Have you ever left a discussion only to reflect on the comeback you wanted to say but didn’t. The French have a name for it ‘L’esprit de l’escalier’, which means ‘staircase wit’ – thinking of the perfect retort too late, the perfect comeback. This is where Reflection becomes a handy leverage skill.
Reflecting on reflection is a habit of mind that needs to be developed. Though commonly reflection is a fundamental tenet of teaching and learning it is an important life skill not used frequently enough.
Why is Reflection Necessary?
Without reflection it [activity, behaviour, event, goal] just becomes an experience and we do not learn from experience. This requires Reflection to take place to learn from the experience otherwise we will often repeat the same mistakes, not learning anything new. How and when it happens — and with whom — is less clear. This is partly because there are multiple sides to reflection — length, width, and depth.
To reflect means to look back at how something “went” in and what we did with it. Then use this new information to make conscious decisions to change – to act or behave differently.
It includes a number of aspects and patterns
- Context
- Choice
- Knowledge available
- Comparisons and contrast
- Causes and effects
- Characteristics
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Matching expectations
- Emotions
Understanding How Reflection Works
AT first Reflection sounds a vague concept, maybe like an abstract idea, unspecific and mysterious. Something we do in the shower or on the drive home, when no one’s around and we’re free to let thoughts pop into our minds. It comes most effortlessly in its purest and rawest forms in those circumstances when our minds are not otherwise engaged.
Reflection isn’t a single thought that changes our life. It’s a process that includes a number of activities, for example let’s say you are thinking – I planned this, it went like this, and now I think this, the reflection process requires examination:
- Self-awareness
- Knowledge
- Understanding
- Timing
- Sequence
- Procedure
It is an examination of events over time where the non tangible tools, processes and practice of reflection become valuable and benefits from concrete practice of reflection to make desired changes, give meaning or gain understanding to an event that at the time was unfathomable and causing problems. It is a way of ‘becoming’ unconfused when a situation appears to be confusing. It brings clarity in a new way and helps us make better choices and decisions.
Life is a Series of Inputs and Outputs
Life is based on inputs and outputs. How we live our lives is a result of both a consequence of steps we take based on current knowledge, thinking, understanding, previous experiences, social and cultural norms and fulfilment of our desires. It is both parts and whole, science and art, professional and personal.
For example, reading an article can be just an experience. On the other hand if you read an article, interpret what you believe to be its meaning, find relevance in its message, and think even briefly about how you relate to it and how it relates to you, that’s approaching reflection.
If you took a reflective approach what reaction would you need to achieve a goal? For example, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the activity or behaviour? What tools would work here? Do you need a tool? Is this worth searching for? Should you save time or would it be a good investment of your time and money to search for it. How are you spending your time right now? Are those activities distracting you or helping you? Are you procrastinating or should you be more intentional about your behaviour?
When reflection happens on an activity or behaviour, it becomes a practice, a habit, a tendency towards the kind of thought that promotes either change or repetition.
How Does Reflection Happen?
The Art of Reflection is an intentional activity. It builds both the capacity and tendency to reflect and encompasses dimensions of reflection: how, when, and who.
It can be a conversation into a larger space where it has chance for more visibility. More importantly it is extending and socialising the practice of reflection. It is about the vulnerability that comes with reflection, being transparent and standing your own.
Reflection actually starts much earlier, alone, in your own mind after something has happened. Then it often happens again in your own mind or with a friend, colleague, family member. Then you’re likely to reflect again, alone, now pushed farther in your thinking by that sharing. Thinking about it again, and then sharing that with others, makes the reflection more complex and more personal.
Reflection, among other patterns, often happens alone (slow and passive), together (immediate and active), and then alone again (slow and passive again).
Reflection is also a matter of timing. It can happen at any time, but no sooner than the event — the activity, discussion negotiation taking place.
For example when you are in a negotiation, you can reflect how is it going really? What adjustments seem necessary? What’s most important here? Then immediately after, in habit of mind sense, how did it go (evaluation), and how do you know (data)? After the negotiation, now that you have some distance from the event, what do you think? What’s lingering? What should you do differently next time? What would your colleagues say about the negotiation if they were right next to you?
Finally, with whom should you reflect? On Your Notes? Your Thoughts? Research of Others? Colleagues? Professional Learning Networks? Spouse? How is each episode different? What’s worth talking about or forgetting?
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