Reflective practice - Essay Example

Reflective practice Abstract The MEGA team experience was an informative and refreshing initiative that gave me a new perspective on the projects we planned to undertake. The power of teamwork is so often underrated, but the activities we participated in opened a new window of opportunity for assessing our options and developing sound approaches to the challenges we currently face and those we will have to confront in the future. In this paper, I will provide a comprehensive and definitive report on our experience and the outcomes of the activity. I will present arguments on reflective practice, apply relevant academic concepts and theories used in the context of my reflective assessment, present an outline of the critical incidents arising from the experience, provide a summative chapter on how the areas previously discussed affected my professional perceptions, and include a log of the initiative’s activities. Introductory Discussion Reflective practice is one of the most important concepts in contemporary management in various contexts (Arnold & Development Research, 2012). From schools, businesses, personal initiatives, group projects, and healthcare facilities, reflective practice has been used to enhance the assimilation and comprehension of initiatives. Apart from providing a retrospective angle of a particular initiative, which involves “retreat in order to advance” mentality, reflective practice gives teams and individuals a critical perspective of a process that enables the transmission of knowledge to other people. For example, reflective practice is highly effective in educational settings where students’ comprehension can be significantly enhanced by looking back at past lessons (Tarrant, 2013). Reflective practice is desirable for the MEGA experience because it enables greater understanding of the plans put forward by the team members and, consequently, promotes a positive contribution from all participants. Since the activities involved in the experience are business-oriented, reflective practice enabled the team members to identify potential mistakes in projections, goals, and budgets (Roffey-Barentsen & Malthouse, 2013). In terms of analysis, it provides the team members with an opportunity to refine the three aspects based on the corrective measures adopted, and significantly improves the team’s analytic capacity with regards to the business. Reflective practice is instrumental in helping us understand our goals, ideals, and visions. It also helps professionals to work in challenging areas where their morals and ethics are subject to evaluation, where they could be working in physically and emotionally straining environments, and where power dynamics could be decidedly imbalanced (Brock, 2014). Majority of people keep going back to important questions involving their role in the world, their understanding of benevolence and their contribution to it, and their ability to overcome challenges when situations become complex. Other people ask questions concerning their role in change processes and how they can avoid worsening the problem. Reflective practice helped us answer all these questions during the MEGA experience. In addition, it helped participants to answer other questions concerning their personal lives and professional development. More practitioners can gain from adopting novel and creative strategies in reflective practice. Most of these strategies are already applied in areas of education, social work, psychology, qualitative research, management, and education. Creating room for reflection provides opportunities to change not just individual but also group, organizational, and systems patterns, experiences, and relationships (Scaife, 2014). We found reflective practice to be a particularly effective instrument for group learning about the MEGA experience. Personally I found it to be highly effective in monitoring and evaluation, and in managing issues involving conflict, power relations, resistance, and roles, which are common in group activities but are rarely confronted directly. During the MEGA experience, reflective practice was an important aspect of participatory research, change and learning, facilitation techniques, social constructivism, power relations, and capacity development. Relevant Academic Theories and Concepts Reflective practice is informed by three distinct concepts. These concepts are, in turn, based on a number of theories that inspire their application. The three concepts are critical thinking, reflection, and self-awareness. It is worth noting that all three concepts were used during the MEGA experience to identify and analyze different challenges and issues involved in our business idea (Parsons & Zhang, 2014). Critical thinking has roots in skepticism and critical theory. It involves identifying and confronting assumptions, imagining and investigating options that cause reflective skepticism and challenging the significance of context. Reflection is based on critical concepts and existential phenomenology. It is a critical concept and interpretive instrument for encouraging social interventions, as well as self and social consciousness. It is applicable in the enhancement of self-expression, collaboration, and learning, and has also been used by some scholars to develop links between theory and practice. Finally, self-awareness is based on wider phenomenology (Lillyman & Merrix, 2012). It promotes the ability to feel, think, recognize, and learn via intuition. It is also useful in the evaluation of knowledge gained via a self-awareness to nurture understanding. Three theories are central to self-awareness, critical thinking, and reflection, and form the foundation for the emergence and growth of reflective practice. These are Gibbs’ reflective cycle, John’s model for structured reflection, and Rolfe et al.’s framework for reflective practice. Gibbs’ reflective cycle is quite simple and promotes an explicit definition of the situation, assessment of emotions, analysis to understand an experience, and critique of an experience (Ghaye & Lillyman, 2012). This theory was particularly effective in reflecting on the MEGA experience because it is closely related to the activities we undertook. It enabled us to develop a conclusion where other alternatives were considered and facilitated reflection based on experience to evaluate our reactions if some situations arose. Rolfe’s framework makes use of a model that borrows from Borton’s developmental framework. The inquiries involved in this framework (what, so what, and now what) helped us to develop reflection from amateur to advanced levels. The model offers the opportunity to use it at the explanatory stage of level 1 reflection (Zeki, 2012). It also accommodates both a sequential and cyclical process to enable its application. Firstly, the professional reflects on the experience in order to explain it. The second stage motivates the professional to develop personal conceptualization and knowledge about the experience so as to learn from it. The final stage involves the professional reflecting on interventions and considering approaches to improving the experience. The professional also reflects on their interventions. Rolfe et al. view this last level as one, which has (potentially) the greatest impact on practice. The last model, John’s framework for structured reflection, can be applied as an illustration for evaluation of a critical situation or blanket reflection on situations (Sergiovanni & Green, 2014). We used it to analyze the more intricate aspects of our plan, and it helped as in decision-making. This theory backs the need for participants, especially learners, to cooperate with their leaders throughout their experiences. John called this guided reflection and suggested that participants use an organized log, which I will provide in the appendix. Outline of Positive and Negative Critical Incidents Positive Incidents Negative Incidents Agreement on the structure and content of the experience. Lateness and interruptions caused by avoidable incidences. Good intellectual and general understanding among participants. Slow start to the activities, caused by miscommunication and misinformation. Good ambience in the meeting areas. Slow decision-making due to numerous opinions. Positive thinking among participants. Absenteeism Participation by all team members. Poor comprehension of some concepts, mostly due to inexperience. Consequences of the Incidents The above incidents had a profound impact on the effectiveness of the MEGA experience and the team’s ability to complete tasks successfully. Of course, the positive incidents accelerated the completion of tasks while the negative incidents impeded team bonding, cooperation, and the development of clear goals and objectives. For example, the positive thinking among participants enabled us to surmount some challenges faster than we expected. For instance, in the beginning we encountered the common problem of allocating roles and responsibilities to team members, and the method of delegation that suits the team (Ghaye & Lillyman, 2012). Rather than spend a lot of time debating the issue, each participant was required to state his or preferred role based on qualifications, availability, and skills. Once the main roles were allocated using this role, the minor responsibilities were left open so that any participant could undertake them in the absence of another. Quick consensus among team members on the structure and content of the MEGA experience cleared the way for acceleration of activities, in spite of the challenges posed by the negative incidents. Participation by all team members allowed us to conclude the MEGA experience faster than expected. This also reduced the costs incurred during the process because a shorter duration meant lower expenses. The negative incidents significantly slowed down some activities, leading to disagreements on interventions and delayed decision-making. For example, some team members arrived late for sessions and since they held important roles; they kept other vital matters pending (Arnold & Development Research, 2012). During the meetings, some participants excused themselves too often, leading to interruptions in proceedings and, once again, delayed completion of tasks. Absenteeism was a major negative incident, which was exacerbated by poor or lack of communication by the involved individuals. Finally, because of the number of participants, everybody had an opinion of the best approaches to the experience. This delayed the achievement of decorum and created some degree of confusion that was not anticipated. Impacts of the Areas Discussed Previously Transferable Skills The areas previously discussed contributed immensely to my development of transferable skills. Through the experience and the application of reflective practices, I managed to develop or enhance my interpersonal, analytical, communication, presentation, and financial management skills. It is important to mention that my colleagues possess soft and technical skills in different areas (Arnold & Development Research, 2012). Personally, I have strong analytical and interpersonal skills. However, not only did I come out of the experience having developed new skills, but it also dawned on me that some of my colleagues had cutting-edge abilities that trounced my own. For example, the team member leading the financial analysis had superior analytical and interpersonal skills, to the extent that I felt inspired by his abilities. In addition, he possessed excellent financial management skills that I aspire to develop as I experience personal and professional growth. I left the MEGA team experience with highly refined interpersonal and analytical skills and a good understanding of financial concepts. I also improved my communication skills because although it is not one of my strong areas I had to develop them to contribute effectively to team activities. I can transfer these skills to my fellow students and colleagues and various areas by engaging them in fundamental aspects (Zeki, 2012). For example, these skills can be shared with students in group sessions, as well as professionals in coaching or orientation programs. Future Organizational and Team Roles The improvements I made in my soft and technical skills are valued in the modern business environment. Employment is no longer based on professional qualifications alone; organizations want workers who can make positive contributions beyond their academic qualifications. Putting in shifts on a daily basis is not sufficient anymore. Employees should be able to analyze, inspire, create, motivate, and develop mutually beneficial relationships with their colleagues (Ghaye & Lillyman, 2012). In the past, hard work and merit used to be the most desirable qualities in employees. Currently, however, having these two attributes alone is not a guarantee of employment, let alone professional growth. Organizations demand that employees not only possess but also demonstrate acuity in different areas, and still balance these attributes so that they remain productive. The increasing importance of soft skills is testament to the fact the modern job market is highly dynamic and future employment criteria will be very competitive. With my marketable and desirable academic background, coupled with my strong soft and technical skills, positive mentality, and adaptability, some of which I polished during the MEGA experience, I am confident that I will play an important role in any organization or team I am involved in. For instance, I can be a team leader, a motivational speaker, an analyst, a manager/organizer, a capacity builder, or a communication specialist (Ghaye & Lillyman, 2012). I can use my skills to improve the results of organizational projects and programs, and to contribute to the development of future blueprints for success. I can also use my skills to provide technical and administrative support to organizations in various fields. References Arnold, C., & Development Research (2012). Improving your reflective practice through stories of practitioner research (Illustrated ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. Brock, A. (2014). The early years reflective practice handbook. London: Routledge. Ghaye, T., & Lillyman, S. (2012). Empowerment through reflection: A guide for practitioners and healthcare teams (2nd ed.). London: Quay Books. Lillyman, S., & Merrix, P. (2012). Portfolios and reflective practice (Illustrated ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson Education. Parsons, R., & Zhang, N. (2014). Counseling theory: Guiding reflective practice. New York: SAGE. Roffey-Barentsen, J., & Malthouse, R. (2013). Reflective practice in education and training (2nd, Illustrated ed.). Exeter: Learning Matters. Scaife, J. (2014). Supervising the reflective practitioner: An essential guide to theory and practice (Reprint ed.). London: Taylor & Francis. Sergiovanni, T., & Green, R. (2014). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective (7th, Revised ed.). Boston: Pearson Education. Tarrant, P. (2013). Reflective practice and professional development (Illustrated ed.). London: SAGE. Zeki, C. (2012). Constructing a reflective portfolio tool: An action research on the student teachers' perceptions of their experiences. Saarbrücken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing. Appendix Diary Day One 8:00 am - 8:30 am – Assigning roles and responsibilities 8:30 am to 10:30 am (Name of facilitator) – Presenting proposals 10:30 am to 11:30 am (Name of facilitator) – Reviewing the business plan 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (Name of facilitator) – Reviewing financials 12:30 am to 1:30 pm (Name of facilitator) – Lunch Break 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm (Name of facilitator) – Reviewing logistics 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm (Name of facilitator) – Reviewing regulatory (legal) requirements Day Two 8:00 am - 8:30 am – Reviewing proceedings of day one 8:30 am to 10:30 am (Name of facilitator) – Developing a shareholders’ agreement and distributing shares 10:30 am to 11:30 am (Name of facilitator) – Creating a working blueprint for the next year 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (Name of facilitator) – Comments and questions 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm (Name of facilitator) – Lunch Break 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm (Name of facilitator) – Examining real case studies and comparing them with our proposals Day Three 8:00 am - 9:30 am – Reviewing proceedings of day two 9:30 am to 11:30 am (Name of facilitator) – Developing and presenting future goals and objectives 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (Name of facilitator) – Final comments 12:30 pm to 1:30 am (Name of facilitator) – Lunch Break 1:30 am to 4:30 am (Name of facilitator) – Conclusion of the Experience Read More