Reflection and reflective processes
Reflection and reflective processes

Author(s): Dag Sørmo
Subject(s): Education
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: education; reflection; reflective processes;
Summary/Abstract: Most people understand reflection from the word reflex. It is something that happens automatically, and is often used about the process that occurs when light hits an object and is emitted (reflected) in different directions. A reflection on the surface of water may seem to mirror an image identical to the reality that it reflects. However, our experience tells us that this is not the case. A small disturbance in the water-mirror will change the reflection and prevent a perception of similarity between reality and reflection. Besides, we have to rely on our experiences within the world we are familiar with (Biggs, 1999). If this image is used as a metaphor and transferred to mental systems, communication and perception of reality, it seems that we sometimes fail to distinguish one reality from another (Bateson, 1973). We may find it difficult to distinguish our own ideas and perceptions from other peoples’ experienced realities. The terms and words we use may trap us into notions of what the world looks like, and how our own experiences blend with a perception of our surroundings. Bateson says that we form an image of something, and that this “something” is what stands out from the background. It is what distinguishes itself from the surroundings, although we see both the surroundings and the object at the same time. From what stands out, we get a sense of the object. Naturally, other elements may be distinctive, such as smell and taste, what we see, feel and hear. Moreover, he points out that the concepts we use are not objects we have inside our heads. He takes “the chair” as an example. He says that a picture of a “chair” is not a chair, but a depiction of a chair. If we grasp the chair and hold it, this means that the word “chair” is not merely an image. We do not have a chair inside our head, but we agree that there is a connection between the image and the chair (Bateson, 1972). Based on such an understanding, a mentor’s thoughts around the conversation with his/her mentee might be decisive. The task may be how the mentor manages to distinguish what is important in the attempt to understand the mentee, or “the other” as Kierkegaard calls it (Kierkegaard, 1859).

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