Jack Mezirow calls reflection transformative learning process, and John Dirkx calls it “nurturing soul as the aim of education” (Dirkx, Mezirow, 2006). Either way, reflection is essential to learning, and particularly learning from experience. It's significance is well accepted, yet reflection skills are not something we are born with. Like any other skill, they need to be intentionally cultivated, and the more standardized we turn our education systems, the harder it gets to cultivate this skill. So, I wanted to take a look at reflection practice from interpretive methods lens. 

Let’s start with what reflection is not. Contrary to common practice, reflection is not merely a summary of your experiences. It requires deeper observational attention and intention to changes in your perspective.

what does it (this new thing/experience/concept/understanding I am experiencing) mean to me?
what does it mean to me as a student, as a professional?
what does it mean to me in my local community?
what does it mean to me in the global context?

To be able to critically reflect on these kinds of questions, students need to be able to connect to their own inside voices, and dive into their learning that takes place outside of their awareness (Dirkx, Mezirow, 2006). How can we reflect on what takes place outside of our awareness, when it is hard enough to reflect on what takes place within our awareness? I don't have good answers for these questions, but I now have a much better understanding of the interpetive area that dominates the subjective realities and constructions. Hopefully this is the first step into operationalizing the methods to advance critical reflection skills in students. 

Below is an excellent video that demonstrates how we can help students link what they learn to critical reflection and action (GlobalPOV, 2014): 

The striking part of the video is the journey into the meaning making process of one student, and then her re-interpretation of what she learned through the affordances of art. I think this kind of reflection is certainly transformative at the individual level, and being able to express it in such a unique way truly helps understand what paradigm shifts are all about.

References: 

Dirkx, J. M. ( 1 ), Mezirow, J. ( 2 ), & Cranton, P. ( 3 ). (n.d.). Musings and Reflections on the Meaning, Context, and Process of Transformative Learning: A Dialogue Between John M. Dirkx and Jack Mezirow. Journal of Transformative Education, 4(2), 123–139. https://doi-org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/10.1177/1541344606287503 

GlobalPOV. (2014, May 29). The #GlobalPOV Project: "Can Your Point of View Change the World?" [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/4RhU4gQ6b5c