Reflective practice can be defined in as many ways as there are advocates for it, primarily because the nature of reflective practice is to reflect upon experiences to deepen one’s situational understanding and better inform future decisions (Moniz & Ng, 2023; Schön, 1982; Slesser et al., n.d.; Visser, 2011). These decisions can range in complexity from how to design the restructuring of an organization, how to enhance a student’s learning experience, to how you interact with the person you order your coffee from everyday. While the applications and definitions of reflective practice are broad, there are key themes recommended by recognized experts in the field such as Donald Schön, John Dewey, and others. We are going to explore these themes and how utilizing your portfolio as a tool for reflective practice can promote personal growth as a climate action leader.
Reflective practice can be defined in a multitude of ways, a common definition of reflective practice is that structured reflection on one’s practice will promote continuous learning (Slesser et al., n.d). Going deeper, there are components and levels of reflective activity that trend through the definitions such as reflection-in-action, reflection-in-practice, and knowing- in-action (Visser, 2011). Reflection-in-action can be defined as reflecting congruently with action as situations present themselves resulting in experiments to generate new understandings and potential outcomes (Visser, 2011; Schön, 1982; Slessor et al., n.d.). Simplified, this can be defined as the process of thinking on ones-feet when presented with an unexpected situation or outcome. Reflection-in-practice can be viewed as a component of reflection-in-action, the thinking that occurs while you are on your feet. It is the capacity to improvise, or reflect while in action, based off previous experiences and understanding (Visser, 2011; Moniz & Ng, 2023). While reflection-in-practice is the capacity to react to unexpected situations, knowing-in-action is knowing how to do all the steps up to the unexpected circumstance (Visser, 2011) gained from past experiences. These components seem to be more action oriented than reflective, but they can also be seen as varying levels of reflection that become more natural with increased experience. I interpret these components of reflective practices as indicators of progression towards field mastery. This is supported by Schön (1983, p.59) who states that there will be a conversion from “knowing-in-action to knowledge-in-action” as one becomes more experienced in their field of expertise. Thus, leading me to think that how someone defines reflective practice will evolve, and also be unique to that individual and their current level of professional mastery.
Determining one’s level of professional mastery can be difficult as items transfer from knowing-in-action to knowledge-in-action making them seem like second nature. Professional portfolio’s can help determine your level of mastery, two of these benefits occur in the generation and end-product stages. Firstly, it creates a linear timeline of undertakings and advancements while secondly, and more importantly, results in the formation of a timeline that promotes reflective thought on undertakings and their outcomes while being generated (Miller & Morgaine, 2009). Focus will be on the benefits of reflective practice upon one’s professional journey in the climate action field which is steadily evolving due to scientific advancements and changing climates. Moniz & Ng (2023, p.2) argue that performing reflective practice will expand current areas of knowledge to be more accepting on “…”not knowing” and “not being able to know”…”. This is needed when leading climate action due to high levels of unpredictability and uncertainty that can result in inaction due to becoming overwhelmed (Kearns, 2021). With this in mind, reflecting on experiences where action was taken, despite uncertainties and their outcomes, will help translate into an increased capacity to reflect in practice when the need arises.
Stories and journalling created in reflective practice can help promote personal growth by creating a better understanding of difficult topics. Thus, allowing for increased capacity for the navigation of difficult topics that could be traumatizing such as climate event impacts or being met with resistance through climate change deniers (Moniz & Ng, 2023; Sium & Ritskes, 2013). Furthermore, Herranz (2014) says creating stories not only helps us form, but also reconstructs memories. This results in personal growth due to increased capacity for the unknown, resiliency to re-traumatization, and the reconstruction of our memories that can help avoid potential in-action due to high levels of uncertainty in the field of climate action.
While I was aware of the benefits of reflective practice to further and deepen one’s understanding, I had not connected its similarity to story telling until reading Moniz & Ng (2023) where they mention that stories can refine ways of knowing and thinking. This connection linked reflective practice with storey telling for me, a powerful tool used to increase resiliency and navigate traumatic experiences (Kearns, 2021; Sium & Ritskes, 2013) used to lead climate action. This has broadened my definition of reflective practice to include its ability to deepen one’s knowledge and understanding while increasing resiliency to negative impacts through the reflection on past experiences better preparing you for future impacts.
References
Kearns, F. (2021, May). Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: A Guide to Effective Engagement. Island Press.
Miller, R., & Morgaine, W. (2009). The Benefits of E-portfolios for Students and Faculty in Their Own Words. Peer Review, 11(1), 8-12. https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/benefits-e-portfolios-students-and-faculty-their-own-words
Moniz, T., & Ng, S. (2023, December 1). Towards a culture and pedagogy of reflection. Association for the Study of Medical Education and John Wiley & Sons LTD. DOI: 10.1111/medu.15303
Schön, D. (1982). The reflective practitioner. Basic Books Inc. ISBN 0-465-06874-X
Sium, A., & Ritskes, E. (2013, May 9). Speaking Truth to Power: Indigenous Storytelling as an act of Living Resistance. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, Vol.2 , No.1, 2013, pp. I-X. https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/19626/16256
Slesser, S., Morago, P., Bruce, L., & Macmillan, M. (n.d.). Reflective practice. Iriss.https://content.iriss.org.uk/reflectivepractice/glossary.html
TEDx. (2014, October 24). Why everything is a story | Cesar Perez Herranz [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3InAj96h06k
Visser, W. (2011, June 29). Schon: Design as a reflective practice. Art + Design & Psychology. 2, 21-25. https://inria.hal.science/inria-00604634