Providing second language learners with space and guidance to critically reflect on their past and current learning experiences can set them up to better understand and evolve their own worldviews as they learn about and engage with ones different from their own (Crane & Sosulski, 2020; Cranton, 2016; Johnson, 2015). While reflection is often acknowledged as playing an important role in leading language pedagogies such as literacy-based approaches and intercultural language learning, it is rarely theorized from a pedagogical perspective, let alone integrated into formal language assessment. As reflective practice in language instruction has become more mainstream, it is important for educators to understand the diverse outcomes associated with different reflection activities and the learning conditions and instructional scaffolding needed to support students’ ability to critically reflect on their learning. As Ash and Clayton (2009) note, “a critical reflection process that generates, deepens, and documents learning does not occur automatically—rather, it must be carefully and intentionally designed” (p. 28).

In this talk, I explore the role of critical reflection in language instruction with an eye toward employing reflection strategically at various points across a curricular pathway. In the first half, I address what we mean by critical reflection and what educators see as the main benefits of integrating reflection activities into their instructional practice. Here, I locate and describe common reflection practices used in language learning contexts. In the second half, I provide examples of critical reflection used in beginning, intermediate, and advanced German language instruction to illustrate how reflective practice can be staged meaningfully across a curriculum to support level-specific learning and cultivate a practice of reflection among learners and teachers.