Rethinking reflective education: What would Dewey have done?

Level of Reflective Practice amongst Saudi Female Postgraduate Students at KSU

“…Then in the critical dimension, a new perspective is established given these various alternatives, their implications, and one's own morals and ethics. Rolfe (2014) believes that the majority of models of reflection incorporate critical reflection on practice and experience, which would enable definition of learning requirements. Casey (2014) adds that these models have two main dimensions, i.e., iterative and vertical dimension.…”

“…In fact, different conceptions and models of reflective practice continue to emerge across different professional groups, and it seems neither possible nor desirable to fix on any one model as the definitive answer, hence different models are needed, at different levels, for different individuals, disciplines and organizations, to use in different contexts (Rolfe, 2014). Finlay (2008) adds that professional practice and education are likely to benefit from the stimulus and challenge provided by competing perspectives and multiple models, and also believes that "models need to be applied selectively, purposefully, flexibly and judiciously" (p. 10).…”

“I don’t get it”, – the challenge of teaching reflective practice to health and care practitioners

“…Dewey's concept of knowledge is dynamic, an action not a thing (Rolfe, 2014) and it marks the knower with a distinct shift in perception, understanding and action. This suggests an active participatory element and implies that knowledge gained from this experience does not arrive in a logical and structured fashion.…”

“…Reflective practice is well established as a key element of learning in a number of professions including teaching, social work, nursing and management (Nelson, 2012) and is cited as 'a valuable learning technique that reinforced the blending of theoretical and applied learning' by the Willis Commission report on the education of nurses (RCN, 2012) however it is a challenging and ill-defined concept that has been subject to question recently for its educational value in producing truly reflective practitioners (Coward, 2014;Rolfe, 2002: Rolfe, 2014 I have been teaching current and prospective healthcare practitioners on a number of modules during the last year and have tried to embed reflective thinking and writing throughout my teaching and assessment activities. With every group I have noticed that encouraging students to move from the academically preferred objective, evidence-based writing to offering a subjective and emotionally rich account of their learning has been challenging.…”

“…From my own practice experience it feels rare to encounter another human being in distress and to react, without emotion or thought at some point and then forming ideas. For Dewey (1933) however, reflection is more than having an encounter then going off to think about it.Dewey's concept of knowledge is dynamic, an action not a thing (Rolfe, 2014) and it marks the knower with a distinct shift in perception, understanding and action. This suggests an active participatory element and implies that knowledge gained from this experience does not arrive in a logical and structured fashion.…”