Reflecting on self: skills, attitudes and possibilities Who am I and where am I heading? Ryan Daniel, Professor of Creative Arts, James Cook University

What will I learn today? What is reflective practice? Further methods by which to reflect and consider your career plan Additional theoretical perspectives that may influence learning and career Further directions for the completion of the “goals and aspirations statement”

Reflective practice - a context Traditionally related to education fields and classroom teaching specifically Espoused by key theorists e.g. Dewey (1910) Schön (1987), Brookfield (1995) Designed to lead to improved outcomes and strategies Very applicable to all areas involving practice (e.g. Industry placement)

Approaches to reflective practice Thinking and critically reflecting on experiences Often achieved through diaries, autobiographies, discussion forums, interviews Should be a continuous cycle Reflection on experience is critical e.g. Boud, Keogh and Walker (1985). Should involve returning to the experience, attending to the feelings, re-evaluating the experience based on current knowledge and intent, integrating this new knowledge into a conceptual framework (Boud et al. 1985)

Individual and community Reflective practice is best undertaken individually in the first instance, after which communities of reflective practitioners can lead to additional benefits for all The seminar series is perfect This subject will help your journey to become a “reflective practitioner” (Schön 1983)

Experiential learning models Kolb and Fry (1975)

Jarvis 1994 (reflecting on Kolb)

Focus of Jarvis Allows different routes –non-learning –non-reflective learning –reflective learning Various trajectories and pathways For example, in “reflective learning”, experiential learning requires sequence 1-3 to 5 to 7 to 8 to 6 to 9

Jarvis 1994 (reflecting on Kolb)

Key points about Reflective Practice Not just describing events and incidents Involves “thinking” (cognition) and “thinking about thinking” (metacognition) Cognition: “action or faculty of knowing, perceiving, conceiving, as opposed to emotion and volition” Metacognition: “knowledge about your own thoughts and the factors that influence your thinking” Why do I do things? How do I do things? How do I know they worked well? How might I do something differently next time? Involves assuming an external observer position to yourself

Benefits of reflective practice Helps rationalize or explain experiences Creates opportunities for inquiry Helps refine strategies based on testing Leads to better informed strategies Allows reflexive action Consolidates attitudes, beliefs, assumptions Allows placing your work in context Leads to a more worldly context for proceeding

Strategies and TLA Using “lenses” (Brookfield 1995) Consider: Your autobiography Your colleagues’ experiences and perceptions The literature (theory) Task: with somebody you know, ask them to write a few short lines about how they view you as a person, creative practitioner, artist.

Relevance to you and this subject Reflect on the principles of reflective practice Reflect on the models of experiential learning –(use as further bases for developing your own) Consider further who “you” are and your goals Consider lenses or strategies for self-reflection Value add to the process of creating your statement of goals and aspirations

Questions?