Recording Reflections

“Life Long Learning Project for Health Care Scientist and Allied

Health Professionals

Why Bother?

• Determine learning needs;

• Identify strengths and weaknesses;

• Provide the basis for learning;

• Identify significant learning experiences;

• Identify acquired competencies.

Why Bother?

• Demonstrate reflection in and on practice;

• Provide critical evaluation of theory-practice issues;

• Identify future development needs;

• Demonstrate understanding of professional practice.

Evidence for journal keeping • Journal writing ‘appeared to improve the

immune system of the subjects’(Pennebaker and Beall, 1986);

• People keeping learning journals ‘displayed much more sophisticated conceptions of learning’(McCrindle and Christensen,1995)

Journal/Diary What's it for?

• Turn experiences into learning;

• Show progress;

• Provide evidence.

What are the different approaches? • Keep a journal/diary (see learning and

progress over time);

• Single case or event;

• Clinical Supervision record;

• Academic study;

• Others?

Journal/Diary Keeping-How to- When?

• After any critical incident. An incident may be critical if it was particularly difficult or successful;

• After a learning session;

• After a eureka or ah-ha moment;

• Start writing as soon as possible after the event.

Journal/Diary Keeping-How to?• Use a model give it structure;

• Develop your own model;

• Start by making a note of what happened; Re check it to check you have covered everything;

• Identify the most important points.

Journal/Diary Keeping-How?

Analysing and evaluating:

• Beliefs;

• Assumptions;

• Routine practice (i.e. are there things that you, or others routinely do in your practice);

• Theory base for your actions.

Asking Questions: About day to day work

• Brief description of work/observation today • Question: What new experiences have I had

today?• Reflect on what you have done/observed today.

Questions

• What was I aiming for?

• What exactly did I do/what advice did I give?

• What was I trying to achieve?

• Did I achieve what I set out to do?

Asking Questions about your practice • What did I feel/think during and after the

event?

• Was the outcome successful?

• What alternative were there?

• Could I have dealt with the situation any better?

• What would I do next time?

Asking Questions About your Experiences

• How am I progressing?

• What feedback do I get from my peers, direct reports and leader?

• Do I ask questions?

• Do I ask for feedback?

Moving on

• Use the information you have pulled together to compare what happened with similar incidents in the past;

• What worked and what did not?• What do you need to find out more about?• What aspects of your practice do you need

to affirm and continue with?• What aspects of your practice might you

need to change?

What?(Situation)

So What ?(Understanding the context)

Now What ? (Modifying future outcomes)

Is the purpose of returning to the situation?

Were you feeling at this time? Are the implications for you, your colleagues, the patient etc.?

Exactly occurred in your words?Describe or write.

Are your feelings now?Are there differences - why?

Needs to happen to alter the situation?

Did you see?Did you do?

Were the effects of what you did (or did not do)?

Are you going to do about the situation?

Was your reaction?Good emerged from the situation, e.g. self/others?

Happens if you decide not to alter anything?

Did other people do? e.g.: colleague, patient, visitor?

Troubles you (if anything)?Might you do differently if faced with a similar situation again?

Do you see as key aspects of this situation?

Were your experiences in comparison with your colleague's?

Information do you need to face a similar situation again?

 Are the main reasons for feeling differently from your colleagues?

Are your best ways of getting further information about the situation should it arise again?

 

1. Kember, D. 2001 “Reflective Teaching and Learning in the Health Professions”. Blackwell Science

2. Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J., & Boydell T 1999 ‘A Manager’s Guide to Self Development’

3. Dooley, J. 1994 ‘Bootstrapping yourself into Reflection and Enquiry Skills’ IN The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, P Senge (Editor) 1994DeSalvo, L. 1999 ,’Writing as a Way of Healing’ Green. M., & Gibbons 1991 ‘Learning Logs for Self Development’ Training and Development Feb

4. Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Walker, D. 1993 “Using experience for learning”. Open University Press

5. Kolb, D. 1984 “Experiential learning”. Prentice Hall