Theory of reflection in learning for radiation therapists

Abstract

Practicing reflectively can assist the radiation therapist to monitor their work, foster professional growth and encourage currency of skills. Reflection is an attractive and desirable component to a radiation therapist's skill base. To provide radiation therapists the skills necessary to engage in reflection, they need a basic understanding of the theory underpinning reflection and reflective practice, and how they can be applied in the context of radiation therapy. This paper discusses the modern pioneers of reflective theory, as well as the concepts surrounding reflection and professional practice. The concepts central to experiential learning and the role reflection plays in the experiential learning cycle are described. This paper supports the role of reflection in the radiation oncology workplace and simplifies the theories of reflection described in the literature. It is the first step towards facilitating and supporting skill development in reflective thinking for clinical radiation therapists.

Questioning Our Credibility: An Exploration of the Professional Identity Development of Mathematics Teacher Educators

“…Bergsten and Greyholm [35] suggested that a key aspect of teacher education is to support teachers in becoming reflective practitioners. Chapman [36] also considered reflection a key aspect of the work of MTEs where reflection involved "examining, framing, and attempting to solve the dilemmas of classroom practice; and being aware of and questioning the assumptions and values [they bring] to teaching" (p. 121). MTEs need pedagogical skills to leverage PSTs' learning to support connections between theoretical ideas and the practicalities of their roles in the classroom.…”

Evaluation of a reflective learning programme for radiation therapy graduates

“…Refl ection-in-action is what practitioners do as they adjust their practice to accommodate a situation, and they may not even be aware it is occurring. [12][13][14] Refl ection-on-action occurs aft er an activity or incident. It is usually purposeful and allows for the review of an event in a verbal or written environment.…”

“…It is usually purposeful and allows for the review of an event in a verbal or written environment. 13 It can be done individually but is particularly benefi cial in a group environment 14,15 as a variety of perspectives contribute to the discussion. 12 Refl ection from a social perspective allows for interaction between group members, the giving and receiving of feedback, the sharing of knowledge and the ability to learn from the mistakes of oneself and of others.…”

Graduate Reflective Practice Program: Were Long-term Objectives Achieved?

“…Radiation therapy is a dynamic health care environment with currency of skills being vital to best practice. Learning through practice continues to be the primary mode of knowledge acquisition beyond the graduate year [7]. Although reflection may come naturally to some practitioners, developing over time and with experience [2], it has also been suggested that intentional use of reflective practice can make learning more reliable and effective [8].…”

“…Schon [4] describes reflectionin-action to be the knowledge we have and use during a task or event. In-the-moment decisions and adjustments to practice can be difficult to identify, because often participants are not even aware of their occurrence [7,9,10]. Reflectionon-action occurs after an event or task; it is often more easily identified as the things that come up in team meetings or journal entries [4].…”