Task 2c: Reflective Theory

After looking through reader 2 I immediately took a liking to it. The idea that we all have our own specific ways of learning, retaining and developing knowledge (reflecting) makes a lot of sense to me and after previous engagements with “What type of learner are you?” tests I am vaguely aware of the existence of some of these styles. I knew my learning style was more suited to a visual representation of facts so when taking previous academic exams I would note a lot down using brainstorms and colours which aided me a lot. Therefore this gave me a little insight to some of the concepts and ideas explained in reader 2 although having said that, I was never fully aware of how much we as people reflect from our everyday practice using such concepts.

John Dewey’s idea that education is a “reorganization, reconstruction and transformation of experience” (Dewey, 1916) and that full engagement and interaction in our everyday lives will help us learn more from our experiences, is an interesting point. How can we learn from our individual experiences and ourselves if we do not fully throw ourselves into experiencing life? For example, when I am in the dance studio if I stood at the side scared to do a pirouette on pointe, how can I learn to do 5 turns on pointe? I would never improve if I did not experience the action however if I were to practice my turns over and over again I could reflect on how I execute them in order to improve for next time. Using Kurt Lewin’s ‘cycle of steps’ I would:

1. Research how to turn on pointe (maybe by asking a teacher or watching a video).
2. Make the action of actually turning on pointe by practicing what the teacher told me/what I saw on the video.
3. Evaluate how I did the turn (eg. I didn't use my head to spot/my foot was too low)
4. Plan to use my head more/lift up more next time.
5. Make the action of the turn again hopefully with an improved outcome.

Looking at Kolb’s learning cycle also helps me to see how this idea of engagement fits into my own professional practice. When learning something new like choreography I usually tend to learn best from watching others do it on a video, which would insinuate that I enter this learning cycle on the reflective observation point although when doing my blog I used more trial and error therefore the active experimentation is where I entered learning. This to me proves that we don’t learn in just one particular way but favor specific concepts subconsciously depending on both our nature and what our professional practice asks of us. Here are a few examples of how I use each concept on a daily basis:

Concrete Evidence:

When we have a show we have rehearsals and run throughs in order to make sure the movement is in our bodies and we are dancing to the best standard and correctly. This means I learn in full exactly what I should be doing by actually dancing the steps and using my body. Also by practicing it, I improve so when it comes to the show I am on form.

Reflective Observation:

Everyday in class the teacher will show the exercise for us to cope but instead of me just listening I watch the actions. If you were to press the mute button I would still pick it up. Also when trying to execute a difficult step well I like to watch somebody nail it and then this helps me see how it should be done. I can reflect on the observation and teach myself to do it. In fact watching others dance is what inspired me to do so in the first place.

Abstract Conceptualisation:

Often before a rehearsal or show I go over in my mind everything that is expected of me. This includes running over choreography, remembering corrections from previous days and thinking about relations between myself and other dancers and how it may/may not work. This means I am in a much stronger position for when I dance and am more alert. It also helps my concentration and focus before a big show so I can perform to the best of my ability.

Active Experimentation:

In a dance company there is always risk of injury/illness so we always have covers and separate casts for performances. When rehearsing we always swap the two casts so everybody gets a chance to dance the steps before being put on stage. When doing a solo role sometimes something will work for one cast but not another and if you are lucky enough the choreographer will tend to your needs and let you do a slightly different arm/head from the other cast to suit you better. It is through dancing the piece and trying out different ways that you come across such nuances and evidently improve your performance. 

Howard Gardner’s idea on multiple intelligences backs up the concept of us all learning in different ways and that you should not be labeled as one specific type of learner. Looking at his list of different intelligences I immediately pick out ‘Logical-mathematical’ because I know my brain has a logical way of doing things. I look at musical and think maybe this style wouldn’t suit me as much but then again, if you were to play a piece of music to me that I have previously learnt choreography to, I would be able to recreate the steps without thinking much and just by hearing the music. This also incorporates the ‘Bodily-Kinesthetic’ intelligence and my engagement of muscle memory – a tacit knowledge explained by Twyla Tharp to be “Automatic. Precise… something she knows nonverbally… doesn't need to be accessed through conscious effort” (Tharp and Reiter, 2006). Thus proving that our learning is not always done in a conscious and written/spoken way and that again, we are not just restricted to type of intelligence or way of learning, but we can understand how we ourselves engage with real world experiences and how our colleague’s inner processes may differ. Muscle memory is something I use when applying my own corrections: by practicing a step thoroughly so my body is in a habit of doing it so from then onwards, I don't have to consciously think how do I do that again?, but I can feel what is right.

Reflection-in- action and reflection-on-action are two more ways of learning introduced by Donald Schon that I was unaware of until further explained. Schon states that reflection-in-action is a way of engaging with an experience at present as opposed to reflection-on-action where the engagement and learning process is done in the future after the event has occurred. Kottcamp expands on this and expresses believe that the latter of the two is harder to achieve as it means the partaker must “simultaneously attend to performing the action and observe and analyse his or her action, as if from an external perspective.” (Kottcamp, 1990). This links in with the journal writing ‘Another view’ which was a style I originally disliked, as I didn't feel there was much point. Now after reflecting on the outcome I see more cause for that external perspective and how it can improve my work as a dancer. Already I have trained myself to become more adaptable to changes in the moment. There was a time onstage when the music was being played so fast I had to change a few steps in order for it to work musically therefore using Schon’s reflection-in-action method. This might have been harder for an academic as usually the necessity is less like to arise as often. It is a technique I will continue to develop for my future practices, as it can be very useful during my performances.

In conclusion, we all have our own specific ways of gaining more knowledge from our experiences and how we do this is down to what comes naturally. Having seen all the various reflecting and learning methods it has made me more conscious of my own critical assessment in my profession and continuing to develop it. Now when doing so I will not only use methods easiest to me, but those that I feel I achieve the most from.