Donald Schön's 'The Reflective Practitioner' delves into the concept of reflective practice, emphasising the importance of practitioners continually reflecting on their actions and experiences to improve their professional performance. Schön argues that traditional problem-solving approaches often fail to address the complexities and uncertainties encountered in real-world professional situations. Instead, he advocates for a more flexible and adaptive approach where professionals engage in "reflection-in-action" and "reflection-on-action" to make sense of ambiguous situations and develop innovative solutions.
In Schön's view, reflective practitioners possess the ability to think critically about their actions, question their assumptions, and adapt their strategies in response to changing circumstances. This reflective process involves a continuous dialogue between theory and practice, allowing professionals to refine their skills and knowledge over time. Schön highlights the importance of experiential learning and suggests that professionals should embrace uncertainty and ambiguity as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles to be avoided.
One of Schön's notable quotes encapsulates this idea: "The practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation which he finds uncertain or unique. He reflects on the phenomenon before him, and on the prior understandings which have been implicit in his behaviour. He carries out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomenon and a change in the situation." This quote underscores the dynamic nature of reflective practice and the transformative potential it holds for professional development.
Comments