Reflective Learning for Development Practitioners
Florence Randari
Empowering development teams to drive sustainable change through Learning and Adaptive Management | Founder: The Learn Adapt Manage (LAM) Network
We do not learn from experience ... we learn from reflecting on experience. (John Dewey)
Hello and welcome to the 16th Edition of #LearnAdaptManage. Thank you to our 3,550 subscribers for joining us on our journey to use #evidence to inform decisions and actions in #internationaldevelopment. ?? Click the subscribe button on the upper right corner to join us!
In the last couple of years, I have come to appreciate the importance of reflection, especially in our work. When trying to 'solve' world problems, the least you can do is agree that they are complex and constantly review how things are working and the effects they are causing.
In today's edition, I will share some key definitions of reflection, reflective thinking, and reflective learning as a start. Many of the references I use are borrowed from the education sector space.
What is reflection?
What is not reflection?
Several activities linked to reflection are not reflection. Reflecting is not merely the act of talking, meeting with your team, meeting with a supervisor, or writing about your day; these activities can become reflective if you use them to assess your practice analytically and develop insights. (hcpc)
Why reflect? (University of Hull)
1) Consider the process of our own learning. Think about how you learn to improve this process. This is particularly useful for revision.
2) Critically review something. Think about a particular event or personal aspect. This could be your own behavior, that of others, or the product of behavior.
3) Build theory from observations. Think about your experiences and observations to construct your own theories. Often, we use other authors' theories, allowing us to construct our own.
4) Engage in personal or self-development. Reflection is focused on producing useful outcomes in the future. It can help you become more self-aware and make you a better learner, researcher, practitioner, or employee.
5) Make decisions or resolve uncertainty. Thinking about previous experiences can help you make decisions about new ones
What is reflective thinking?
Reflective thinking is consciously thinking about and analyzing what you are currently doing, what you have previously done, what you have experienced, and what and how you have learned.
How to practice reflective thinking (MasterClass)
1. Define the problem. Reflective thinking encourages strategic questions that address specific needs. Clearly defining the problem will make it easier to consider possible solutions to fulfill needs.
2. Analyze the problem. Reflective thinking skills prioritize deliberation over rushed answers. Think of previous steps taken to address the problem at hand. Identify what was learned from prior attempts and consider which actions were successful.
3. Name the needs for the solution. After thinking about the intricacies of the problem, write down what core needs will be instrumental in finding a solution. You can accomplish this through journaling, meditation, or other contemplative exercises that focus on deliberate steps for success.
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4. Tease out possible solutions. With your solution requirements written or thought out, generate possible solutions. Walk yourself through the possible outcomes of your proposed solutions to see where they lead you and what further questions they may generate.
5. Choose the best solution available. Finally, reflective thinking concludes with choosing and enacting the most logical and advantageous solution. Pursue this solution; the outcome will become the basis for a fresh learning cycle for future problems.
What is reflective learning?
There are a couple of approaches to reflective learning, including the Five (5) Rs of reflective practice developed by Bain et al. (2002). I shared details on this in a previous LinkedIn post, which I added below.
Thank you for reading this far! This edition introduced the definitions and theory behind reflective thinking and reflective learning. This provides a good foundation for our discussions on how to apply this to our work as development practitioners in the coming editions.
If you enjoyed this edition, please share it with others in your network for greater reach and to continue building the LAM community!
PS: Have you applied some reflective learning practices in your work?
Florence Randari is an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) professional who has built effective monitoring and learning systems and processes for programs across East Africa for almost a decade. Her expertise lies in helping teams develop and maintain a learning and adaptive management culture that ultimately leads to tangible improvements in program impact. She is the founder of Learn Adapt Manage (LAM).
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10 个月It was interesting