Personal Blogs

The mere fact that there are so many models to help us become more reflective is a reminder of that the seemingly simple process of reflection is anything but.  To become a reflective learner you have to access deeper levels of meaning than may be superficially evident.  This involves tapping into our beliefs, motivations, values and expectations - and sometimes the experiences don't "fit" with all or any of these.  It's not easy to accept this, so it's unsurprising that reflection can be a difficult, sometimes even painful, process.  Hence the existence of so many models to guide us.

Boud's model gives an overview of the concept that the transfer of learning between contexts is not possible unless the learner has first reflected upon the process.  It doesn't help us understand what reflection "looks" like, how it operates and what it consists of. Driscoll proposes a similarly simple model, which can be readily applied to many contexts, including clinical audit, process improvement, even military appraisal - as well as education and continuous professional development.  But the problem with these models, in my opinion, is that they over-simplify the complexity of reflective learning. 

Gibbs' acknowledges that feelings influence the way be translate our experiences into practice.  A experience which evokes unpleasant emotions may equally lead to avoidance or the determination to overcome the obstacle concerned, for example.  This illustrates well how individuals may respond differently to the same situation, due to our different values, beliefs and motivations, shaped by our previous experiences, societal expectations and cultural norms.

But Gibbs doesn't ask us to really question what makes us tick.  In trying to make sense of the world, we draw conclusions about the evidence we have mentally processed (Schon, 1983).  The more information we have about something the more precise the image becomes.  And this, to me, is what reflective learning means.  That is why I like the Atkins and Murphy (1993) model best of all.  It asks you to articulate an awareness of the situation and evaluate the relevance of your knowledge and feelings.  In other words, are your assumptions valid?  Are they helping or hindering?  Learning resides within these cognitive or emotional "gaps".  This reminded me of though diaries used in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), where the aim is to learn new thinking habits.  Indeed, there could even be an additional column added to the thought diary, asking the user to describe what they have learned from the so-called trigger event.

Reflective learning takes time and concentration.  It needs to be maintained regularly and continuously.  In my opinion, overly simplistic models won't achieve deep learning but will still achieve some element of learning through reflection.  But if you really want to navigate the new terrain of learning you need to make sure your internal map is constantly updated and still fit-for-purpose.

References:
Atkins, S. and Murphy, K. (1993) ‘Reflection: a review of the literature’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 18, pp. 1188–1192.

Schon, D. (1983) The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action, London, TempleSmith.Schon, D. (1983) The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action, London, TempleSmith.