Assignment3 What is a reflective practitioner?

VISUALIZING RESEARCH a guide to the Research Process in Art and Design by Carole Gray and Julian Malins

WHAT IS A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER?

‘Reflective practice attempts to unite research and practice…’ (The Reflective Pratictioner, pg. 134, Donald Schön, 1983).

In my view Donald Schön states precisely how professionals think in action and from personal knowledge, usually not articulated. Often their decisions seem indescribable, are intuitive and relay on improvisation and learned practice.

This leads to separation of academic and professional practice.

Retrospective reflection is a critical research skill and part of the generic research process of review, evaluation and analysis. Reflection in action is a particular activity of professional practitioners and involves thinking about what we are doing and reshaping action while we are doing it. It is in a sense improvisational and relies on feeling, response and adjustment. Schön describes this process as a ‘reflective conversation with the materials of a situation”.

I am discovering, that this dynamic process ‘reflexivity” is an important concept in the development of post positivistic research methodologies. We understand and become aware of our research activities as telling ourselves a story about ourselves (Steier, 1992, p 3)

Further and particularly relevant to my personal aim, I recognize that in the idea of professionalism the most outstanding feature is the capacity of self- evaluation and self- improvement through rigorous and systematic research and study of ones own practice and where the practice is open to reflection and inquiry. The extended professional then is a reflective practitioner-researcher. McKernan (1998, p.46)

I am familiar with the problems that a practitioner-researcher encounters according to Robson (1993 chapter 15, p 466);  first of all, time availability and lack of efficient research experience. Further the ‘insider problem’, the difficulty in adopting an open-minded approach and not clouding issues by preconceptions. It is also my experience, that these issues can be addressed by exposing ideas and practices to other professionals and peers for feedback support and advice. In practice however I found this is not always easy to obtain.

A considerable advantage of a practitioner-researcher is of course the insider knowledge and experience and this will help with the trustworthiness of peers. Whatever the particular practice, as a professional I can only agree, that it is most important to acknowledge the complexity, dynamism and unpredictability of the real world.

I am somewhat relieved to find that in combining a creative with a reflective role it appears perfectly acceptable to create an individual research model specific to the needs of my professional practice by using other models, while maintaining a reasonable and practicable balance of professional practice and research. I am looking forward to discover more.