Reflection/Lessons Learned
Schön (1983) describes two types of reflection:
reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action.
Reflection-in-action helps us as we complete a
task. It is that process that allows us
to reshape what we are working on, while we are working on it. It is that on-going experimentation that
helps us find a viable solution. In
this, we do not use a “trial-and-error” method.
Rather, our actions are much more reasoned and purposeful than
that. If something isn’t working
correctly (doesn’t seem right, doesn’t seem to move you closer to the goal)
then you “reflect” (a conscious activity) in the action-present. A critical aspect is the questioning of the
assumptional nature of knowing-in-action (KIA), where KIA is not the action
itself, but what that action really indicates that we know. In other words, knowing-in-action is often
that tacit information that we know about doing something—it is often left
unexplained or unmentioned when we describe what we do. It is revealed in skillful performance. Reflecting-in-action is generally called
forth when a surprise appears in the process of accomplishing the task. And that surprise causes one to question how
the surprise occurred given our usual thinking process.
As you work
on your projects you should reflect-in-action.
Many of the “surprises” you will encounter will appear because the
knowing-in-action on which you draw is largely skills that you perhaps
developed in other fields. Thus, the
surprises occur because your old model doesn’t work without modification for
the new task. You reflect-in-action and
find out what is different and how you can change your thinking to address this
new task.
Reflection-on-action in our design projects is
provided by final reflection papers, portions of design documents titled
“lessons learned,” and also any time (written or otherwise) in which you
evaluate your own process (this is actually a critical part of the design
process and should well be incorporated into your design documents). “We reflect on action, thinking back
on what we have done in order to discover how our knowing-in-action may have
contributed to an unexpected outcome” (Schön, 1983, p. 26).
So, how do you reflect-on-action? How do you write lessons learned or a
reflection paper?
1.
Start by choosing
a critical incident. This incident could
be something that you believe you finally did correctly after much ado
or it could be something that even in the end you believe you didn’t do very
well (in that case, the incident is that you turned in something that you were
not pleased with). This incident will
likely be reflected somewhere in your process documents—maybe it is a poor
learner analysis or a schedule that was never adhered to.
2.
Then, think about
the components of that incident from two different time frames. For example, if it’s something with which you
struggled and were proud of the accomplishment in the end, try to find that
“light bulb” that helped you make sense of it.
Then, what was it like before that time and what was it like after that
time. If it’s something that you still
did not master, think about what you did and what you would have like to have
done. Write up that personal discussion
(a reflection paper will be a conversation with yourself in a way).
3.
Next, discuss the
thinking process that either existed, or needed to exist, between the
two time frames. What was not right in
the knowing-in-action? See if you can
find specific examples to link in this discussion. And, draw on your resources (book, articles,
etc.) that help explain the incident.
4.
Finally, wrap it
all up. Summarize your lesson. In other words, what have you learned so next
time your knowing-in-action (or at least your reflection-in-action) will be
different and will reflect your new understanding?
Reference
Schön, D. A. (1987). Teaching artistry through
reflection-in-action. In Educating
the reflective practitioner (pp. 22-40).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
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