REFLECTION

 

Reflection is a concept found in Buddhism. We need more Sinhala articles that explains about this concept from Buddhist perspective since it is said that this concept was originated in the Western world.

Therefore, in this article, Reflection is analyzed from the perspective of Western philosophy, hoping that a Buddhist scholar will explain the fundamentals of Buddhist philosophy related to reflection.

Reflection is a foundation of action research. Reflection is carried out in every step / occasion of an action research; the reason being that, the researcher is also taking part in the experiment. He or she becomes a part of the social world which is experimented. In other words, in action research the researcher experiments his or her own self in relating to the social world. It is known as engaging in self-reflection.

Reflection is important in action research because the foundation of Reflection depends on building the socio-professional dialect with the knowledge of the researcher. Therefore, the need about the amount of reflection and patterns of reflection are important because the value, actions, feelings and cognition of the researcher are exhibited and they influence the research.

Here, ideas about the amount of reflection and patterns of reflection are important because the value, actions, feelings and cognition of the researcher are exhibited and they influence on the research.

 

Western Concept on Reflection.

Jhon Dewy is the theoretician who introduced the process of reflective thinking to the world [Teekman,2000]. According to Dewy, reflective thinking takes place due to suspicion, doubt and difficulty in comprehension and in order to overcome the doubts one tends to engage in reflective thinking.

Dewy also identified the importance of past events in one’s life in the role of Reflection. It is because the outcomes and the suggestions for the process of overcoming uncertainty, suspicion and inability in comprehension depend on the past experiences of a person and they never occur without any reason.

According to Pesut and Herman [1999], when one is engaged in a certain activity or taking any decision, observing one’s own self, thinking what is done and the opportunities to do it in a better way is reflective thinking.

Our feeling for self has two sides. While one side is active other is reflecting in the action. Reflective self observes the activities done and bring new proposals for the activities. In order to be a good critical thinker, one must practise reflective thinking. By practising reflective thinking, one can apprehend the situation that results from a certain decision or a problem.

As an example, by prescribing the nursing students to maintain magazines on reflective thinking by educationists, they can develop a good reflective thinking skill. By using magazines on reflection, the nursing students can reflect on their clinical work and improve their decision-making skills in the clinics.

Principle assumption which becomes the foundation for reflective thinking is whether reflection is needed for experiential learning, skills development and maintenance. Because reflection may lead us to use the things we learned in future purposes or else we may be able to combine with the present existing knowledge.

The Ideas of Donald A. Schon who worked towards the popularity of reflection in the modern western world: Reflection according to Donald Schon is ‘continuous framing and reframing of definitions and solutions, given to their professional problems to examine’ [Schon 1983].

Schon introduces two types of Reflection.

 

Reflection in action.

 Reflection in happens while the action is being done. It is mostly persuaded by an incident that makes you excited. For an example, while teaching a lesson, a teacher can focus on the explanation that is being done at the moment. By reflecting in, the teacher can observe whether the students understand the lesson. Even the teacher can investigate whether the blackboard is being used properly, the facts are being explained catering the different needs of the students, simple methods are being used when explaining deep concepts and manage the flow of the lesson while observing different teaching methods.

One can apply the concept of reflection in action on themselves or on situations that other people deal with.

Following is how an examiner who went to examine a school scrutinized the behavior of the principal.

2001.11.22 today is the pay day. The principal was applying saliva the whole time he was counting notes. This behavior is not suitable for a principal. Even the stamps were pasted using saliva. It was apparent that this behavior does not suit a principal. It seems that it is necessary to keep a tin cover with water specifically for this cause.

 Students may take after these impermissible behaviors, when they keep happening in a respectable place like the principal’s office. The staff and the administration of the school should set a good example at all times.

The principal has a perpetual complain of not receiving the deserved salary and there are some other teachers who receive a higher salary than him. A person should work whole heartedly for it to be effective. For that the person should have contentment. He always says “no need of doing additional things, it is ample to do normal school activities”. As an example, the principal says that he has not gathered the school development committee in two years [Kodithuwakku, 2001. p.62]

 Reflection in action is applicable in every profession including teaching. As an example, while driving a bus, a bus driver can think about his own driving pattern, moving patterns of other vehicles, and also about people walking on the road. The driver can observe the above phenomena while comparing them with his own driving. This is reflection in action.

 

Reflection on Action

 In post reflection, by analyzing and explaining, the professional can brainstorm the usage and application the used knowledge [ex: reflection after studying]

After finishing a lesson, thinking of the positive and negative effects of it, recollecting the experience and judging the lesson you have done before is an example for reflection in action. Not only a lesson, an individual can revise any previous event from different perspectives by practicing reflection on action. Based on that, thinking about past incidents and experiences is reflection on action.

As an example, an extract from Sonali Deraniyagala’s memoir ‘The Wave’ written about her experience on tsunami can be taken. She lost her husband, parents and both of her children from the Tsunami. Sonali wrote her memoir in order to express her feelings on this incident. An extract from her memoir ‘Life after the Tsunami’ is included as a lesson in the grade 10 literature syllabus

“I grabbed Vik and Malli, and we all ran out the front door. I was ahead of Steve holding the boys. “Give me one of them. Give me one of them” Steve shouted, reaching out. But I didn’t. That would have slowed us down. We had no time. We had to be fast. I knew that. But I didn’t know what I was fleeing from.

I didn’t stop for my parents. I didn’t stop to knock on the door of my parents’ room, which was next to ours, on the right as we ran out. I didn’t shout to warn them. I did not bang on their door and call them out. As I ran past, for a splintered second, I wondered if I should. But I couldn’t stop. It would stall us. We had to keep running. I held the hands of the boys tightly. We had to get out.

We fled towards the driveway at the front of the hotel. The boys ran as fast as I did. They didn’t stumble or fall. They were barefoot, but they were not slowed down by stones or thorns which were hurting them. They didn’t say a word. Our feet were loud, though. I could hear them, slamming the ground.”

 Source – Deraniyagala (2013, 11-12 pages)

 

 Reflection for Action

Focusing on future action, based on reflection in action and reflection on action is reflection for action. In an action research, the researcher should have preplanning and know when and where to involve, in order to solve future problems.

Reflection can be done contemporarily, in the end and based on future work. At the same time reflection can be done collaboratively.

 

Collaborative Reflection

 Ideas and thoughts that are put forward during a group conversation is known as collaborative reflection. Study the following situation happened in a school canteen; which mirror collaborative reflection.

 The old method of caning

The deputy principal shouted at the canteen asking the students to go to the classroom. There was an English teacher drinking tea in the canteen.

 Me: Caning is still being used. right?

The English Teacher:  we can’t control children without it. Not every child likes to stay inside the classroom and study. We should let them do everything they like. If they like carpentry, we should let them do. In that case, the government should provide relevant facilities. If they do so then caning is not necessary.  If not trying to stop caning is pointless. What is good for our education system is the traditional method. Even if we restrict the cane and teach, there still aren’t enough jobs in the market. Even they do the degree without any confidence.

 

 Framework on reflection.

 Many intellectuals have come forward with different frameworks.

• Gibbsi framework on reflection
• Borton’s framework on refletion.
• Chris Johni framework on reflection
• Jhon Smythis framework on reflection.

According to these frameworks there are different types of questions one can use.

What did I do?

What did really happen?

How did I do it?

Why did I do it?

What do I feel about the situation?

Why did it feel like that?

What did I learn from what happened?

What should I have for that to not go that way?

What should I do in the future?

 

Conclusion

It is easy to identify the issues relating to the career when you are sensitive towards your career. An ‘issue’ is a basic idea a professional can have on some areas of his/her career. A research is always based on a problem.

When engaging in a profession, we become insensitive to problems.  Therefore, in order to avoid monotonous behavior, we have to look at our careers from a different point of view. By doing this we have to question ourselves. This can be called reflection.

We need reflection in order to identify the issues pertaining to our role.

 

 

References  

 Pesut, D.J & Herman, J. (1999).  Clinical reasoning: the art and science of critical and creative thinking. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning.

Schon, D.A (1983). The reflective practitioner. Basic Books.

Teekman, B (2000). Exploring reflective thinking in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31(5), 1125-1135.

 

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