In a previous article, I wrote of the importance of reflective practice as a piece of the learning puzzle (Read More). As John Dewey shares, "we do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience". I wrote that "If we genuinely value reflective practice, we need to take a more proactive approach. Instead of leaving it to chance and hoping our students will make the right moves, we need to build reflection into our teaching and their learning." I suggested that the Eight Cultural Forces, as explained by Ron Ritchhart, are an excellent tool for ensuring reflection is an enculturated part of our classroom and school culture. Building on from the ideas in this article I'd like to suggest that there is another step we can take towards ensuring meaningful reflection is not just something we do but is a part of who we are.
To ensure reflective practice is more than an activity added to our schedule, we need to take a reflective stance.
Too often, reflection becomes the thing we do at the end of a task or the end of the day. We look back and contemplate what was, and with that in mind, we look forward to what we might do differently next time. It is in this way a very reactionary process. By all means, this form of reflection has its place, and it can be a powerful strategy to deploy as we seek to learn from experience. If we value reflective practice, we will be sure to set aside time for this form of reflection on a routine basis. By engaging in reflection habitually, we ensure that it is a routine part of our day.
But adopting a reflective stance can make this more powerful.
A reflective stance requires a deliberate effort to move away from reflection being the activity that terminates our learning journey. Instead, it becomes something that we are routinely engaged with before, during and at the end of our learning. It means that we not only allocate time to the practice of reflection but that we understand its value as a cognitive tool that empowers our learning.
A reflective stance moves us from behaviours towards metacognition.
Metacognition is defined within Habits of Mind, by Costa & Kallick as "Thinking about thinking. Know your knowing. Be aware of your own thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions - and how they affect others." According to Costa & Kallick "metacognition, or thinking about thinking, is our ability to know what we know and what we don't know. It is our ability to plan a strategy for producing the information that is needed, to be conscious of our own steps and strategies during the act of problem solving, and to reflect on and evaluate the productiveness of our own thinking. . . . Intelligent people plan for, reflect on, and evaluate the quality of their own thinking skills and strategies." As with each of the 'Habits of Mind', and dispositions more broadly, metacognition thrives when there is an inclination to deploy the habit based on a sensitivity to its value and commitment to developing the capability.
If we are to maximise the benefits of metacognition, we must be aware of our ability to plan for purposeful and effective thinking. We must then monitor the effects that our thinking is having in the moment and be aware of how our thinking and acting is evolving. Finally, we also then take time to reflect on both the evolving processes of our learning journey and the results thusly achieved. In an article for "Improve with Metacognition", Costa & Kallick identify the need for planning for thinking to be combined with self-monitoring through consciously looking forward and looking back. End of day or end of task reflective practices are overly reliant on the efficacy of one part of this process; looking back.
A reflective stance allows for each part of this reflective process in ways that habitual, end of day practices do not. A reflective stance includes mindful attention in advance of cognitive activity, during cognitive activity and as reflection on cognitive activity. A reflective stance becomes an ongoing cycle of planning, noticing and reflecting on the efficacy of our thinking and acting.
A reflective stance doesn't mean we are forever analysing our thinking.
Engaging in full-blown, mindful metacognition all of the time would be exhausting and largely pointless. "Thinking, Fast & Slow", by Daniel Kahnemann invites us to see our thinking as being a result of two metaphorical systems. "System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. System 2 allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations." Each system has its advantages and disadvantages, and in most cases, we shift between the two effortlessly and seamlessly, one supporting the other.
Consider the task of driving. For the experienced driver, it is normal to travel great distances with the task of managing the vehicle, navigating the roads and avoiding obstacles with our minds in autopilot. Only when the task requires heightened concentration, do we become focused on the task and fully aware of the choices we are making. When we reflect on our journey, we will recall these moments in vivid detail while others are not recalled at all. The same is true of much of the thinking that occurs throughout our day. However, when we adopt a reflective stance, we plan for the times when we will deliberately engage our full mental capacities and the moments where we will notice how our thinking is evolving and the effect that has. Because we value our reflective practices, we take actions to ensure we will have the impact we desire and that we notice the actions and thoughts that we deployed towards this goal. We are not leaving things to chance; we are planning for and monitoring which system we require.
Our reflective stance will also enhance how we learn in the future.
As noted, we learn from reflecting on experience. When we adopt a reflective stance, we recognise the benefits of particular patterns of action and thought. By recognising these patterns and the impact that they have in the moment, and by then reflecting upon our noticings, we allow ourselves to incorporate the more effective patterns into our future planning and refine or abandon those that are not working.
A reflective stance requires a commitment and a valuing of reflective practice as more than a set of behaviours we schedule into our day. The fullest benefits of a reflective stance are achieved when we plan for notice and reflect upon our actions and then use the information gained as a result to inform our future choices.
By Nigel Coutts
Read this article in Portuguese - Leia este artigo em Portugues
Read - Playing with Habits of Mind
Explore - Strategies & Routines that Support Metacognition
Costa, A. & Kallick, B. (2008) Learning and leading with habits of mind: 16 essential characteristics for success. ASCD, USA
Costa, A & Kallick, B. (2015) Metacognition: What Makes Humans Unique https://www.improvewithmetacognition.com/metacognition-what-makes-humans-unique/
Kahnemann, D. (2012) Thinking, Fast And Slow. Penguin, Random House Books; UK