Reflection is a natural part of any learning. Whether
we think about it or not, things happen all around us,
and will simply continue to happen. However, if we think about them - reflect on them, learn from them
- we
might see patterns in the events around us that help us better understand what is going on. Without
reflection, we remain hapless victims (or, if we are lucky, hapless beneficiaries) of events. With reflection,
we can begin to modify our actions and expectations and, potentially, have a more constructive impact
on
future events. While it could be argued that reflection is what everyone does naturally every minute
of the
day, what we are talking about here is a conscious and purposeful effort that builds capacity for more
effective action on the part of the individual or group participating in the reflection.
The basic action of reflection is to ask questions such
as:
The goal of this inquiry is to become more aware
of one's own thinking and reasoning.
As a matter of style, some people prefer to reflect by
themselves, while others prefer to reflect in
conversation with others. Both modes are useful and neither should be used to the exclusion of the other.
Individuals who prefer to reflect by themselves will benefit greatly from seeing the points of view
and
mental models of others. On the other hand, those who can only reflect in conversation with others may
not
be developing sufficient self-reflective skills for use in situations when immediate action is needed.
Three Kinds of Reflection
We can speak of at least three different types of reflection:
The modern concept of reflective learning can be traced
to philosopher John Dewey, and was further
developed by several others. For example, reflection is the "Study" phase of the Shewhart-Deming
cycle of
Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA).
The entire Tales of Complexity section is an illustration
of reflection. There are examples of all three types of
reflection, as well as both individual and group reflection. Some of the Tales also directly illustrate
the value
of multiple lenses, in that various people have offered their reflections. The Tales cited in the margin
illustrate the direct use of this aide as part of an evolving context.
-
Be a good model of reflection yourself. Balance your
own private and group reflection. Make it
known that you keep a journal, or at least make time for private reflection. When you ask
questions in groups, don't look for a particular "right answer," and don't always feel that
you have
to supply an answer or have the last word. Be comfortable with silence. Be careful of your own
defensive reactions. Honor other's points of view as true for them and an important part of the co-
evolving CAS.
- Stress the need for diversity of reflection. Challenge too easy consensus and
over-simplified
labels. Ask: That's one way of seeing it, what are others? How do you think (a specific person or
group) would see that?
- Remember that reflection is only one phase of a cycle of learning that also involves
doing
something. Always ask the "So what?" question. What have we learned from this? What are we
going to do now?
1. Thoughts
