Description The term "reflection" literally means to cast back light from an object, making that object visible to the eye. By reflective practices in a community of practice, we mean the process of casting back understanding from experience, in such a way that it becomes available to members and others as learning. Many learning theorists, including John Dewey, David Kolb, Kurt Lewin, Donald Schon, and Jack Mezirow have included reflection as a crucial part of learning. According to Donald Schon (Reflective Practitioners, 1983), as reflective practitioners, we:
Think about what we’re doing as we do it, or learn by doing
Respond to surprise through improvisation on the spot
Set or reframe the problems of the situation anew
Conduct action experiments by which we seek to solve the new problems we’ve set
Test both our new way of seeing the situation and try to change it for the better
Reflect on reflection-in-action, or reflect on our own reflective practices
Become increasingly conscious of and continuously improve our own capacities for learning.
Example Simple examples of personal reflective practice include keeping a diary or a learning journal. Diaries are useful tools for those who wish to capture their reflections based on daily experiences. While many of us recall keeping secret diaries as children, there are many examples in history of published diaries that have made a significant impact, including The Diary of Anne Frank. The daily discipline of a diary can help the writer discover patterns of activity that might otherwise go unseen, or notice concerns or issues that recur over time. Like diaries, journals are extremely common reflection tools. Unlike keeping a diary, which requires a daily routine and generally captures "what happened," journaling is a much more free-form tool. Journals offer the time and space for capturing observations, feelings and emotions, quotes, stories and drawings, as well as dated experiences. Choose a diary when you are less inclined toward a daily discipline, when you are open to capturing your reflections in a variety of forms, and when your personal learning agenda focuses on self-discovery.
Approaches A few other approaches to developing habits of reflection include: 1. Creating a Living Resume: A living resume is a tool that allows the practitioner to reflect on experience in terms of increased competence, achievements, or personal and professional benchmarks. This kind of resume, unlike those commonly used in job searches, are "living" documents that writers add to over time. They are, of course, a good way to build a job search resume or portfolio, as well. Living resumes lend themselves particularly well to those whose learning agendas focus on accomplishment.
2. Keeping a Learning Log: A learning log is a tool that helps to develop the discipline of harvesting learning from experience, a skill that is useful for reflecting beyond the personal, as well. Harvesting learning and recording it in a learning log requires that the writer ask probing questions in addition to "what happened?" Those questions might include, "what did I expect in this situation?," what surprised me about this situation or event?," "what do I see or know now that I didn’t see or know before?," or "what would I say to someone who asked what I learned in this situation?"
3. Working with a Coach or Mentor: Working with a coach or mentor is a useful and productive method for reflection, because it allows for capturing learning in a process of dialogue with a trusted other. The practitioner who chooses this method of reflection must be willing to invest the time (and often money) in developing a working relationship that may include interviewing, counseling, guided imagery, or sharing the use of some of the other reflection tools previously mentioned. Coaches and mentors are often prepared to work with practitioners on a personal, as well as professional level.
Check The reflective practices you choose to use will serve their purposes if they help you to:
Notice what is happening around you, especially those things that are disturbing or challenging
Observe and examine your own feelings and reactions to what you’re noticing
Uncover the deeper meanings, beliefs and assumptions beneath your observations
Consider alternatives to your beliefs and responses, including a different plan of action
Integrate an intuitive process of action and reflection, or praxis, into your day-to-day personal and professional life
More Dr. Mark L. Merickel of Oregon State University offers a very useful "sequence for self-reflection," at , which is based on Jack Mezirow’s work in transformational learning theory and practice.
