Going through the reader on Reflective Practice it occurred to me how Ive never really stopped and thought about how I reflect on my work or realised that I was even doing that.
I defiantly believe I have learnt from my experiences on a regular basis, I find I talk a lot when something has happened I like to explain my emotions and feelings I never tend to write anything down.
Being a dancer I do have to reflect on events in the moment and correct my work there and then, as this maybe creates little need to reflect after the event I still do reflect on everything for days to come, I almost over think and analyse everything.
'Dewey 1934' said that an interaction with the arts leads to a unique and valuable experience. If people had full experience with their lives they would be better able to be part of society. I do agree with this I feel this shows in children from an early age. I have been working with primary school children for some time and an impact the arts has on them reflects in there general studies and life skills. I opens them to fully engage with their lives and widens their experience.
I found 'kolbs learning cycle' very interesting. It gives you the tools to reflect on your experience and identify that you have in fact had one. Thinking about where I enter the cycle was difficult as we do all of the things. So I thought about when starting my blog, and I looked through other blogs firstly to get an idea and see how it was done, so this would start me in the cycle at Reflective observation. Which I think is true for work such as this where I had little previous experience on the task. However I don't feel I always enter the cycle at this stage I would normally enter at active experimentation, I like to be in the moment hands on learning almost trial and error. Maybe when i am uncertain of a situation, IE: starting a blog for the first time I lack confidence therefore entering at Reflective Observation so it gives me the opportunity to gain confidence by reviewing first. This is something I am going to watch and see if other experiences make me enter at a different point of the cycle.
I agree with 'garders 1983' view on multiple intelligence, I don't feel you can only learn in one way or a particular method, many factors influence the way I learn and I feel it all depends on the situation at hand. Many variants can spark my thoughts, light, sound, music, text, pictures,influences,peoples opinions,emotions. This makes me aware of the different ways I can turn my experience into learning.
I use interpersonal intelligence when in an interview or meeting with a new person, it makes me aware of what they are thinking and feeling in the situation it allows you to make judgement on how to react yourself, sensing emotions and understanding.
I would initially feel I learn best kinaesthetically being a dancer this is where i feel most comfortable therefore open to learning. However thinking into this I learn a lot visually again this comes from being a dancer from watching people move and express themselves, I love learning from seeing something it sparks my thoughts and I find this an easier way for things to be explained to me.
'Peter Honey 1982 and Alan Mumford's 1983' model is a very simple straight forward way of thinking about the cycle and your process I am going to keep this in mind when writing my journal.
I reflect in action being a performer and teacher, I have to solve problems improve and reflect there and then on the spot you couldn't carry on if you didn't do that. However do we still need to reflect on action, to make sure we have not missed anything and also giving us the chance to discuss with others and gain views and opinions, surely this would only enhance the reflection?
Stephanie Thomas made some great points on tacit knowledge on her blog, this really got me thinking and made me understand tacit knowledge as I was unaware it existed. I feel as a dancer I do use this without even realising. 'Twyla Tharps' quote on muscle memory explains tacit knowledge for dancers perfectly. After creating a dance piece yes I can explain my ideas and thoughts but at some point tacit knowledge really does take over and I cannot put into words everything, maybe it was the music, steps, images all things you cannot simply just explain in black and white. I feel a lot of experience you cannot explain, how could you that is what it was an experience, something that happened there in the moment sometimes for a straight forward reason that you can pass on and reflect in words, other times it is the feelings,emotions,senses,what you feel in your body that you cannot possible relive and put into text. So i feel tacit knowledge is vital in performers and probably takes over more than we can even realise.
I am now going to go on and explore ways I can reflect and try new things to see what effect they have on my reflective practice.
I am glad you found some of my post about Tacit Knowledge Interesting Leanne. I was interested to read in your post that we seem to have the same pattern as each other in relation to Kolb's Learning Cycle. Like you, I began my blog by looking at examples, very much Reflective Observation, but in the rehearsal room I am very much straight into active experimentation. (This is what I found it the Campus Session when we played a physical game). I wonder if this is a general habit of performers? Perhaps as we tend to be quite physical 'hands-on' people, we tend to go through the Abstract Conceptualism phase quite quickly, taking a look to get the idea then going for it almost straight away? I guess this is how it is for a dancer when you have to learn a new routine in an audition. Maybe people who are more academic spend longer on the abstract conceptualism phase, considering their ideas more carefully before experimenting...do you agree?
ReplyDeleteLeanne - are there any specific examples form your workplace that your can describe in terms of the theories you have reviewed? It sounds like you were thinking of examples but if you go ahead and describe them - not naming names as necessary - we (the reader) can follow your review a bit better. For example- Gardner's multiple intelligences?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment stephanie, yes i completlty agree i am definatly aware of when and how i use active experimentaion, but the blogs brought to my attention how i did use reflective observation, so like you say we almost skim over abstract conceptualisation to get straight to active experimentation where we feel comfortable to get stuck in. So maybe by paying more detail and attention to the process of abstract conceptualisation this could help our learning process further? Something im going to make myself aware of and explore.
ReplyDeleteThank you Paula yes reading over it again now i havnt used my experience and made you aware of the conclusions from my workplace that have taken me to these reviews. I will use that in my next blog where i will expand on this one.