Learning about myself

“We do not reflect on the route to the bus-stop, or how to do a simple arithmetical where there is an obvious solution. We think it through or plan it. However, we might reflect on whether or not to complain about something when the complaint might generate difficult consequences. In addition, the content of reflection is largely what we know already.”

A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning Theory and Practice – J.A.  Moon

I have been reading the above book day after day, and each chapter is more interesting than the last. I am starting to identify what I do daily now, in my own private research/work and teaching.

If I could label myself a specific type of learner, I would now label myself a “deep reflective theorist”. It explains why I take so long to understand something; however, once I understand the something, I understand it more than most people are capable of. I spend most of my day, every day, visiting and revisiting thoughts of processes of developing new movements, concepts, choreographies, and ideas for my students. And reflecting every time I teach the same movement about how am I teaching it. Am I able to teach it more clearly today? Did I read enough about the movement yesterday? Did I read anything new about the movement before class? What is the new something that I observed while watching other students perform the same movement in an examination situation before my own class? All these questions lead to experiential and reflective learning. I visit these thought processes every day. How many other people do that? And are they getting the same experience out of it as I do? Do they come to the same conclusions as I do?

I often observe students who are having a difficult time understanding and/or applying a correction that they have received from a teacher, even if it is a long term on-going issue, and I have observed many teachers respond to students with these issues by giving a “knee jerk” reaction of “they are just lazy”. I normally ask myself:

“Did I describe to the student in enough detail what they could do better?”
“Did something happen to the student today on an emotional/physical level that I am unaware of?”
“Is there an at home issue that I am unaware of that is affecting the student’s ability to listen, and understand?”

“Was there something that I did that failed to deliver the message to the student?”
“What could I do to make a difference so that the student does understand, and apply what is necessary?”

These only a few of the thoughts that I ask myself at least 10 times a day.  Is this common? I can’t tell I am only in my own mind, and body.

 Just things that I have been thinking about after reading today! Please share your own experiences below!