The reflective process must be more than thinking about things as you drive home (Bassot, 2016). Reflective practice is about taking a deeper look, setting aside time to critically reflect on events. Bassot mentions a useful definition from Lucas (1991) arguing that it involves a systematic enquiry to improve and deepen our understanding of practice.
Of Gaithiry Chandran’s 6 characteristics of a reflective practitioner, one that stood out for me was ’Knowledge – The effects of progress and change on adults while receiving more knowledge.’ Acquiring knowledge without reflection can lead you on a wild goose chase. Learning without direction whilst never a complete loss and can sometimes lead to unexpected opportunities; can also leave you floating down the stream in a canoe without a paddle. Reflecting on knowledge learnt helps identify goals and plan the pathways to take in order to fulfill them.
Having a clear goal helps to identify people that are interested in similar avenues. Building relationships is another characteristic of a reflective practitioner according to Chandran. Having clear goals can lead to building empowering relationships that help to identify alternative career paths, give and receive inspiration and motivation to succeed. Conferences and meetups give me the opportunity to meet new people, converse with peers and participate in new learning. Social networks and online groups help to maintain connections when meeting in person is not convenient.
Bassot, B., 2016. The Reflective Practice Guide: An interdisciplinary approach to critical reflection. New York: Routiedge.
Chandran, G., 2014. Prezi.com. [Online]
Available at: https://prezi.com/oc5uemczmewu/characteristics-of-reflective-practitioner-and-good-thinker/ [Accessed 6 December 2019].
Moon, J. A., 2006. Learning Journals: A Handbook of Reflective Practice and. 2 ed. New York: Routledge.
Sellers, M., 2017. Reflective Practice for Teachers. 2 ed. s.l.:SAGE.