Week Twenty-One

The ability to reflect effectively on experiences is key to getting the most out of any activity. It allows us to think about why we are doing something, what we gain from it and what it means to us, which often leads to other ideas of things that we could try. It can lead to a greater understanding of ourselves and our motivations, which in turn can help identify any areas which we'd like to change, and the best ways to go about it. Without taking time to reflect and put things into context, we act only on impulse and instinct and therefore the things that we do have less meaning. Its the active part of learning, and how we recognise what things work for us, what things don't work for us and where we want to go with the things that we have learnt. By understanding what does and doesn't work we can avoid making the same mistakes again in the future.

Without reflection, an end product becomes meaningless. We will never be able to replicate it, or make another like it, unless we understand how or why we made the thing in the first place. Therefore, the process is given more meaning by reflection. Reflection also gives us the opportunity to see other avenues of possibility, by thinking something over. It can lead to new ideas, linked to the first, and is therefore a very important creative tool.

What will I gain from three years at university? Well, what have I gained from two years at university? It isn't progress on any particular course, but I still don't think its been a waste. My technical abilities have improved immeasurably. Looking at my work in my portfolio and then in my Game Art sketch books makes me cringe at the old stuff. Money management (believe it or not), cooking more than just instant pasta... The list goes on. Proper reflection means that I don't see these two years as a waste of time, but rather an opportunity to learn a whole bunch of stuff that I didn't know before.

http://llk.media.mit.edu/projects/clubhouse/research/handouts/reflection-v6.pdf
http://www.practicebasedlearning.org/resources/materials/docs/Reflection%20Work%20Based%20Supervisors/page_04.htm
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/reflecti.htm