I have learned that reflection is an essential and worthwhile endeavour not only in academic life, but professional and personal as well. Bruce (2013) defined the process of reflection as “the detailed thinking you may undertake about an event or experience, and the new perspective or knowledge you gain as a result of this process” (p. 32) and further argued that reflective practice occurs when “the outcome of your reflective thinking is directly applied in practice” (p. 32). As I continue refining my teaching practice and progressing through my MALAT studies, I would argue that I am also continuing to build my reflective capacity as well.
Wilfred Laurier’s (n.d.) reflective writing guide provided a number of models of reflection, and while all had strengths, I found Seidel and Blythe’s compass model to be particularly captivating due to its tangible and visual nature. The compass analogy appealed to my desire to find my true north (in any given situation) by looking backward, inward, outward, and forward. Bruce (2013) described each of the four compass points and directions clearly and succinctly. Looking backward means “retrospectively considering our experiences by reflecting on how our professional knowledge, skills, values and knowing-in-action come together to influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviour” (p. 45). Looking inward refers to examining “personal feelings … with the purpose of developing an informed sense of ‘self’ – one that recognizes and understands how personal emotions and beliefs can affect us and those around us” (p. 45). Looking outward encourages reflection on how “social and cultural socialization influences how we view others, as well as ourselves, and therefore we need to reflect on our perceptions of others” (p. 45). Finally, looking forward, the end goal of reflection, provides a “new perspective and awareness that the reflective process can offer, but this questioning process only has real purpose when it is put to use to transform our thinking and/or action” (p. 45). As the OpenLearn (n.d.) course wisely suggests, if reflection results in the conclusion that nothing needs to change, has deep reflection actually occurred?
Working through the design thinking process has taught me a number of lessons about reflection:
- Reflection is a skill that takes time and practice. I have found enormous value in recording my reflective thinking using pen and paper, and it is interesting to see how my thinking changed as I traveled through the reflective cycle. Reflecting through my MALAT blog has allowed me to refine my reflections for an audience and take a bird’s eye view of my progression through the program.
- Reflection is cyclical rather than linear. I often found myself frequently taking another look backward, inward, and/or outward before understanding how to move forward.
- Reflection, especially looking outward, requires empathy. Engaging in the empathy phase of the design process was invaluable in working towards the design of innovative user-oriented solutions.
- Reflection is supported by an understanding of the theoretical foundations of learning and design. I loved exploring theories of learning and principles of instructional design to support my work in the design process.
- Reflection is most valuable when it results in learning. I have discovered that effective and critical reflection seems to result in a change in thinking, perspective, and/or course of action.
Reflection has been an important component of the design thinking process in LRNT 527 and I will continue to reflect as I finalize my digital learning resource. I am so enamoured with the compass model of reflection that I am hoping to integrate it as a reflective tool for users of my resource. As well, as I move into the next phase of my MALAT studies, I anticipate that progressing in my reflective capacity will support my continued success.
References
Bruce, L. (2013). Reflective practice for social workers: A handbook for developing professional confidence. McGraw-Hill Education. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/royalroads-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1186569
OpenLearn. (n.d.). Succeeding in post-graduate study: Session 2 – reflective thinking, reflective learning and academic writing. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=51386
Wilfrid Laurier University. (n.d.). Reflective writing. Write online. https://writeonline.ca/reflective-essay.php?content=section2
Hi Amber, thank you for sharing what was valuable in the readings about reflection, and the compass model and analogy. I agree the use of a compass related to learning is a guide that most learners can understand and so useful for personal learning and to share as part of teaching for learner success in many education contexts. I appreciate your thoughts on how valuable it is to reflect in a few ways before moving forward with a decision and that the cyclical nature of learning and reflection means that you can revisit your choices. Great post!