Critical Reflection: Overview and Latest Ideas

1. Critical Reflection: Overview and Latest Ideas Jan Fook South West London Academic Network

2. A sceptical voice… • Does anyone not reflect? • Do we really know what it means (in practical terms)? • Is it possible to pinpoint in concrete terms how it changes your actions? • How do you do it when most workplaces are too busy, and bureaucracy and outcome led?

3. Four key aspects… • Actually what is critical reflection? And how orthodox/desirable is it? • Many different perspectives and frameworks • Changing contexts and the ongoing introduction of new ideas • Debates and pragmatic difficulties eg. how to reflect in unreflective contexts? How to do it at organisational levels

4. What is CR? • Is it the same as: reflection, reflective practice, reflexivity, critical thinking???? …a plethora of terms used interchangeably • Comes from different disciplines/professions eg. education, management, health and social professions, social sciences

5. What is CR…cont… • Arises from “practical theorising” and therefore not “academically” approached….also so orthodox that people assume they/others know what it means • Varies from “learning from experience”, examining foundations/assumptions, ‘thinking about”, using personal experience, “turning back on self”, deconstructing, etc.

6. Actually quite complex if we put all these different meanings together….. Involves learning from experience by examining fundamental assumptions, reintegrating experiences (and reformulating meaning and principles for living), resulting in new guidelines for action.

7. How beneficial/desirable is it? • So orthodox it tends not to be questioned • So orthodox that people think they can fit it in with current activities and cultures eg. “tick box” reflection • What evidence is there? Hard to obtain re such “big” issues

8. Different perspectives • Have moved with the times and also overlapped • Educational (eg. Dewey, Boud et al) • Professional education (eg. Schon) • Critical education (eg. Mezirow, Brookfield) • Critical social science (eg. Giddens) • Linguistic traditions (eg. deconstruction) • Relational (eg. Ruch)

9. Different frameworks • Different perspectives indicate different analytical frameworks for conducting reflective processes and for interpreting experience • What frameworks to use? Is it important to be able to put all aspects together?

10. Changing contexts and newer ideas • New inter/professionalism • Meaning and existential aspects together with more critical/social aspects eg. “productive reflection” (Boud 2006, 2010; Fook, 2010) • Frameworks based on eastern philosophies (Humphrey, 2009) • The problem of the nature of experience (Fook, 2010)

11. The nature of experience and learning from experience • Experience is not always easy to describe or articulate (in a way which represents it accurately) • Experience is complex, contextual and holistic • Is made up of many different aspects (eg. emotion, thoughts, action, interpretation) which are fluid (constantly subject to being remade)

12. Involves initial sensations, cultural interpretations, structural realities • Is at least both personal and social (not separable) • Needs to be able to be integrated into a coherent sense of self and a coherent sense of direction/set of values (for learning to occur)

13. How do we find (create?) a framework for critical reflection which allows us to do all the foregoing?

14. Debates and pragmatic issues • How to capture and represent experience in a meaningful way? • How to create (safe) spaces? • How to incorporate into daily practice? • How to make organisational?

15. Therefore…… we have to find a way of critically reflecting which is: • Structured • Practical • Meaningful • Speaks to workplace demands

16. References Boud et al (2006) (eds) Productive Reflection at Work Boud (2010) in Bradbury et al (eds) Beyond Reflective Practice: New Approaches to Professional Lifelong Learning Fook (2010) in Bradbury et al (as above) Fook & Gardner (2007) Practising Critical Reflection Humphrey, C. (2009) “By the light of the Tao”, European Journal of Social Work, vol. 12, no. 3. (whole special issue on CR) Pockett, R. & Giles, R.(2008) Critical Reflection: Generating Theory from Practice Ruch, G. (2009) “Identifying the ‘critical’ in a relaitonship-based model of reflection” EJSW (as above)

17. What is critical reflection? • Learning from/making (positive) meaning of experience (eg. Boud, Mezirow) (we all do it but may not be aware of it, but there are better and worse ways of doing it) • Process of unearthing deeper assumptions (eg. Schon) (not as easy to do as it looks) • What makes it critical – unearthing fundamental (dominant) assumptions about power– “ideology critique” (eg. Brookfield) (good PC analysis but not always where people are at?)

18. My version… Involves both theory and practice: • a clear rationale and analysis and.. • A clear and structured process for conducting it

19. Aims of critical reflection… • to improve practice by learning directly from experience • By engaging in a process of examining the fundamental assumptions implicit in practice experience (and understanding personal and social connections) • And devising changed thinking and practices from this new awareness

20. Involves…. • Learning from experience and creating practice theory and meaning from it • Ongoing scrutiny of practice • A form of accountability/supervision • A form of personal, professional and organisational leanring

21. Related theories • Reflective practice – the gap between theory and practice (eg. Schon) • Postmodernism/deconstruction/the linguistic turn – how our language/discourse constructs our knowledge • Reflexivity – how who we are (socially and personally) constructs our knowledge (eg. Taylor and White) • Critical perspectives – how personal experience is linked with social/power arrangements, and how social awareness leads links with social change (eg. Brookfield)

22. Theories of experience??

23. Reflective practice • Gap between theory and practice, between implicit and explicit ideas • The limitations of explicit rules or theory • The need to create theory (practice) in context • How our practice actually creates knowledge

24. Reflexivity • The mirror • We ourselves are instruments for creating knowledge, therefore who we are (all aspects) has a role in how we see/understand the world • physical, emotional, social, historical, structural influences in shaping knowledge

25. Postmodernism/deconstruciton/the linguistic turn • How we speak about things constructs the way we see/understand them – some things are left out; others are constructed as binaries • There may be many different (and contradictory ways of seeing things) • How things are see often has to do with power

26. Critical perspectives • Recognises that power is both personal and social and they are linked • Individuals can hold social beliefs • Understanding the link is important in making social changes

27. Basic method/process • Focuses on: • Specific instances of practice (critical incidents) • To unsettle (dominant) implicit assumptions (stage 1) • In order to discover and change relevant thinking and practices and reformulate a framework for practice (stage 2) • Uses critical reflective questions derived from theories • May be used in a number of ways (eg. Small groups, self-reflection) • In an ethical learning climate

28. Critical reflective questions: reflective • what are my implicit assumptions and how do they differ from my explicit ones • How can I use this awareness to change my practice? • Eg. what does my practice imply about my fundamental values? What am I assuming about the nature of human beings? Society? power and conflict?

29. Reflexive questions • How do I influence what I see? • How does what I am looking for influence what I find? • Eg. where do my assumptions come from? How does who I am affect socially what I see? How do my emotions affect my knowledge?

30. Postmodern/deconstructive • How does my language construct what I see? • Eg. what language patterns do I use? What binaries exist? What other perspectives am I leaving out?

31. Critical questions • How do I participate in power? What are the connections between my personal experience and my social context? And how can I change my practice with this awareness? • Eg. what self-defeating beliefs do I hold? Do I see myself as powerless? How do I see other people’s power? How do I understand responsibility? What do I believe about how organisational an dpersonal power is connected?

32. Critical (significant) incident • An event which is significant in some way to the learner/participant • Descriptive and basic as possible • Why critical • Context • Concrete description • Used as “raw” material for reflection

33. The ethical learning climate of critical reflection – “critical acceptance” • Trust & respect • Acceptance not affirmation • Focus on professional learning • Right to draw limits • Focus on story or construction • Openness to multiple and contradictory perspectives • Responsibility (agency) not blame

34. An example of critical reflection… • Cynthia….. • A relatively new social worker in a hospital • Incident involving finding out that a client had died • Burst into tears • Critical because she felt “out of control” • Assumptions about feeling emotional as equated with lack of control? • On a deeper level assuming that a good professional is in control and therefore does not feel emotions

35. Cynthia…cont…. • Where did this come from? ……..taking on the views of other professionals

36. Stage 2….. • Therefore a need to question whether she agreed (or not) with other professionals about being emotional • She spoke of creating her own view of professionalism as one which incorporated being emotional eg. “emotional professionalism”

37. My example….. • Why critical? Happens a lot • Context – job involves lots of meetings with very senior level people (mostly chaired by men) • Incident – couldn’t understand why meeting not focused in a positive way, talking around issues, ended up not saying much

38. Facilitating a CR session • Start with description of incident • Ask for clarification of incident of “facts” • Allow CR questioning (from group members) in a way which facilitates the person’s own search for assumptions (deeper the better) • After the person appears to be uncovering deeper assumptions and becoming aware of a different perspective on the incident, draw to a close by asking the person to try and sum up “where has the discussion taken them, or “what are they taking away”?

39. Benefits and outcomes of critical reflection • Rational • Emotional • Values • Practice

40. Rationality • Better able to abstractify and understand theory • More considered and evidence-based • Better decision-making and more choice • Better able to work with uncertainty and multiple perspectives

41. Self and emotions • Increased self awareness • Overcome personal blocks • Resolve dilemmas • Recognise and use power of emotion

42. Value-based practice • More inclusive (less judgemental) • Able to recognise different perspectives • more awareness of personal agency ie. empowerment

43. Direct links with practice • Enhanced sense of professionalism • Better connected with colleagues • Practice not entirely solution-focused leads to better sense of having skills • Better integration of personal/professional • Better ability to learn from practice

45. What’s needed now? • Moving on from uncritical orthodoxy? • Better links with theory • Matching the practice with the intent • More and better research? • Capturing the experience • Identifying benefits and outcomes • More systematic and widespread evaluations • Better organisational practices

46. Issues in conducting critical reflection in organisations • Current models of critical reflection learning are individual • Finding space and time • Current organisational culture is inhibiting (eg. blame culture)

47. Using critical reflection in the organisation First, we need to remember that: organisations and individuals are intertwined – each shapes the other. Critical reflection can help us learn about how individuals make sense of their organisations and their place within them.

48. Second, The organisation is more than the sum of its parts BUT individual change can spark a change in organisational culture. Critical reflection can help individuals find ways to enact different cultures

49. Third, Finding spaces doesn’t have to be hard. Opportunities may exist for critical reflection in spaces which already exist: • Supervision • Team meetings • Staff development • Critical friends and mentoring

50. The challenge…… Fourth, Cultural changes need to be supported by structural changes. What new structures and practices need to be developed to support a critically reflective culture in my organisation? What do I need to think and do differently?