'Reflection involves taking the unprocessed, raw material of experience and engaging with it as a way to make sense of what has occurred.' (1)
This is a simple but clear way of making sense of reflection and this clarity is what I need to find in my practice. I engage in reflective practice on a daily basis but I do not feel I always follow through the process of using my thoughts and feelings to analyse how I can make sense of what has happened and in turn act on the conclusions I come to.
Dewey's theory of reflective thought is something ever present in my practice. I consider myself a very reflective person in general and strongly agree with Dewey in the belief that experience is our education. I work through my thoughts are feelings with peers as part of my practice but this can sometimes act as a hinderance as I worry about how my peers will perceive me. I also believe this fear comes from being in the very critical environment of the performing world. I am used to continually assessing my work but I do not feel this leads to a positive outcome with out really working through my thoughts and feelings and not jumping to conclusions. Boud refers too these constraints in regards to journal writing for assessment but I feel it can apply to my own processes of sharing reflective thought.
'The exploration of the self that reflection involves requires a relatively protected environment in which one is not continually preoccupied by defending oneself from the scrutiny of others.' (1)
Dewey highlights that it is how we organise our reflective thought on experiences we undertake that helps us move forward and fully engage in the theory of critical reflection.
Reflective thought is 'active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and further conclusions to which it tends.' (2)
In my search for the right path to take my thoughts are 'active' (2) and 'persistent' (2) sometimes to the point where there is so many ideas my mind gets blocked and I go into shut down. Drawing from Dewey's idea I think this may be because I am not engaging in 'careful consideration' (2) and therefore not reaching 'further conclusions' (2). With out these skills my mind has a tendency to leap forward and make rash decisions and then I struggle with the problem solving element of critical reflection.
Kolb's learning cycle furthers my understanding of my own reflection (3). I do not feel that my cycle is complete and this is what is holding me back. Although we all in engage in each stage of the learning cycle I feel with more in depth reflection I can build on my journey through the process. At the point of active experimentation (planning/trying out what I have learnt) I do this instinctively with out thinking through actions I could take to make it more beneficial. I found it hard to place my point of entry but decided upon reflective observation (reviewing/reflecting on the experience) as this is where I feel my current practice starts. I look to others and past experiences in order to move forward with tasks. I took part in a training session once in which I was told you should always ask a customer 'what perfume have you used in the past?' rather than 'what perfume are you wearing now' or 'what perfume are you looking for in the future?' This is because people are comfortable talking about the past because they know what happened, the present is a little more hazy and the future is unknown so people shy away from it. This relates to my thought processes and how I learn.
This links to Schon's theory of reflection-in-action. My reflection happens in what he describes as on-action as for me it is easier to look back on the past rather than act in the present. Kottcamp describes reflection-in-action:
'It is more difficult to achieve because the actor must simultaneously attend to performing the action and observe and analyse his or her action, as if from an external perspective.' (4)
This is a skill I believe I have engaged in with performing and teaching but it feels more like an instinct than a reflection. To me reflection means analysing what has happened in depth as it seems it did to Kottcamp too but maybe I need to trust myself more and accept that decisions I make when reflecting-in-action are just as valuable and important. From analysing how Kottcamp might have come to the decision that reflection-on-action is harder is important to remember that I have instilled my own thoughts in my mind and sometimes they need to be analysed in order to open myself up to new ideas. From looking at Howard Garners' theory I like to think I am a kinaesthetic learner because I find it hard to sit and study with books and my laptop. I say that because I am an active person and it gives reasoning to why I struggle to study. In reality I think I am a visual learner and I just need to get used to studying again.
This relates to the work of Jennifer Moon as she looked at ways to articulate our tacit knowledge - 'we know more than we can tell.' (5) I believe that sometimes we need to trust as tacit knowledge as does Twyla Tharp.
'The second time through, however, or trying to explain the steps, she will hesitate, second guess herself, question her muscles and forget.' (6)
But other times it is important to work through our tacit knowledge and that leads to journal writing.
'A journal is a friend that is always there and is always a comfort. In bad moments I write, and usually end up feeling better. It reflects back to me things that I can learn about my world and myself. It represents a private space in my life, a beautiful solitude, the moments before I go to sleep just to stop and note what 'there' is about the day or about my life at the time. I think that it has enabled me to feel deeper and more established as a person, more in control and more trusting of life.' (7)
I like this quote from Moon and have seen it ring true. I have always engaged in journal writing but only when something different was going on in my life something I wanted to document and look back on. Moon helps me realise that important things are happening to me everyday and by documenting them I am understanding my self and what is happening around me. As I develop my professional practice my journal helps me understand how I can grow. Writing has always helped me work through things and I wish I had thought of it in a professional capacity sooner. Moon also inspired the idea that reflection does not have to be in written format and this something I have explored further releasing my creative side.
Boud comments that: 'Journals allow us to practice imaginary scenarios; ask 'What if?'' (1) This is an interesting theory for me that I plan to take forward as I spend a lot of my time looking back and thinking 'what if?' What if I could do this before hand and feel better about decisions that I make.
I have drawn from Dewey, Kolb, Schon and Moon alongside their critics to look outwardly at the practice of critical reflection. This has enhanced my understanding and I have many techniques now on board that I will take forward.
Bibliography
(1) 'Promoting journal writing in adult education' (English and Gillen, 2001) David Boud
(2) Dewey, 1993
(3) Kolb learning cycle.
(4) Kottcamp, R.B. (1990). Means for facilitating reflection, Education and Urban Society, 22, 182-203.
(5) Polanyi, 1996
(6) Tharp and Reiter, 2006
(7)http://www.infed.org/research/keeping_a_journal.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment