Reflective
practice is a professional activity of developing critical thinking through analyzing
facts, generating and organizing ideas, making linkages and comparisons, drawing
inferences, evaluating arguments and solving problems. It is a strategy to improve
professional practices and develop capacities related to workplaces where
professionals look back into the actions performed in their past.
Professionals
develop critical as well as creative thinking while reflecting their day to day
activities. Reflective practice improves reasoning skills, helps in generating
ideas, transforms individuals into intellectuals and resultantly makes a difference
in the lives of the people who practices it.
Reflection
can be done before doing any action, during any action and after completing any
action in the real situation. It can be done on activities in the actual
situation, on events within the work place or on the daily life activities.
There
are two protocols which can be used to see deep into ones own professional
practices such as guided practice protocol and critical incident protocol. Usually
professionals keep reflective practice individually using guided practice protocol
which in group critical incident protocol is used. In guided practice protocol of
keeping reflective practice, four questions are addressed by the professionals
such as; what happened? why did it happen? what might it mean? and what are the
implications there for my professional practices? In critical incident practice
protocol a group of professionals sit together to look into a story from every
angle. They explore possible meanings for the shared story and come to an end
with many solutions to solve a problem.
Broadening Horizons