Reflective Learning
Sue Daley-Yates / Chris Ireland
Part 1 – Learning Theory
Break
Part 2 – Reflective Learning
Writing a learning log
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How much do you
know / remember about
reflective learning and PDP ?
Try the Quiz
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What is learning ?
In groups of 3 or 4
brainstorm definitions of learning
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Learning Styles
•
•
•
•
How you learn may be important
Why ?
May help you to avoid mistakes
Avoid repeating negative patterns of
behaviour
• May improve quality of life
• May improve your performance at work
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What’s the point ?
• For learners – to become more effective, to
become more independent, to use strengths and
improve weaker processing channels
• For teachers – to provide opportunities for
students to become more involved in their
learning, can improve retention and
achievement, can be relevant to widening
participation
• Relevant for PDP
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What is a learning style ?
‘Learning Style is the way in which each learner
begins to concentrate on, process, and retain
new and [possibly] difficult information’
(Dunn,1967)
‘....a biologically and developmentally imposed set
of personal characteristics that make the same
teaching method effective for some students and
ineffective for others,...’
(Dunn, Beaudry, and Klavas, 1989)
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• Learners may use a variety of channels
through which they receive information –
Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic /
Tactile (VAK/T)
• One is usually dominant - depends on task
to be learned and the situation
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Do you know your own
learning style / learning preference ?
• Have you taken a test to determine
your learning style ?
• Remember not to lock yourself into one
preference
• Learning Style may depend on the task
and the situation
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VAK – are you
Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic ?
How do you learn best ?
Take a test if unsure - info on Blackboard
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Learning Style Tests and Models
• VAK/T – to determine learning style
• Kolb’s ‘Learning Cycle’ / learning styles
• Honey and Mumford’s learning styles
• Howard Gardner’s ‘Mutiple Intelligences’
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Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Concrete
experience
Active
experimentation
Reflective
observation
Abstract
conceptualization
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David Kolb’s
Experiential Learning Theory (ELT)
4 distinct learning styles –
Diverging
(feeling and watching)
Assimilating
(watching and thinking)
Converging
(doing and thinking)
Accommodating
(doing and feeling)
Compare to Honey and Mumford’s model
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Honey and Mumford –
Learning Styles
• Activists
(do)
Immerse themselves fully in new experiences
• Reflectors
(review)
Stand back and observe
• Theorists
(conclude)
Think through problems in a logical manner, value rationality
and objectivity
• Pragmatists
(plan)
Keen to put ideas, theories and techniques into practice
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Honey and Mumford Learning Styles
Kolb’s learning Styles
See handout
Honey / Mumford
Activists
Reflector
Theorist
Pragmatist
Kolb
Accommodating
Diverging
Assimilating
Converging
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Consider your learning type
Consider 4 group situations e.g. a meeting to
discuss a project, when you were :
•
•
•
•
Activist
Reflector
Theorist
Pragmatist
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For each situation
•
•
•
•
Briefly describe the situation
Describe the roles of other members
Say why you took on a particular role
Evaluate the success of your role within
the group
• Evaluate the success of the situation
• What do you think would have happened if
you had taken on a different role
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Now consider
how you work with others
• See handout
Working with others
• Does your learning style inhibit your ability
to work well in a team ?
• Consider which Key Skills are strengths
and which are weaknesses
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• When you have finished break time
• Part 2 – Reflective Learning
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What is Reflective Learning ?
To cover:
What reflective learning is
Purpose
Methods
Evidence of reflective learning
Examples of reflective learning
accounts
PDP / Key Skills / academic context
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What is reflective learning –
one definition “Reflection, here, means looking back
on an experience and making sense of
it to identify what to do in the future. It
helps you repeat what worked and learn
from mistakes.”
Drew, S and Bingham R. (2001) The Student Skills
Guide.2nd ed. Hampshire: Gower Publishing Ltd.
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Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Concrete
experience
Active
experimentation
Reflective
observation
Abstract
conceptualization
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Without reflection
I just can’t
do it !
Oh well, I’ll have
another go
I’m
hopeless !
Atherton, J. S. (2003) Learning and Teaching: Critical Reflection [online].
Available at: <http://www.dmu.ac.uk/~jamesa/learning/critical1.htm>
[Accessed 9th November 2004]
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Consider this account
• Handout
Example of a Reflective Learning Account
Student A
• Read and decide if you think it is a good
reflective account
• If yes – why ?
• If no why not ?
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Stages of Reflection
• Basic Observation – describing situations
• Standing back / analysing from different
perspectives
• Identifying problems, weak areas
• Identifying strengths
• Considering alternatives / setting targets
• Action planning
• Revisiting to evaluate improvements
Material adapted from King, T. (2002) Development of Student
Skills in Reflective Writing [online]. Available at:
www.csd.uwa.edu.au/iced2002/publication/Terry_King.pdf
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Revise and rewrite
• Return to the account
Handout
Example of a Reflective Learning Account
Student A
• Rewrite as a reflective account (if time)
• How to structure the account
• What to miss out / What to add
• Key Skills
• Academic context
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Surface Learning compared to
Deep Learning
• Now compare the 2 handouts –
Student A and Student B
• Which is an example of surface learning
Which is an example of deep learning
Why ?
• Notice layout and structure of B
Although longer, more concise and ‘businesslike’
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Types of reflective work
you may have to do • Evaluation of work carried out:
essay, project, report, group work etc.
• Reflective log –
self reflection / analysis / evaluation /
target setting
• Reflective portfolio –
containing evidence e.g. video, report etc.
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Why do Personal Development
Planning ?
Apart from personal development as an individual
‘The main attraction of PDP as an employability
tool is the way it can help students to get a
graduate job….to remain employable and to
meet the changing demands of work and
society….[it is] a survival skill with longer
term benefits in relation to lifelong learning
and personal career management .’
University of Huddersfield (2005) The 4 Steps to Career Success.
Employability and Progress Files Project
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Personal Development Plan
and Portfolio
• Relate your reflective learning to
Key Skills for Managers
• When writing up your log, identify when a
key skill has been addressed
• Underpin your reflective writing with
learning theories
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Key Skills / Academic context
• Final handout
Students commenting on group
projects
• Identify where Key Skills are being
addressed or need to be addressed
• Add references to learning theories
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Reflective Writing - Final Tips
• Don’t include unnecessary detail
• Don’t just tell a story
• Write in a formal style
• Add value
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Follow up references
• Learning styles test / multiple intelligences
http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm#Learning%2
0Styles%20Explained
www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm
• David Kolb’s Learning Cycle
http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-explrn.htm
• Honey and Mumford - Learning Styles
http://www.ruby3.dircon.co.uk/Training%20Files/Theory%
20Pages/learning%20styles.htm
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Follow up Tasks
• Identify your learning style
• Howard Gardner / Multiple Intelligences
• Write a reflective account of this session no more than 250 words (1 side of A4)
• Put it in your PDP folder
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If still unsure about reflective writing,
contact – the Academic Skills Tutors
Sue Daley-Yates can be contacted by
telephone on 473326 or via e-mail at
s.daley-yates@hud.ac.uk.
Chris Ireland can be contacted by
telephone on 473023 or via e-mail at
c.j.ireland@hud.ac.uk.
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