Show me how to reflect…
What should I be doing in order to reach the deeper levels of reflection and therefore gain the most educational benefit from my blog – what kinds of questions should I be asking myself about my thoughts, feelings and ideas?
It would be nice if there was a single framework for, or model of reflection, that everyone agreed with – one set of terms, one set of indicators for each type or level of reflection…and if pigs could fly.
In September, at ALT-C 2008, I attended a presentation of a short paper by Rosanne Birney (Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland) about a study to compare the depth of reflection in blogs with reflection in paper-based learning logs. The focus of the study was to explore the impact of the collaborative aspect of blogging on the type or level of reflection taking place. This is an extremely interesting question. However, most of the audience seemed more interested in the preliminary part of the study; a Delphi study to develop a set of indicators which would be used to assess depth of reflection. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the completed Delphi study failed to produce a consensus among the experts consulted.
This article by Hea-Jin Lee in Teaching and Teaching Education shows (in Tables 1 and 2 respectively) the vast range of different scales, frameworks and terms commonly used to describe and model the process and content of reflective thinking.
Maybe the best thing a self-directed blogger can do is to have a look around these different models of reflection and see which one has the clearest personal meaning for them? A ‘dummies’ guide’ to reflection frameworks might be in order – hmm – I smell another tangent coming on – or is it a tangent? If the question here is ‘how can I use blogging to increase the depth of my learning?’, an accessible synopsis of a selection of different frameworks for reflection would be an excellent outcome.
If I’m going to look into this further, I probably need to bear in mind what Rosanne Birney pointed out in her paper – that existing models of reflective practice, and the instruments that have been developed for the assessment of reflective text, have focused on reflection as a solitary activity rather than a collaborative one. Birney proposes that existing models of reflective practice may need to be updated in order to effectively assess the reflection taking place in interactive blogs, where the feedback received from peers, tutors or other interested parties may contribute towards an increase in the depth and quality of reflection.
Reflection | Comments (2)2 Responses to “Show me how to reflect…”
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Lindsay –
I think that one of the last points you make:
“… I probably need to bear in mind … that existing models of reflective practice … have focused on reflection as a solitary activity rather than a collaborative one [Birney].”
frames an answer to the question you ask at the start i.e.:
“… What should I be doing in order to reach the deeper levels of reflection and therefore gain the most educational benefit from my blog – what kinds of questions should I be asking myself about my thoughts, feelings and ideas?”
My ideal is to live (i.e. have my practice/life) situated within a collaborative community of practice. Reflection takes place within dialogue / dialectical exchange which is the means of discourse used to generate new knowledge and understanding (as each member offers descriptions and explanations of their practice).
Hope this doesn’t sound too jargon-ridden and that it contains some meaning for you. Care to discuss?
- Pete
Hi Pete,
Yes – it does mean something to me. Further to my response to your comment on the previous post, I am beginning to feel strongly that rigour is at the heart of effective reflection – note that this happily also encompasses the question of honest reflection – and the input and involvement of a number of other parties naturally makes for a more rigorous evaluation of theory and practice.