Task 2c Reflective Theory

Task 2c Reflective Theory 

My experience of Reflective Practice

Reflective practice is a method I have used throughout my training, it refers to the observations we make of our daily experiences and how we analyse and learn from them. Different 

methods of reflective practice have been developed by John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, David Kolb, Donald A Schon, and Jennifer Moon.

By reflecting on past experiences I have been able to develop my skills, as an individual as well as a performer. I am able to look back at times in my life that were good and sometimes not so good, and use these experiences to help me become a stronger person. Through researching the methods that others have used to reflect I now feel able to explore them on a much deeper level. If you fail to admit an experience was bad then you will not learn anything from this and reflecting on experiences should allow you to find the positive within the negative, "turning experience into learning" (Boud, 1995). Keeping a journal and writing things down really helps me to see the bigger picture. It is easier to adopt the practise of daily reflection rather than leaving it for a few days when the attention to detail of events may not be so fresh in your mind.

John Dewey

John Dewey (1859-1952) was an American philosopher and educator. His main thread of interest can be indicated from the quote below;

The Common theme underlying Dewey's philosophy was his belief that a democratic society of informed and engaged inquirers was the best means of promoting human interests. 

(Gouinlock, 2010 on https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Dewey )

The idea of experience fascinated Dewey and how we as individuals can gain from that experience through the process of reflection. Personally I can relate to Dewey's theory that art should not be something that is admired only at the finished product as this distances from the rest of the world and Dewey believes that it is only through exploring the experience of how it evolves can a connection between creator and its surroundings develop on a deeper level.

Kurt Lewin

Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) was a social psychologist known for his theory of behaviour. He believed that unusual human behaviour was a response to environmental factors and an individual's self perception. Lewin used topical systems to convey his views. He can be recognised for his Theory of Change which he divided into 3 stages.

Stage 1: Unfreezing

This is the stage at which a person prepares for change. Lewin developed the Force Field Analysis as a way to refer to all the surrounding factors which either encourage or discourage someone to embark on their journey of change.

Stage 2: Change or Transition

This is literally the point at which someone makes a transition towards their direction. This stage can be an extremely challenging and daunting one, as often there is a lot of fear surrounding change which must be overcome.

Stage 3: Freezing or Refreezing

This is the stage at which having made the change, a person re establishes stability with these changes in place. This point occurs when the changes have been fully accepted and embraced.

David Kolb

With the work and theories of Dewey and Lewin, David Kolb created his own theory of learning with a cycle. The cycle is divided into categories (see below) and is designed to help an individual to understand how they learn and at what stage they begin their learning. Everyone learns in a different way and therefore enters the cycle at a different stage.

Donald A. Schön

Donald Schön (1930-1997) became famous for his work in the development of reflective practice and learning. Schön's two most influential theories were the 'double loop learning theory' and the theory of 'reflection in and on action.' The double loop learning theory refers to the approach taken to learning from an error. A single loop approach would be to look for another strategy which will ultimately address the problem within the governing variables. Where as the double loop approach is to question the governing variables and critically analyse them. Ultimately resulting in a greater degree of change and learning.

Reflection in action refers to our ability to learn whilst in the process of our task, to self analyse, and think on our feet. In order to achieve this we must use the knowledge that we have already gathered and assimilated. For example, whilst performing on stage we may come across occasions when the performance isn’t going as planned for example a smaller stage, slippy flooring or even costume malfunctions. In these instances we much execute Schön’s reflection in action and think quickly on our feet to deal with the situation as professionally as possible. 

Jennifer Moon

Jennifer Moon has worked across all levels of education, professional development and counselling. She has written a number of books exploring the theories of reflection from journal writing, practical experience and tacit knowledge. Moon looks at the processes, goals and methods of reflection on different types of situations. She believes that we need to acknowledge our experiences in order to reflect and learn from them. The idea that when our reflections are put into words they are 'real' and that they have understanding and meaning in them that are important to access is at the forefront of her research.

Muscle memory

As a dancer I feel much connected and in touch with my body than perhaps a ‘normal person’ would and the feeling of being able to let go and truly give my self to the audience so something I crave. My body is my instrument and I like to be able to get to a stage where I can fully embody the choreography I am performing. Most recently I found that this is not always the case as often there are last minute casting changes or injuries and you can find yourself learning a role during the dress rehearsal. I really connected with this quote from Twyla Tharp describing musical memory; 

Muscle memory is one of the more valuable forms of memory, especially to a performer. It's the notion that after diligent practice and repetition of certain physical movements, your body will remember those moves, years, even decades, after you cease doing them. In the dance world, muscle memory comes into play everyday; we couldn't survive without it. (Tharp and Reiter, 2006,p 64)

Bibliographies 

Books 

Dewey, John, (2005) Art as Experience, first published 1934, second Perigee edition. New York: Perigee Publishing Group

Moon, Jennifer A (2004) A handbook of reflective and experiential learning, theory and practice, Oxon: Routledge Falmer

Tharp, Twyla and Mark Reiter (2006) The Creative Habit, second edition, New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks

Schon, A Donald (1983) The reflective practitioner, United States of America: Basic Books, Inc.

Websites

Connelly, Mark (No date) The Kurt Lewin change management model (online) Available from http://www.change-management-coach.com/kurt_lewin.html Accessed 6^th Dec 2016

Gouinlock, James, S (2010) John Dewey:American philosopher and educator (online),Encyclopedia Britannica. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Dewey Accessed 2nd Oct 2017

No specific author (No date) Learning Theories: Experiential learning (Kolb) (online) Available from: https://www.learning-theories.com/experiential-learning-kolb.html Accessed 2nd Oct 2017

Smith M.K (2011) Donald Schon: learning, reflection and change (online) The Encyclopedia of Informal Education. Available from: http://infed.org/mobi/donald-schon-learning-reflection-change/ Accessed 2nd Oct 2017