Reflection on and in the Workplace for Work-based Supervisor - L Allin & C Turnock (2007)

Table of Contents

1. Reflection on and in the Workplace for Work-based Supervisors - L Allin & C Turnock (2007)
2. Introduction
3. Aim of unit
4. What is Reflection?
5. Types of Reflection
6. Definitions of Reflection
7. Becoming a Reflective Practitioner/Worker
8. Kolb's Learning Cycle
9. Time for Reflection
10. Keeping a Reflective Diary
11. Effective Reflection Supervision and Assessment in the Work Place
12. What is the Purpose of Reflection?
13. What Makes Good Evidence in a Work Based Portfolio?
14. Learning Through and from Reflection
15. Mentoring and Reflective Practice
16. Supervision
17. Summary
18. References

Definitions of Reflection

Dewey (1933) defined reflection as: an active persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusion to which it tends.

Boud et al. (1985) take a different perspective and define it as:
A generic term for those intellectual and effective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to a new understanding and appreciation.

Boud and his co-writers view reflection from the learner's point of view. They discuss the relationship of the reflective process and the learning experience against what the learner can do.

Reid (1993) in her definition also noted reflection as an active process rather than passive thinking. She states:
"Reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice."(p3)

Kemmis (1985) agrees with Reid that the process of reflection is more than a process that focuses 'on the head'. It is, he argues, a positive active process that reviews, analyses and evaluates experiences, draws on theoretical concepts or previous learning and so provides an action plan for future experiences.

Johns (1995) notes that reflection enables the practitioner to assess understand and learn through their experiences. It is a personal process that usually results in some change for the individual in their perspective of a situation or creates new learning for the individual.

Reflection starts with the individual or group and their own experiences and can result, if applied to practice, in improvement of the clinical skills performed by the individual through new knowledge gained on reflection. Clamp (1980) noted that nurses' attitudes largely govern how care is administered to their client and the commonest causes of poor care are ignorance and inappropriate attitudes. This process of reflection, if then related into practice, can assist the individual in gaining the required knowledge, leading to a potential improvement in the quality of the care received from that individual. The outcome of reflection as identified by Mezirow (1981) is learning. Louden (1991) describes in ordinary language reflection as serious and sober thought at some distance from action and has connotations similar to "meditation" and "introspection ". It is a mental process which takes place out of the stream of action, looking forward or (usually) back to actions that have taken place.

Activity

Think about how students learn. How could you introduce reflection to students in a way that will motivate them to become more reflective?

Critically Reflective Learning is nurtured by relationships between teacher and learner, learner and learner and between both with the subject under study. Powell (2004) identified the optimal relationship above, as mutual, open, challenging, contextually aware and characterised by dialogue. (Brockbank & McGill 1998)