The craft behind Along’s reflection questions

At Along, we know that connection and community can start with something as small as a simple question. Our (growing!) library of over 200 reflection questions provides engaging opportunities to start conversations that lead to connections between teachers and students.

To build these reflection questions, we draw on research on what works to create meaningful relationships in school, collaborate with expert partners to ensure content is accessible and inclusive, and incorporate feedback from educators and students to make sure the questions will resonate in the real world.

Research

Along’s reflection questions (as well as our classroom activities and educator practices) are aligned to the five elements of the Search Institute’s applied research on how to build developmental relationships: expressing care, challenging growth, providing support, sharing power, and expanding possibilities.

Each reflection question supports an element of the framework, making it easy for educators to bring the framework into practice with their students.

Expert partners

We work with a diverse team of content partners to write and critically review our content, ensuring that each reflection question is usable, accessible, and racially and culturally affirming. 

• Learn more about how our content partners make up the secret sauce behind Along.
• Dig into our partnerships with Black Teacher Collaborative, Teach Plus, and Character Lab.
• And, stay tuned for more about our newest content partnerships in the weeks to come!

Educators and students

Guidance from educators and students is crucial to the quality of our content. We rely on insightful feedback from teachers and students to make Along’s reflection questions engaging, inclusive, and, well, fun! With their help, we make sure that each reflection question serves as an interesting spark for teachers and students to share with each other, see each other as people, and build the connections that support growth.

We also want to hear directly from educators who are utilizing Along with their students this year. Tell us your stories for consideration on the Along blog. Please email us at media@along.org to share your experiences.

Desirée Stanley is Along’s Senior Content Manager. Her background is in science and ed tech, and she’s passionate about creating environments where all students can thrive.