Looking at reflection
What is reflection?
Reflection, as used here, means more than simply thinking about the past. Instead it means analysing it in depth, particularly for the purpose of informing the future.
Why reflect?
Being able to critically analyse your past experience and use it to plan for future activities, is a crucial skill in any role and an important part of self-development. Some fields, such as medicine, health and social care, education and law, expect that you will be a reflective practitioner (Schon, 2017) as they recognise it as key for you to become the professional you aspire to be.
Why is it challenging?
For some, reflection is not easy, especially at first. Most start writing in a purely descriptive way but reflection has an emotional element: it is far from objective and this can be where the challenge lies. Not everyone will be comfortable with writing from an overtly personal perspective. They may reject it if they do not see the point and especially if they see it as counter to the ‘objective’ approach they believe they should adopt in professional life.
Because of this, if reflection is required of learners then it must be for a good reason that is made explicit and it must be supported.
What can help?
To help learners find the best way for them to reflect we offer the Reflection Toolkit, which not only showcases six different reflective models to try, but also includes examples of reflective writing to show just how it can be done. Learners still need encouragement and a chance to practice and get feedback, but the Toolkit can be a really practical way to get learners started on the path to reflection. Since reflection is personal the best advice is to experiment with the different models until they find the one that works for them.
Another stumbling block can be writing in first person which could just be unfamiliar (because in all their professional writing, first person is discouraged) or because it feels too personal and makes the emotional part of reflection uncomfortable. One simple trick is to write in the third person and then edit it to be in first person at the end. Writing in third person creates the illusion of distance between the person who is writing and the person they are writing about (even though they are the same person!). It can help them to write about things that have not gone well but also help them to give themselves praise for their accomplishments. Who hasn’t found it easier to be complementary about someone who has asked for a reference than writing positively about themselves in their own CV? If this sounds like you, try writing in third person and see if that helps.
It’s also helpful to have the support of others, maybe a mentor who is themselves a reflective practitioner or others in the same role as ourselves; either can help you keep going.
Who is reflecting at Edinburgh and why?
In the BadgEd service we have seen many digital badges requests mention reflection as a part of assessment. It’s been important to point out that if reflection is not taught and supported, as it is not a necessary skill, that it is better for them to use a different assessment format that will make assessment fair.
Applicants for the AdvanceHE Fellowships have to produce an extended reflective account of their practice. They are also encouraged to use a reflective model if reflection is unfamiliar and work with their mentor to demonstrate how they have developed their practice.
Students studying a SLICC (Student-Led, Individually-Created Course) will be writing reflective blog posts throughout their six-week project. These will constitute the evidence to support their final report about their learning journey to help they discover what helps them learn.
And of course, all staff will take part in an Annual Review which will involve reflection on our objectives over the past year to help us create suitable objectives for the next year.
Recommendations
If you are going to be taking part in a reflective exercise or asking others to do so, remember it may not be easy but the Reflection Toolkit and the support of a mentor who has experience in reflection or your peers can help.
References
Schön, D.A., 2017. The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Routledge.
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