Reflective Practice: A Life Changer

Making the same mistakes. Cycles that don’t get broken. Lesson that are never learnt. The very definition of insanity is to do the same things again and expect a different outcome. The desire of a parent for their children: Learn from our mistakes but at the very least learn from your own. But humans are creatures of habit. We have set responses and ingrained reactions – we are probably the most traumatized generation of our time – anything can trigger and everything feels overwhelming. What then is the answer to breaking cycles and walking into long lasting change? You learn…and fast.

The ability to look objectively and introspectively inward – to analyze one’s own actions and evaluate your experiences instead of shrugging your shoulders and moving forward without even a look- will start to turn the tide and slowly but surely meaningful change will occur. John Dewey coined the phrase reflective thinking and is often referred to as the founder of reflective practice. Groundbreaking in nature it wasn’t only about what humans think, but how humans think about thinking. Looking beyond the surface and deciphering how all the cogs work together.

Reflective thinking gives you the hind-sight view – if I knew I wouldn’t have. It gives you the ability to make different choices and to identify weaknesses and areas of vulnerability. This practice is life saving often used in post-surgery reviews where surgeons discuss every detail of a procedure gone wrong in the hope to learn and not repeat the same mistake in the future. NASA’s safety reforms after the Challenger disaster led to changes made in safety oversight processes, improving the communication from engineers and the implementation of independent reviews for accountability. Without a doubt this made future space missions safer. Learning from failure can be the door into true transformation.

Reflective thinking is deliberate – not leaving anything up to chance – doing due diligence to analyse past actions with the aim of improving decision-making in the future. This practice has shaped how we lead, the field of science and even history. Why take the time to reflect on purpose – you want to learn as much as you can about yourself and the circumstances. You reflect as you do – during the process you often stop and evaluate – and you reflect after the fact. The process is rather simple yet the results are profound.

Graham Gibbs created a model that is simple enough to apply today:

1.      What happened?

2.      What was my reaction and feelings?

3.      What worked and what didn’t?

4.      Why did it happen?

5.      What did I learn?

6.      What would I change if I got a do over?

This type of thinking is a process and not just casually thinking about it. Being in education I can see the value of reflective thinking in my everyday practice. If a teacher or staff member is unable to evaluate and analyse their own thoughts and actions – it makes it difficult to develop in that area. It matters and it’s often the first step to meaningful change. Break the cycle. Continuously grow and improve in life. Develop your thinking beyond the surface and watch your leadership skills blossom.

Are you willing to change the course of history? Pause. Reflect. Change. If you reflected on today, what would you do differently tomorrow?

“We do not learn from experiences – we learn from reflecting on experiences.” (Dewey, 1933)

“It is not sufficient to have an experience to learn. Without reflecting on this experience, it may quickly be forgotten.” (Gibbs, 1988)

Perhaps it's time to look closer – GIEAM.org 'session 1' helps you do exactly that. Managing Your Own Life helps you step back with practical guidance to help you pause and reflect. Ultimately, you’re empowered beyond your frustration and finally the door is opened to hope.

Session 1 | Giving It Everything and More Coaching