Embracing Reflection

Ancient Greeks, apparently, inscribed the Temple of Apollo at Delphi with the timeless aphorism “Know Thyself”. It was meant as a warning to all those whose boasts exceed reality to engage in self-reflection and to discover the truth of who they are.

Thousands of years later, the concept of reflection is staging something of a comeback. After decades of assembly line-style learning focused on memorization and regurgitation, educators, employers and everyday people are rediscovering the role that reflection plays in deeper, more effective learning and more powerful personal and professional growth.

Indeed, reflection leads to growth of the whole individual – morally, personally, psychologically, and emotionally, as well as cognitively (Branch & Paranjape, 2002). By capturing all the evidence of continuous learning and life’s experiences, individuals are able to look back on these – whether a week later or decades later – to inform where they are in the present moment and the path they want to pursue moving forward.

All of us have had the experience of meeting an old friend for lunch – someone remembered fondly but whom you haven’t seen in years – and rediscovering lost memories. Those people remember you exactly as you were in a particular moment in time. You’re frozen and unchanged in their minds, and what they recall about you can serve as a powerful reminder of who you once were; what your dreams and aspirations might have been back then.

In the work environment, something of the reverse happens. Most employee evaluations will tend to focus on the last six-to-eight weeks of an evaluation period. It’s human nature. The people we see every day will tend to only remember that which unfolded more recently, forgetting the stuff that came earlier in the year. But, often, a person’s best work happens at multiple points throughout the year – in month one, say, or month six. And if in the last six weeks of an evaluation period a person’s contributions are their least effective, it’s just bad luck.

It is why developing a discipline around documenting the evidence of person’s lifelong learning and achievements, and regularly reflecting on those, is so important. The person we were 20 years ago might be vitally informative to the person we’re trying to become tomorrow. The accomplishments of month 1 in an evaluation period are as valid as those of month 12.

The instinct toward reflection, however, isn’t come by naturally. Which is why educators are increasingly concerned with incorporating reflection into the learning process from as early an age as possible. But weaving both self-reflection and collaboration with others – which encourages group introspection – into established pedagogies takes some effort. It also benefits from leveraging enabling technologies.

Both educators and employers encourage the use of blogs through WordPress. Individuals, educators and employers use Evernote to capture all of life’s minutes. Some are looking at how timelines in Facebook or LinkedIn, pin boards on Pinterest, and backward looks at Twitter feeds might help to inform introspection. And many are working with companies like mine to introduce portfolio learning and growth into the classroom and the workplace. Portfolios capture all of the above in a single, curated environment and are used to both teach and inculcate learning-by-doing, documentation and reflection.

This movement toward introspection is also a response to the demands of our times. Educators are now challenged to prepare students for a modern economy that increasingly values people who are able to constantly learn while adapting as circumstances require. Students and employees are similarly challenged to develop habits that enable creative thinking, self-promotion, and continual growth in a marketplace that evolves faster than ever before.

In other words, success in the Digital Age demands introspection and constant renewal. You must know thyself.