Reflection on Reflective Practise and Development

A space for reflection

Being from the art and design sector I am well versed in the art of reflection. In that particular sector projects seem to have their genesis in the reflective setting and often take shape in either a chronologial workbook or diary format. Between 2010 and 2017 I was involved in a large personal project which had several stands and several twists and turns within those strands. These twists and

turns have all been captured in written form in a series of three journals and a couple of diaries. The process of reflection then, is something that I do my self as part of my own artisitic practise. In fact at a recent show at the National Photographic Archive I had 5 pages from a chronological note book on display, a diary, and some reflective notes. This was all in an effort to help audience perception that there was a process and there was also a person embedded within that process  who was aware of his effect on that process.

  With this in mind it was interesting to see how reflection has come to be handled in other fields.
Here in the teaching and training course it happens with the keyboard and word document and I have to say, altough it is an efficient capture device, for me it does not offer a place for transformative thinking. Handwritten notes, observations, and diaries are the things that   work for me.
Having said that  though, I found the exercises that we completed in the RPD module most helpful in developing a sense of perspective for reflection within the teaching and training field where our own autobiographical experiences, those from the studends' eyes, our colleagues' experiences, and theoretical literature (Brookfield,1995) all come together to help us to grow. All it takes for us is to be aware of ourselves in this space and to think as we move through it, record, and analyze our observations. From these observations we can assemble new fact, reinforcing the view expressed by Schön ( 1991),whos opinion I have come to align  with  my own belief that Practise is in fact a form of research. So, I can practise as and artist and a lecturer all the times being involved in research that informs both practices. There is an overlap and there is also an overlap between all life experience and reflection if we only pause first to take note.( Then, well,  you know what happens next!)

Brookfield, S.(1995)Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher.SanFrancisco: Jossey Bass. ( p30)

Schön D (1991) The Reflective Practitioner, How Professionals Think in Action,Aldershot: Avebury( p.intro)