The Role of Reflection
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.”
John Dewey
What is reflection?
I think one of the most important aspects of life is learning. Learning can be formal, in a classroom. Or informal, in a casual conversation with a friend. No matter how you learn, you should always take a moment to reflect.
Reflection can be defined as the moments in which you think deeply about an experience you had and how it relates to you.
Reflection typically incorporates three elements: having an experience, such as helping your grandmother make strawberry jam. Then you reflect on that experience, where you ask yourself questions (what did I just learn? How can I do it again without grandma there?). Then after reflecting, you go try that experience again.
The key element in it experiencing something and learning from it, is that reflection part. When you don’t take the time to reflect on your experience, you probably didn’t learn anything that will stick with you or impact you enough so that the next time that you experience it again, you are better prepared or can make a positive impact.
Many theorists have explored experiences and reflection. Two of my most favorite theorists are John Dewey and David Kolb. Their theories guide a lot of what university professors, elementary school teachers, and informal educators use to help people through the reflection process. Which is one of the hardest, yet crucial pieces of learning.
The idea of having an experience, reflecting on it, and trying the experience again, is why I find hands-on experiences so important in learning.
So how do you reflect?
Reflection can happen in many different ways. For some people, it is verbally talking about it with a friend. For others it is writing it down in a journal, keeping it to themselves. A lot of the time, we are reflecting and we don’t even know we’re doing it!
But if you have an experience that important or meaningful to you, it is a good idea to reflect on the process so you are better prepared for life.
When you reflect, you want to ask yourself some questions. Sometimes guided questions can help you, either from a friend or a resource you found on the internet. Sometimes the questions are those that you create while you’re in the process of the experience. Here a few that are very common to start the reflection process…
- How did this experience make me feel?
- What are some specific things that I learned?
- What would I do differently next time?
- Who can I talk to more about this?
- How can I make things better for the future?
You can in reflect many different ways. You can verbally talk it through with someone, like a friend or a therapist. You can write it down, either written words in a journal or drawing or create a beautiful painting. You can even exercise, like going for a walk or pushing through a strength workout.
Many people find adult coloring books very therapeutic. Probably because they are reflecting and taking time to process their thoughts while they actively process their thoughts.
How I reflect
For me personally, reflection comes in various forms. It really depends on the type experience that I had. For example, if I experience a physical skill, I usually need to talk about it verbally with someone. Asking myself and my instructor questions (is that the correct way? should I try holding the saw differently next time? how can I include this skill the next time I do this?).
Other times, I reflect on a cognitive experience. For example, some of my deepest reflections happen after I read a book. You can learn SO much by reading a book. Fiction or non-fiction, there is a story to be told and an experience to be had and reflected on.
When I read, I am immersed in another world. A world that is only between me and the author. I can get so into a book that I can feel the feelings of the characters. It’s like I am experiencing hurt, happiness, and excitement!
It is these experiences that I reflect on most. The experiences that characters have that I am able to reflect on them as if they have happened to me.
Oftentimes, I picture how they relate to my actual life and what is happening in the world today. That is typically how I process things, by reading experiences and stories and seeing how they apply to my life.
This is why I started this blog. To connect with and reflect on the stories I read and my real-life experiences. These blog reflections help me make meaning of what is going on around me, especially the things I cannot control.
I hope that these reflections can help you process things you are experiencing too!