Reflective Practice - What do you know?

Reflective practice is primarily focused on individuals reflecting on their own experiences, actions, and decisions to gain insights and learning from them. It's about personal growth and improvement rather than immediate problem-solving, assessing others, or achieving organisational goals.

Reflective practice involves components like self-awareness, critical thinking, and continuous improvement. It doesn't involve mindlessly repeating past actions without thoughtful examination and adaptation.

Donald Schön's model distinguishes between reflection-in-action (thinking and adapting during the action) and reflection-on-action (reflecting on past actions after the fact) as two crucial types of reflection.

Double-loop learning goes beyond just correcting actions or mistakes. It involves questioning and challenging the underlying assumptions, beliefs, and values that inform one's actions, promoting deeper learning and change.

A reflective journal is a tool used to explore and record one's thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It aids in deepening self-awareness and understanding.

Feedback in reflective practice serves as an external perspective that validates or challenges one's self-reflection. It helps individuals gain a more comprehensive view of their actions and decisions.

Resistance to change is a common challenge because introducing reflective practices often requires individuals and organisations to adapt their routines and attitudes, which can be met with resistance.

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a structured framework for reflection that guides individuals through a series of steps to facilitate a systematic and comprehensive analysis of an experience or event.

Reflective practice often emphasizes tacit knowledge, which is the knowledge that is difficult to articulate but is based on personal experience and intuition. It's highly valuable in learning from one's actions and decisions.

The primary goal of reflective practice in a professional context is personal and professional development. It aims to help individuals identify areas for improvement and enhance their skills and performance, rather than assigning blame or maintaining the status quo.