Task 2c: Reflective theory

Throughout my life I have used art as a tool to attempt to make sense of some of my life experiences, particularly those I have found hard to explain and/or difficult to understand. Art has been my emotional outlet, enabling me to reflect and make sense of the world around me. I have used art, whether a painting or a sketch, as the tool in which I can reflect on my daily and cumulative life experiences.

Growing up under Apartheid shaped my artwork and how I view the world. Without these experiences I would not have been able to produce my art as the majority of my work has a political and social message (Fig.1). Despite living under an oppressive regime during my youth, I have not allowed this experience to deter me from achieving the goals that I set myself. My drive at work comes from my determination to succeed despite a difficult start in life. My own experience allows me to empathise with the young people I work with who also come from deprived and unstable backgrounds.

    Fig.1 No Condition is Permanent

Knowing how informative a tool art has been to me in the past, I encourage young people to take time to express their thoughts and feelings on paper and to discuss and reflect on their experiences. Art acts as a tool to engage in healthy discussion about often difficult issues which, without being addressed, could lead to negative outcomes.

I have work with young people that were being stopped and searched by the police on a regular basis. I have also experienced this and decided to use it as a subject to reflect on in my own artwork (Fig.2). I began by using my own experience as a baseline before looking at other people’s documentation of events. By the time I had finished my art piece, I had a more rounded understanding of the subject. I exhibited the piece at the College attended by the young people who had expressed their concerns about stop and search. The work provided an informal platform on which the young people could continue with their discussions. Seeing the need for space for young people to express their thoughts and feeling about their everyday experiences led me to work towards creating art workshops and projects for young people.

   Fig.2 Stop and Search

Dewey believed that the interaction with the arts leads to a unique and valuable experience (Dewey, 1934, Module_2_BAPP_handbook_3730_Reader_2_final.pdf).

“He felt that if people had full experience and therefore full engagement with their lives they would be better able to be a part of society, fully engage with democracy and spend time solving worldly problems”.
(Dewey, 1934, Module_2_BAPP_handbook_3730_Reader_2_final.pdf).

Conversation is one of the main tools I have used to practice reflection in the working and learning environment. As well as our meetings and record keeping at work, we also have a catch-up conversation at the end of each day to reflect on our daily experiences by sharing our thoughts and feelings. This is incredibly useful as it allows people to express their perspective on each event and to discuss the pros and cons of the actions taken by each person involved. This allows me to understanding how people view the methods of action I chose to take, to reflect upon their views and to be more informed in my future decision-making. As well as learning it is also a place in which I can share my knowledge with others less experienced. Jeff and Smith view conversation with colleagues as important as supervision and recording. (Jeff T and Smiths M K, 2005)

“Each of these encourages us to reflect on our own experiences, to look to our own feelings, thoughts and actions. Without engaging with these it can be very difficult to work with others. Conversation with our peers around these matters must not be seen as time wasting. Such activities are an essential part of our work. Within them rehearse ideas and evaluate practices.”
(Jeff T and Smiths M K, 2005)

Marry Wolf writes about how a conversation provides a way in which we can either revisit our experiences or entertain the possibilities of future experiences. (Wolf M, et al, 2001). In the learning environment, whether formal or in formal, it is important that the teacher doesn’t just relay on the syllabus, but also considers the students circumstance and draws upon their own experiences to teach effectively. If one of my students has an emotional outburst while I am teaching them a subject, I encourage time out to discuss what triggered the outburst. While discussing this with them I give examples of similar experiences that I have had to show that I can understand their situation. This helps them to relate and open up to me and allows me to equip them with the tools for them to move forward.

In my educational experience I have benefited more in classes where the teacher has taken the time to understand my abilities and to draw on my strengths. As a result, when I am teaching in a school or running a community project I take the time to engage in one to one conversations with each student/participant. By doing this I am able to deliver a subject in a way that best suits a student or a particular group of students. By having an interest in the student/s shows that an educator has empathy and understanding. It also means that they are prepared to learn from the student/s and shows that they don’t just view teaching as a one-way system. Paulo Freire states that education is not a “banking system”.

“It should not involve one person acting on another, but rather people working with each other. Too much education, Paulo Freire argues, involves 'banking' - the educator making 'deposits' in the educatee.” (Smith, M. K, 1997, 2002)

We all have different ways of learning, which I think is influenced by the subject and the environment in which it is being taught. Some students respond better in group settings and others find a one to one experience more beneficial. When I run workshops or work in schools, I need to be able read the body language of the people I work with and respond appropriately to it. When students are participating in a task some prefer to be left alone while others want to be guided step by step. Their response is often a result of how confident they feel and how much understanding they already have of a subject.

I recently ran a series of printing workshops for young people. The workshops began with me demonstrating a print technique, which I soon realised did not mean that the participants could simply replicate what they had been shown. Kolb designed a learning cycle that breaks down the process of converting experience into learning through reflection. There are four concepts in Kolb’s cycle and each person can enter the cycle at any point, this is described as a learning style.

“The point you start to learn and find meaning is your entry point into a learning cycle. Where you enter the cycle is sometimes called your learning style. Kolb’s learning cycle is a tool for Reflection on how you learn and a tool for approaching experience.” (Module_2_BAPP_handbook_3730_Reader_2_final.pdf).

I can apply his concepts to understand different ways in which the participant’s of the print workshop learnt.

Concrete Experience [doing/ having an experience] eg. being shown how to cut a stencil for using on a screen print.

Reflective observation [reviewing /reflecting on the experience] eg. creating a screen print with their stencil and analysing the process.

Abstract conceptualisation [concluding/learning from the experience] eg. learning by observing the print outcome.

Active Experimentation [planning / trying out what you have learned] eg. reviewing the stencil to improve the desired outcome.

Donald Schon’s concept on reflection-in-action, and reflection-on-action both have relevance to my work, whether I am working in a school, running a workshop or creating my own art. When I am working at school and running workshops I use reflection-in-action during the day, when I need to respond quickly to a situation. I use reflection-on-action at the end of the day during meetings or de-briefs. I use this time to assess how I responded in situations and what I could have done differently. Jeff and Smith give an example of how we use reflection-on-action at our work place by writing journals, keep records, talking to others and thinking about how we dealt with a situation. (Jeff T and Smith K, 2005). I also use reflection-on-action when I do my own artwork. I take time to stand back and observe each piece, before continuing to progress with the work. I also invite other to my studio to comment on the pieces whilst still a work in progress. I feel that both of Schon’s and Dewey’s ‘present’ reflection-in-action and ‘future’ reflection-of-action practices have equal importance and usefulness in my professional practice.

References:

1. Dewey, 1934, Module_2_BAPP_handbook_3730_Reader_2_final.pdf

2. http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east .amazonaws.com/docs/566/269480/Module_2_BAPP_handbook_3730_Reader_2_final.pdf

3. Jeff T and Smiths M K, 2005, Informal Education: - Conversation, democracy and learning (Community Creative Choice Change), Third Edition,  Education Heretics Press, 113 Arundel Drive, Bramcote, Nottingham, NG9 3FQ

4. Smith, M. K. (1997, 2002) 'Paulo Freire and informal education', the encyclopaedia of informal education. [www.infed.org/thinkers/et-freir.htm. Last update: December 01, 2011] Look at how

5. Wolf M, et al, 2001, Principles and Practice of Informal Education, Learning through life, Edited By Linda Deer Richardson and Marry Wolfe, RoutledgeFalmer, 29 West 35^th Street, New York, NY 10001