the situation and the grades.
  2. Add questions and how they are answered.
  3. Write how the adult opens the talk.
  4. Fix the flags.
  5. Print the form and the guide.

Add a form

Why the wording matters

The questions behind a restorative conversation1What happened?The student’s own accountfirst2What were you thinking?At the time, and since3Who was affected?And in what way4How to make it right?One small, specific step5What do you need?Support from adults to do it6Then talkAn adult reads it with thestudentThe questions behind a restorative conversation1What happened?The student’s own account first2What were you thinking?At the time, and since3Who was affected?And in what way4How to make it right?One small, specific step5What do you need?Support from adults to do it6Then talkAn adult reads it with the student
These prompts follow the widely used restorative questions; asking what happened before why keeps students talking instead of defending.

Ask what, not why

“Why did you do that?” asks a student to defend themselves, and the honest answer is often “I don’t know”. Restorative practice starts with what happened and what the student was thinking, then turns to who was affected and what would make things right. Those questions keep a student talking, and they point toward repair rather than blame.

Fit the form to the child

Younger students need fewer, shorter questions, bigger print and the choice to draw or tell an adult. Older students can write more, but a long form handed over in the heat of the moment produces short, angry answers. Give the form once the student is calm, in a private place, and always follow it with a conversation; a form that is only filed teaches nothing.

Sources

  1. International Institute for Restorative Practices. Restorative questions and the restorative practices continuum (iirp.edu).
  2. Costello, B., Wachtel, J., and Wachtel, T. (2009). The Restorative Practices Handbook for Teachers, Disciplinarians and Administrators. International Institute for Restorative Practices.
  3. Augustine, C. H., and others (2018). Can Restorative Practices Improve School Climate and Curb Suspensions? An evaluation in a mid-sized urban school district. RAND Corporation (rand.org).
  4. U.S. Department of Education. Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline (2014; ed.gov).

The worked example is made up. A reflection form is one part of a school’s discipline and support practice, not a replacement for it; follow your school’s policies and any student’s support plan. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.