A Critical Reflection on Reflective Practices.

Reid (1993) in her definition also noted reflection as an active process rather than passive thinking. She states:
"Reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice."(p3)

http://www.practicebasedlearning.org/resources

Until now I can’t say that I’ve been aware of the use of Reflective practices in my Professional Practice. After exploring the reflective tools in the Reader I can conclude that it’s definitely something I’ve done without realizing or paying much attention to it.

The reflective theory that I instantly connect with and feel I have instinctively used in the past is Schön’s theory of Reflecting IN action and reflecting ON action. (Schön,1987). Reflecting IN action is a technique that I have adopted into my Professional Practice and everyday life. For example, when I’m teaching dance I constantly access myself and the work I have set as well as each pupil. If the work is too easy, I will extend it or make it more complex, if the pupils are finding the work too difficult I will simplify it. However when it comes to auditioning, I find that I am more inclined to reflect ON action. There are countless times when I have come out of an audition and asked myself the question ‘why didn’t I try it like that?’ I have been accustomed to waiting for the redirection of the Director rather than accessing my work in the moment. Over time this has led me to take a new approach to auditioning. This new approach is to go through every possible outcome and redirect myself in as many ways as possible before the audition. I now know this to closely relate to Boud’s model of ‘Occasions of Reflection’, in particular Reflection in Anticipation of events. This is something I have unconsciously built into my professional practice in the past.

David Kolb’s learning cycle is a great tool for accessing how one learns. Although we may all go through the same task it may be at different times when we actually begin to learn something new. I have discovered that there are two places where I will most commonly enter the cycle. Reflective Observation; For example if I am in a dance class I am able to pick the choreography but I actually begin to learn something completely new when I step back and watch the choreographer and observe how they are dancing and interpreting the music. On the other hand if somebody is explaining something to me, take setting up a blog for example I am more likely to gain understanding and begin my learning when I ‘give it a go’ myself. This is Active Experimentation.

I have also used Kolb’s learning cycle to aid my students in the reflection of how they learn. I set my students the task, in groups of two or three, of adding a layer of choreography onto what I had previously taught them to create a story. They started with Active Experimentation. I allowed 10 minutes for them to see what they came up with. This then became a Concrete Experience as they formed ideas and practice their work. We then stopped and watched each other’s work, giving critical feedback using a tool I call ‘two stars and a wish’ (two things they liked and one thing to improve on). This was Reflective Observation. Finally they went back to their groups, having heard other people’s feedback on their work and thought about how they could improve their work- Abstract Conceptualization. This was interesting to see where different students began to gain something concrete from these experiences. It also helped me to think about how I could approach this task differently to get the best from the learner. Maybe I could start with allowing them to reflect on someone else’s work before beginning their own choreography?

Recording my thoughts through the use of journal writing, using the framework of Reid and Moon has been a innovative experience that I began during this module. It has helped me to explore my thoughts and feelings in detail, what I am passionate about and where I need to develop. I have also tried to explore different ways to record my thoughts as David Boud so clearly states ‘Journal Writing is as varied as those who engage in it’.

 After reading Adesola’s brief blog entitled ‘Playing with ways to reflect’ http://adesolaa.blogspot.com/2010/11/playing-with-ways-to-reflect.html where she talks about using Poetry at the end of each day as a reflective tool, I have written a few poems as part of my journal. This helps me to consolidate and order my thoughts for that day and see how they fit in my wider Professional Practice. This also gave me an indication of how focused I am on my developing professional practice.

In conclusion, I have found that having the ability to critically reflect on my past, present and future professional practice is invaluable. It is an integral part of my learning practice and something i am keen to further develop. Reflecting on what I have done in the past to help me advance in the future and gain the optimum learning experience from every situation.

Kemmis (1985) puts the arts of reflection beautifully when he agrees with Reid that the process of reflection is more than a process that focuses 'on the head'. It is, he argues, a positive active process that reviews, analyses and evaluates experiences, draws on theoretical concepts or previous learning and so provides an action plan for future experiences.

Using a combination of different theories, that I may already have unconsciously used and stretching my critical thinking to explore new theories that I am less comfortable and familiar with has led to a fascinating learning experience. Where in the past I have been heavily reliant on other people’s opinions about my work and been happy to take others words as truth without question I am now becoming more reflective about my own work and am learning to develop new lines of inquiry.

References

SCHON, D.A. (1983) The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action

KOLB, D.A. (1984) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development

MOON, J.A (1997) Learning journals: a handbook for academics, students and professional development

Websites

www.practicebasedlearning.com

www.adesolaa.blogspot.com

http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm