I’ve stopped at a sort of mental picnic spot on this journey, and I went back to the Day Two posting, and revisited the definition of reflective learning and the Atkins and Murphy model. I still like the definition of Boyd and Fayles : “reflective learning is the process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which results in a changed conceptual perspective” (1983), but would now wish to qualify the meaning of “internally examining”. I am not sure how that, alone, would be enough. If it is true that our conceptual perspective is a product of us and our environment, then surely the examination must also in some way be external.
The model for reflection, which I also still like, did get me thinking about models, though. Is the intention here to map what people naturally “do” when they reflect, or was it to provide a step-by-step recipe for reflection, a sort of “how-to”? Or perhaps a bit of both? I’m not sure. Most writers on the subject of learning would agree that a] we are learning the whole time (though what kind of learning is going on might be open for debate), and b] we reflect as we go. However, we don’t easily reflect that we’re reflecting (though we can, we do have the ability to abstract), which means pointing this out to us inevitably results in us using that consciousness to start reflecting on our actions. We just can’t help it. So the model is both? My head spins.
I do think it is reasonable to suggest that this reflection-on-reflection is itself open to development (and, of course, reflection) and that practice is needed for this to happen and become habitual. So for this reason, these blog postings are probably having some kind of “muscle-building” effect on my reflective powers.
Now, here is a list of concepts:
- Time
- Identity
- Reflection
- Learning
Are these individual or social phenomena? I have an idea, but am curious what anyone (anyone out there?) reading this thinks. Come on, have a break in your day, and join me in the picnic spot.
Chris Dalton's Personal Development Blog 
Chris,
My first answer was, of course, it depends. But having left it a day to reflect, my conclusion is that whether a concept is an individual or social phenomena depends on what the outcome of “using” (for want of a better word) them. Everything has context in time and space (with a nod to your latest entry) which requires it to be impacted by and impact other contexts. Whilst the using is inherently individualistic – what is MY identity, what is MY past / present / future, what have I learnt – the reaction to my usage dictates the interpretation of it being social.
A quick reflection on the above and your blogs over the last few weeks. I’ve found them inherently interesting and I’ve read them every evening (and looked forward to reading them as well). Surprisingly for me, it has generated a feeling of jealousy in accepting your knowledge of the subject matter is considerably more advanced than mine and wishing to have what you have. If jealousy can be ever portrayed in a positive light, then doing something about this it so that I can learn accordingly is my take-away.
Many thanks for sharing.
Richard