We do not learn from experience... We learn from reflecting on experience

<figure><img alt="ReflectingOnExperience.png" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/50f36339e4b07e77c4681bee/1574590138857-HVGDMMI5X5IXD8UQSOAS/ReflectingOnExperience.png"></figure>It is difficult to understate the importance of reflective practice for learning. Dewey states that "We do not learn from experience. . . we learn from reflecting on experience", and it is worth taking time to consider the implications of this. How might we maximise the benefits of reflective practise amidst the many competing pressures we confront?In the typical school day, students bounce from one experience to the next. They begin the day with an engaging experience in their mathematics class. From there, they bounce to an English lesson where they are enthralled by a rich discussion of an author's meaning. Later in the day, they bounce into a science lab where they wonder about the nature of chemical reactions before bouncing down the hall for a trip back in time as they ponder the implication of great moments in History. Each experience presents opportunities to build new knowledge, skills and dispositions. Students head off to bed after their busy day of experiences and awake with minds like clean slates ready for another day of experiences.Sadly most of these experiences have little of the lasting impact we had hoped they might. Certainly part of this is due to the lack of time to genuinely reflect upon the learning we have engaged in.It is difficult to blame our students for their failure to reflect upon their learning. The very nature of the typical school day makes this challenging for even the most committed learner. All that bouncing from experience to experience ensures that by the time they finish their day and have time to reflect, they are relying on a jumbled mess of memories. Without time to reflect immediately after a learning experience, there is little hope that we will develop in our minds a coherent cognitive schema or that we connect new learning with old in a cohesive manner.If we genuinely value reflective practise, 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.<figure><img alt="8CulturalForces.png" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/50f36339e4b07e77c4681bee/1574590201821-FIM3NUK5G2AP4GYJ6YIG/8CulturalForces.png"></figure>As with so many vital aspects of teaching and learning the eight cultural forces, as identified by Ron Ritchhart, have a valuable part to play. The eight forces shape the culture of our classroom and are an excellent place to start if we hope to maximise the benefits of reflective practice.<OL><LI>Time: Reflection takes time, but if the only time we allocate to it is home learning time, we should not be surprised when it is ineffective. Reflection is best when it begins immediately, and adjacent to the experience we are reflecting on. If we let our students leave our classroom without time to reflect upon their learning, we have missed an opportunity.</LI><LI>Opportunities: In a similar manner, our students need to be given opportunities to reflect upon their learning. We plan their learning experiences with great care and so should do the same for the practice of reflection. Just as we consider how students engage with stimulus materials or demonstrate newly acquired skills, we should plan for appropriate opportunities for reflection.</LI><LI>Expectations: Do we expect our students to reflect on their learning or is it a nice bonus if they do? When we expect students to be reflective practitioners (and demonstrate this through the allocation of time to it) we send a clear message that we value it appropriately.</LI><LI>Modelling: When do our students see adults, especially teachers, reflecting on their learning? If the answer is almost never, how might we change this? What opportunities might we make to join with our students in reflective practice such that they see what it looks like for an experienced learner?</LI><LI>Routines: When we make reflection a routine part of our classroom, we ensure it is valued. Schools run on routines and have a routine for everything that is important. If we don't have routines for reflective practice, but we do have routines for putting our bags on a hook, do we truly value reflection?</LI><LI>Language: Our students benefit from learning a language that supports their reflective practice. This might be as simple as a set of questions we ask as we reflect. Of these, perhaps the most powerful are versions of "What makes you say or think that?". It is also advantageous to consider how our thinking has changed through the use of routines such as "I used to think... but now I think . . ."</LI><LI>Interactions: Creating a safe space in which to reflect, occurs as a result of the positive interactions we have with our students. If in our interactions with students, we send the message that we seek only correct answers or responses that stroke our fragile egos, student reflections will be shallow and false. When we value genuine reflections, we also value students sharing their misunderstandings and the times when our teaching missed the mark. How we respond will set the tone and either encourage continued reflection or put a quick end to it.</LI><LI>Environment: Are our physical spaces conducive of reflection? Do we have space away from noise and distraction? Are there calm spaces where individuals might be alone with their thought? Do our walls share examples of our reflective practice or only samples of finished work that suggest the learning ceases when the assignment is published?</LI></OL> The key is to consider how each of the eight cultural forces can be used to understand and shape how reflection is supported in your context. They are not a quick fix, band-aid solution but a way towards a culture that values all forms of thinking, including reflection. If we want the teaching we do to have a lasting impact and we agree with Dewey that learning is a consequence of reflection, we will make an effort to ensure it is an integral part of our practice.By Nigel Coutts<h3 dir="ltr">Suggested Next Read - <a href="https://thelearnersway.net/ideas/2020/11/23/taking-a-reflective-stance" dir="ltr">Taking a Reflective Stance</a></h3>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 href="https://thelearnersway.net/ideas/2020/11/23/taking-a-reflective-stance" dir="ltr">Keep Reading</a><div>Share</div>

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It is difficult to understate the importance of reflective practice for learning. Dewey states that "We do not learn from experience. . . we learn from reflecting on experience", and it is worth taking time to consider the implications of this. How might we maximise the benefits of reflective practise amidst the many competing pressures we confront?

In the typical school day, students bounce from one experience to the next. They begin the day with an engaging experience in their mathematics class. From there, they bounce to an English lesson where they are enthralled by a rich discussion of an author's meaning. Later in the day, they bounce into a science lab where they wonder about the nature of chemical reactions before bouncing down the hall for a trip back in time as they ponder the implication of great moments in History. Each experience presents opportunities to build new knowledge, skills and dispositions. Students head off to bed after their busy day of experiences and awake with minds like clean slates ready for another day of experiences.

Sadly most of these experiences have little of the lasting impact we had hoped they might. Certainly part of this is due to the lack of time to genuinely reflect upon the learning we have engaged in.

It is difficult to blame our students for their failure to reflect upon their learning. The very nature of the typical school day makes this challenging for even the most committed learner. All that bouncing from experience to experience ensures that by the time they finish their day and have time to reflect, they are relying on a jumbled mess of memories. Without time to reflect immediately after a learning experience, there is little hope that we will develop in our minds a coherent cognitive schema or that we connect new learning with old in a cohesive manner.

If we genuinely value reflective practise, 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.

As with so many vital aspects of teaching and learning the eight cultural forces, as identified by Ron Ritchhart, have a valuable part to play. The eight forces shape the culture of our classroom and are an excellent place to start if we hope to maximise the benefits of reflective practice.

<ol><li>Time: Reflection takes time, but if the only time we allocate to it is home learning time, we should not be surprised when it is ineffective. Reflection is best when it begins immediately, and adjacent to the experience we are reflecting on. If we let our students leave our classroom without time to reflect upon their learning, we have missed an opportunity. </li><li>Opportunities: In a similar manner, our students need to be given opportunities to reflect upon their learning. We plan their learning experiences with great care and so should do the same for the practice of reflection. Just as we consider how students engage with stimulus materials or demonstrate newly acquired skills, we should plan for appropriate opportunities for reflection. </li><li>Expectations: Do we expect our students to reflect on their learning or is it a nice bonus if they do? When we expect students to be reflective practitioners (and demonstrate this through the allocation of time to it) we send a clear message that we value it appropriately. </li><li>Modelling: When do our students see adults, especially teachers, reflecting on their learning? If the answer is almost never, how might we change this? What opportunities might we make to join with our students in reflective practice such that they see what it looks like for an experienced learner? </li><li>Routines: When we make reflection a routine part of our classroom, we ensure it is valued. Schools run on routines and have a routine for everything that is important. If we don't have routines for reflective practice, but we do have routines for putting our bags on a hook, do we truly value reflection? </li><li>Language: Our students benefit from learning a language that supports their reflective practice. This might be as simple as a set of questions we ask as we reflect. Of these, perhaps the most powerful are versions of "What makes you say or think that?". It is also advantageous to consider how our thinking has changed through the use of routines such as "I used to think... but now I think . . ." </li><li>Interactions: Creating a safe space in which to reflect, occurs as a result of the positive interactions we have with our students. If in our interactions with students, we send the message that we seek only correct answers or responses that stroke our fragile egos, student reflections will be shallow and false. When we value genuine reflections, we also value students sharing their misunderstandings and the times when our teaching missed the mark. How we respond will set the tone and either encourage continued reflection or put a quick end to it. </li><li>Environment: Are our physical spaces conducive of reflection? Do we have space away from noise and distraction? Are there calm spaces where individuals might be alone with their thought? Do our walls share examples of our reflective practice or only samples of finished work that suggest the learning ceases when the assignment is published? </li> </ol>

The key is to consider how each of the eight cultural forces can be used to understand and shape how reflection is supported in your context. They are not a quick fix, band-aid solution but a way towards a culture that values all forms of thinking, including reflection. If we want the teaching we do to have a lasting impact and we agree with Dewey that learning is a consequence of reflection, we will make an effort to ensure it is an integral part of our practice.

Suggested Next Read -  Taking a Reflective Stance

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 dir="ltr" href="https://thelearnersway.net/ideas/2020/11/23/taking-a-reflective-stance">Keep Reading </a>

If we learn from reflecting on experience — The Learner's Way

JOHN DEWEY

Andrei Hamor's ideas are part of this journey:

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