Role of Self-reflection in Learning and Development: Analytical Essay

Self-reflection in general terms is a process that humans engage with in order to gain further understanding as to who they are and why have think and act the way they do, either as a whole or within individual circumstances. It process where individuals undergo a personal analysis in order to establish and try and align where they want to be within their life (A Conscious Rethink, 2020). Skill You Need Ltd (2020) specified that self-reflection is closely associated with learning from experience, establishing what you did and how this affected what happened, followed by what you could do differently next time. Skills You Need Ltd (2020) further suggested that human nature lends itself to self-reflect, but there is a significant difference between casual ‘thinking’ and actually fully engaging with self-reflection. Self-reflection is the ability to make a conscious decision to fully try and understand events and gain insight from the process.

When considering the role of self-reflection in learning and development, it has to be established whether it is a vital process or not. The Open University illustrated that reflecting provides the opportunity for learners to review the effectiveness of their skills rather than just reiterating what they have already done previously. In this respect, when considering learning and development, it is all about establishing an improvement within the task at hand. Learning and developing is all about change and increasing knowledge, therefore without self-refection, there may be little or no improvement and the status quo remains. If everything then continues as it always has done, there is a significant danger of falling behind others who strive to develop and improve.

The Open University stated that there are certain questions that should be considered for self-reflection within learning.

• What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What are my current skills? What are potential problems are there?

The Open University separated these questions out but I have combined as the self-reflection concerning these could be combined into a SWOT analysis. In order for a learner to enhance their development they can reflect on these questions. What are their strengths which can help with their development? For example, they are well organised. What are their weaknesses which they need to improve in order to further develop? For example, they lack confidence in their abilities. What opportunities do they have to enhance their development and learning? For example, their work place and their mentor is very supportive in their learning. What threats are there to hinder their development? For example, they have a hectic home life and unsure how much time can be set aside for the work required.

• What have I achieved?

It is very easy when self-reflecting, to only focus on the negative aspects, and not appreciate what you have done well and already actually achieved and progressed in. It is important in self-reflection to fully establish what you have already achieved in order to not cover old ground and also use these achievements to build upon and aid further development. For example, if a worker has completed a level two qualification, they can reflect what they learnt during the course to help and get ahead within their level three course.

• What aspects am I disappointed with?

Although it is important to consider the positives, it is also equally as vital to analyse aspects which you are unhappy or disappointed with. By established what you are disappointed with can directly progress you onto how it can be improved for next time in order to enhance learning and development. It is always important to learn from your mistakes, rather than dwell on them, ensure you have established why it was not satisfactory to ensure it does not happen again. For example, within gymnastics, if a coach constructed a routine that did not score well in competition, they can identify their disappointment with the routine and work towards putting this right for next time.

• What could have been improved?

Once the previous stage is completed and the learner has pin pointed what elements they were disappointed with, they can work towards identifying how to progress and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Therefore the learner is fully engaging themselves in the self-reflection and process and developing their skills and knowledge for self-improvement. For example, the gymnastics coach may attending a judging course or ask a more senior coach to identify where they went wrong the first time to ensure they do not make similar mistakes in the future.

In conclusion, it is clearly extremely important to self-reflect if the individual wants to expand their learning and development. Without self-reflection, the same mistakes or less effective processes may be continuously repeated and no improvements are made, therefore little learning or development achieved. Therefore, it is vital for a learner to reflect on their practise and learning in order to develop themselves professionally and avoid common mistakes. When self-reflection, it is important to question yourselves, but the positives and negative aspects should also be included to ensure that the positive elements and carried forwards and negative elements altered in order to improve for next time. Self-reflection when engaged with regularly can help improve individuals professionally and personally and heighten their awareness of what they have learnt and what they wish to avoid in the future.