Literature review on Critical and Reflective learning

Literature review on Critical and Reflective learning The following literature review will focus on the concept of critical and reflective learning. Critical and reflective learning is used the world over in various academic institutions and in professional practice. Firstly it would be imperative that critical reflection is defined. Following on from this a discussion shall take place around the various frameworks and theories offered by various theorists on the subject. Finally a critical review of the underlying thinking which underlies much of the policy making process in Ireland will be undertaking. There are various definitions used to explain the process of critical reflection. At a very basic level, critical reflection (CR) occurs when and individual questions either their own ideas or the ideas of another. However as Van Woerkom (2010) suggests there are many different schools of thought on what is involved in the critical reflection process. For example the ideological form of critical reflection would focus on challenging and questioning dominant or unjust ideologies. The psychoanalytical school of CR is focused more on the individual and involves the reframing of personal issues or problems. The analytical model of CR is the process of mentally analysing arguments in the hope of guiding ones beliefs or actions. Finally the pragmatist constructivism school of CR relates to the evaluation of various forms of information in an attempt to provide a solution, while at the same time recognising that the solution itself is open to further questioning (Van Woerkom, 2010). What se ems obvious from these definitions is the fact that the questioning and reflection of a perceived reality at both a societal and personal level are fundamental in each process. Furthermore it seems apparent that the issues that each school is addressing can all impact upon one another. For instance it could be argued that the psychological wellbeing of an individual could be greatly influenced by the dominant ideology within a society. Addressing only the psychological issues with the psychoanalytical approach may prove fruitless, if societal influences causing psychological distress are not addressed. Various theorists have dissected the critical reflection process on a much deeper level. Dewey in ((1933, in Boud et al,1994)suggests that reflection is the process of an individual recapturing their experience, thinking about it and assessing it. He believed that reflection was initiated by an inner uneasiness caused by an individual becoming disillusioned with their current reality. Reflection may also be instigated by a positive experience. The individual may wish to learn what worked in the positive experience, in order to repeat the behaviour that brought about the positive experience. Deweys main focus was centred on the notion that reflection is a highly rational exercise which is based in an evidence based approach which focused on skills and attitudes. However as various authors suggest Deweys focus on skills and attitudes is limited and fails to allow for the affective (emotional) element involved in the learning process ( Boud et al, 1994, Rawson, 2000). Another limiting aspect of Deweys theory was the presumption that one would first have to make a mistake in order to learn from it. Kolb Fry (1975) believed that for effective learning to occur the learner would have to complete a cycle of learning, broken down into four stages: Concrete experience, observation and reflection, forming abstract concepts, testing them in new situations. In essence, an individual begins the learning process by becoming involved in a new experience, which they then reflect upon internally in order to make sense of the experience. The individual then hypothesises about different theories and then applies such theories in new situations. It should be noted that an individual may start in any stage and switch between these stages. And many learners may only use two of the stages, depending upon their learning style (Kolb Fry 1975 ). Donald Schon (1995) has built upon Deweys concept by introducing the idea of double looped learning. He suggested that the majority of learning in everyday life occurred at a level where individuals used previous held values and assumptions to inform their present action (single looped learning). However Double Looped learning involves a deeper level of reflection where individuals question these values and assumptions and subject them to critical investigation. . Agryis (1999) uses an analogy of how a thermostat responds to room temperature by turning on the heat if the room gets to cold and turning it off when it gets to warm. The thermostat responds by receiving signals from the room temperature. He contended that this equated to a human being receiving positive or negative signals about their actions and then changing their actions (Single loop learning). Going back to the thermostat analogy, double looped learning would ask the question, why the room got too hot or cold in the f irst place. The same goes for human beings when they question the underlying assumptions which informed their actions in the first place. Such learning is not limited to the individual and such learning could be applied to organisations and society (Agryis, 1999), However as Rawson (2000) suggests, many institutions seem to treat intellect as absolute and dont allow for the questioning necessary in the critical reflection process. He goes on to suggest that society works on a basis of having power over, rather than power with. He believed that such an approach was evident in many educational institutions. He advocates the notion of learning to learn where the relevance of various aspects of knowledge continued to be questioned and challenged. Rawson argues that knowledge is not a final product and contends that the meaning and understanding process is more important than the end product. His analysis is closely linked with the teachings of Paulo Friere. Frieres (1998) CR theory was rooted firmly in the ideological school of thought. He believed the educational system served to reproduce the status quo which was influenced by the dominant ideological discourse. He was of the opinion that educators should challenge the status quo through challenging students to question the dominant discourse, which he believed served to reproduce inequalities. He stressed the importance of dialogue within the education system, as he believed without dialogue; true education could not take place. Hooks (1994) captures the notion of education without dialogue when she speaks of her experience as an undergraduate and graduate student. She suggests that the majority of lecturers used the classroom as an avenue to exert their view of the world upon students. Friere (1998) did not advocate a non directive approach to education, however he did stress it should be the process and not the student that should be directed. Friere (1998) recognised that each stu dent had their own unique life experience and contended that the students experience was invaluable in the learning experience. Very basically Friere (1998) was of the opinion that education was more about enabling students to question and challenge the commonly held knowledge within society. Meizrow (1994) also spoke about reflection in terms of transformation. Mezirow (1994) described reflective learning as a process in which the learner has to consider or reconsider certain assumptions they may hold about themselves or the world. He argued that the most effective reflection occurred when the learner discovers their assumptions to be in some way weakened. It causes the learner to look at reasons why their assumptions have caused them to reach decisions or to react in a certain way and to maybe re-evaluate their assumptions. He explained that when the learner accepts that their past assumptions may have been incorrect they have created a transformative space and within that space they can be open to engaging in new-found knowledge. This, he believes, can lead to a deeper level of reflective practice. As mentioned earlier emotions can play an important part in such a process Boud et al (1994) suggest that past experiences can greatly determine an individuals ability to learn in new situations. If learning was only centred in the transfer of knowledge from one individual to another, learning would be a smooth occurrence and each individual would take in knowledge with minimal difficulty. However emotions such as anxiety can cause difficulties for those who are participating in new learning experiences. The majority of individuals will experience anxieties when faced with new learning. However for some the anxiety can be overwhelming and deeply affect the learning process. So how individuals learn is greatly influenced by emotion (Boud et al, 1994). In conclusion it can be seen that there are many areas of both personal and societal life which could benefit from the process of critical reflection. The whole notion of learning to learn seems to be an approach which encourages independent and self-directed learning. While there are many schools of thought on the process of CR, they all seem be directed at questioning the underlying assumptions and discourses which inform both individual and societal actions. It seems obvious from the various readings that critical reflection is often frowned upon as something which upsets the status quo of organisations. Reflection The subject that I have chosen to reflect on is how the Irish society continues to apply past solutions to present problems. If we look to the recent recession it is clear that the Irish government continue to take the approach of promoting competition and neo liberal policies as a solution to the current economic conditions. As Coulter Coleman (2003) argue the dominant discourse in Irish society suggests that  the economy is the mechanism which will bring about the greatest good for everyone concerned.  Ã‚   They contend that such a discourse is constructed by everyone within society.   Some discourses are so dominant that they almost seem to be natural and many fail to question them.   If we look to the Celtic Tiger in Ireland, there were various commentators suggesting that the country was in danger of a serious financial and economic crisis. Back in 2007 Bertie Ahern famously made the remark, that those who were moaning and cribbing about how the economy was being run sh ould commit suicide (Stafford, 2010).   The moaners and cribbers he was referring too were economists who were warning about the economy not being stable and the future crash of the economy.   Even though these economists were correct in their predictions the majority of Irish society sided with Bertie Ahern. As Friere (1998) suggests, the need to question dominant knowledge is a must, however in the Irish case when the dominant knowledge was questioned the individuals were ridiculed.  Ã‚   This fundamental aspect of Irish society needs to change.   Even in the current recession the government continues to suggest that the only way recover from the economic downturn is to remain competitive in the global world.  The dominant thinking involved here is just returning to the dominant thinking of the past which suggests the economy is going to correct all the ills of the country.   Even the EU/IMF bailout underwent very little critical analysis. The same commentators who were warning of the economic crisis during the Celtic Tiger collapse were all suggesting that there were alternatives which could have being taking. However just like the Celtic Tiger era, the government chose to follow a path without considering the long-term consequences. As Storey (2010) argues IMF bailouts in other countries have had disastrous consequences for those countries. By nature these bailouts seem to be extremely undemocratic. For example the IMF (an unelected external body) has a major influence on the development and implementation of national po licy. There was no referendum on this bailout and the general Irish public had very little say on whether or not the bailout was applied for. The presence of undemocratic rule seemed to be evident in Ireland a number of years before the IMF arrived in town. For instance the first referendum on the Lisbon Treaty was rejected by the Irish people, however the Irish government held a second referendum asking the question in a different way. Compared to other countries there was very little protest in relation to the bailout or austerity measures which were been implemented. Even when it was apparent that the government were lying for a number of days in relation to applying for a bailout, there was very little public outcry. While pole ratings suggested that the government were dropping in popularity, the level of protest was minimal. The question has to be asked, why the Irish public are so passive in relation to situations which will have serious consequences for their lives. One expl anation could be the lack of social solidarity. For instance Bauman (2000) argues that in modern society individuals are now defying their identity through the consumption of various goods and products. He argues that this creates a lack of social solidarity and creates a more individualistic society. It could be argued that the Celtic Tiger has created a society of consumers who are only concerned about their own needs. The Celtic Tiger period in Ireland is often seen as a period where individuals and groups were living extravagant and affluent lifestyles. It seems as though individuals in society are now more worried about their own needs and have very little concern for others. This may change once the true impact of the austerity measures hits home for various groups and individuals. It seems very evident from the recent budget that the most vulnerable in society are going to pay the highest price for the mistakes of the elite. It seems apparent that it is the underlying thinking and ideology in Irish society which needs to undergo a critical reflection. Both those in power and society as a whole need to consider what kind of society they want for both themselves and future generations. If the lack of protest in Ireland is anything to go by it seems as though individuals in Irish society have become self-interested and have very little concern for the more vulnerable in society. It may be worth introducing the process of critical reflection at an earlier age in schools in an attempt to create independent thinkers who are capable of challenging dominant discourse at both organisational and political level. However from my own experience of various social care settings and the education system such an ideal does not seem high on the agenda. It may suit those at the top to have a society which follows and does not question. Or it may be, that those at the top do not question their own motives. Either way, if I reland wishes to learn from the mistakes of the past, some form of questioning needs to occur at a societal, governmental and individual level. The recent recession provides a space for such questioning. Whether such questioning materialises at the level suggested in this reflection remains to be seen.

Heidi Roizen

1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Roizen’s network at the end of the case? Heidi Roizen has invested time and effort in developing and sustaining relationships/networks in the computer industry, especially in the Silicon Valley area, throughout her professional career. As she moves into her venture capitalist role, her networking efforts have the following strengths – †¢Includes executives including CEO’s, thereby giving her the experience of interacting with these business leaders.Since she has established relationships with many and her credibility is proven, which is an important criterion for business leaders; this is a critical skill in her new role. †¢Since she is not only well known in the internet industry but is also well respected, her joining Softbank provides positive feedback about the new group making it an attractive opportunity for many. Her current role is different from her prior jobs in that it requires making go/no-go fundi ng decisions about start-up companies rather than establish a network of contact to help develop the business she was involved in.This fundamental difference in her role will put strains on her vast network as well as herself. Namely- †¢Reject projects from her acquaintances. Even though she has been making concerted efforts to reach out to those affected by these adverse decisions, there is a good possibility that some people will let these decision impact their personal/professional relationships with her. Since, she is very values her relationships a lot I imagine such issues will negatively affect her at a personal level.This has the potential of having a negative impact on her credibility in the industry †¢Trying to manage her network will put constraints on her professional and/or personal life. As she mentions that she spends two hours per day sending out rejection notes, I believe for her to be able to sustain this she will need to put in extra hours at work or com promise the quality of work. †¢Create internal conflict for herself by deviating from her philosophy of helping others when it is a mutually beneficial situation for both, since in her current role she is feeling pressured to help people by referring them to the companies she is tied with. 2) What specific steps did Roizen take to develop her network? To maintain it? Heidi Roizen is a very well know business leader in the computer industry sector, especially in Silicon Valley. During the course of her career she has built a vast network of connections. The basic reason for her vast network can be attributed to her innate extrovert and high energy personality coupled with a desire to interact and help people with high caliber and engaging personalities. In addition, she was also required to cultivate relationships to support the software company, T/Maker, which she co-founded in the early phase of her career.The primary objective was to market the company’s product. Her s trategies towards developing relationships included – †¢Follow the ‘what can I offer’ approach. In her interactions with people she planned carefully on how to help their projects/needs. During her time at Tandem, she had opportunity to work with the company’s CEO’s and through her approach she built relationships with the CEO. Her relationship benefited her professionally as he recommended her for the Stanford MBA program. †¢Identify organizations and people that will help her initiatives and engage them through meaningful contributions in their activities.To promote her company, T/Maker, Heidi networked with the press, the software entrepreneur’s forums and the software publishers association. Through her contributions she has established sustainable relationships, as is evident by the glowing reviews paid to her by business leaders such as Brian Gentile of eALITY Inc. †¢Trust her judgments on the caliber of person she associ ates with rather than their position in the organization. The paper gives instances where she built relationships with ‘smart’, ‘interesting’ and ‘good quality’ people who later become senior executives in their companies. Relationships are built on a combination of professional-social interactions. She is known to have regular parties at her house. She used these events not only to build her relationships but also provide networking opportunities to her guests. Heidi gives a lot of importance to her relationships and is consequently very conscientious in sustaining them. To maintain her network, she believes in †¢Quality of the interaction rather than quantity. She leverages her relationships after much thought, for e. g. higher up in the organization her contact is, fewer times she would contact that individual for favor. †¢Focus on been consistent in the relationship. She emphasizes being consistent in her actions while dealing wit h friends. †¢Ensuring there is reciprocity in the relationship i. e. , there is a balance between the times she is asking for help versus helping that particular individual out. ? 3) How does your own network compare with Roizen’s? To what extent are the differences due to the political structure in the networks assist?To what extent are the differences due to the personal preferences and style? As I compare my social/professional network to Heidi Roizen’s, one of the biggest differences is the number of people we know-my LinkedIn contact list is at 100+ while I guess Heidi’s would be 500+ category. After going through this article I have realized the significance networking can have on one’s profession and moving forward will like to The commonalities between our relationships include †¢Quality of interactions rather than quantity.I have some very good friends whom I only meet once/twice per year yet the relationship has been sustained. †¢ Relationships have to be on an even footing. I make concerted efforts to ensure reciprocity is maintained from my end. There have been occasions in the past where I have discontinued relationships when I felt the other individual was always asking for help. Some differences that occur in our relationships are †¢Heidi is very social and has parties almost every weekend in her house. This is not the case at my place. There is a very strong emphasis in her life on networking, which is not the case for me. She seems to invest time in relationships with the intent of leveraging them for future benefit either for herself or other acquaintances. This becomes clear at the end of the case during her time Softbank she referred people to organizations that will help her business interest. In my case, relationships can sometimes be used to exchange ideas or just have fun without the intent of obtaining any benefit. †¢I am generally not looking to bring people together for mutual benef it. †¢She makes an effort of meeting new people through attending trade shows, participating in conference etc.In my role, I have opportunity to attend technical conferences but my primary intent there is to acquire knowledge rather than meet new people. In my opinion one of the biggest reasons for the differences is our personality type. She is an out-going, high energy person with a passion for meeting new people. This means that interacting and meeting new people provides her with fuel to get recharged in life. I am an introvert who enjoys meeting people but feel drained after these experiences and need alone/close family time to recharge.In addition, differences between Heidi and me can also be attributed to our professions. Since she has primarily worked as entrepreneurs/business developer, my role is to develop manufacturing processes. I believe there is a fundamental difference between these roles, her job needs interacting with a large number of people whereas in my cas e knowledge about the processes is more important. ? 4) What suggestions would you give Roizen for adjusting and maintaining her network as she became more involved as an internet venture capitalist?I will give her the following suggestions †¢She should not try to sustain every relationship that she has established over the years. She should create of priority list of people and maintain relationships with those who meet her basic requirement of being ‘smart’ and ‘good quality’ as well are value added in her new role. She has to juggle three critical roles – family, work and network management. If she focuses too much on trying to maintain her network, there is a high probability that one or both of the others will suffer. She should focus on creating some relationships with people who are not in the same industry sector as her. This will be –in sync with her outgoing personality and fulfill her ‘need’ to interact with people while not creating expectations/pressures in her profession. In the paper, it is obvious that many of the proposals, including meeting requests, being submitted are from with her network. Since most of these are being rejected and even though she is being very professional in rejecting these, it should be expected that some of these rejections are not well received.The negative reactions emanating from these may create stress for her and hamper her professional and personal life. †¢She should also delegate the rejection letters to her subordinates as she seems to be spending too much time on them and this is taking away from her work time that may be detrimental for her career. †¢Since, her current role is different from her past roles of being an entrepreneur/business developer there is limited need for keeping a very large network.

Top Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples Secrets

Top Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples Secrets Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples and Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples - The Perfect Combination The philosopher Paul Grice explained this regarding an extremely general truth about the essence of conversation. Any individual, not necessarily a specialist will have the ability to recognize that the lyrics and visuals of this video proved semantically engineered by means of a linguist or carefully designed by a specialist on semiotics. They've just realized an essay full of a lot of hashtags coming from the specific student who wrote it is not threatening whatsoever. Since you can imagine, I wouldn't be writing an essay with this kind of a provocative title if I were able to answer one or more of these questions affirmatively. However, for the very first time, I've been made to have a look at the facts straight in the eye. Our teeth are broken against them. The patient should truly feel comfortable and re spected around the nurse to be able to communicate effectively. Both the nurse and patient have to trust each other, without trust the individual cannot be suitably cared for. The Importance of Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples They're attempting to rise against the rest of the races and cultures instead of merely coming together as 1. It doesn't need to be that manner. The third stage is known as bureaucratization. The very first phase of the social movement life cycle is known as the emergence or preliminary stage. The 5-Minute Rule for Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples As a result, millions of folks are now mindful of the continuing effect of police brutality on black lives. It's earned when the men and women gain from and see themselves as part of the societies in which they're housed. The handicapped are a rather unique and peculiar and gorgeous group of individuals. Less individuals are committing crimes. In general, within this study, the bulk of Black Lives Matter articles released by the New York Times were institutional criticisms. The platform has each of the persons who work and be sure that the Black Movement continues to show that Black Lives Matter. Four decades before, what's now called the Black Lives Matter Global Network started to organize. The Black Lives Matter Movement has produced a conversation within the nation along with across the world. Using Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples To further our knowledge, we've got an essay about racism category you can explore. There are differing moral and political opinions, thus the issue doesn't have any resolution as of this moment. It's a movement calling out the racism which exists in the present society. In spite of the fact that slavery and separation of races ended many decades past, racism can nevertheless be found in nursing today. New Step by Step Roadmap for Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples Our objective is to support the maturatio n of new Black leaders, along with create a network where Black folks feel empowered to identify our destinies in our communities. Inside this phase, social movements are extremely introductory, and there's slight to no organization. It may also enable you to take into consideration how effective you truly feel social media can be. Social media has the power to reach individuals around the world in milliseconds, which significantly lessens the time that it would take to organize a protest. The Lost Secret of Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples Furthermore, the reforms can be pressed locally by activists in nearly every municipality in the us. The Civil Rights Movement's effectiveness is why children in the current generation could have never experienced racial injustice. Opposition has ever been part of American politics, but it is thought that Donald Trump's election has sparked a bigger era of protests. The Foolproof Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples Strateg y In the usa, poverty plays a huge part on it. Even after as soon as the movement started, the African American men and women in america were still targeted by the computer system. The African American and lots of people throughout the USA were mad regarding the incident. The African American community and several different individuals in the USA were upset of the ruling of the situation. The simple fact a police force would foster officers that are eager to break the law ought to be a tremendous concern alone. A great deal of this indicates that there might be an overall bias among police officers that non-white people today are somewhat more likely to be criminals. After the scenario, a couple laws changed. An even larger problem with police brutality in the USA is that it looks deeply tied to racism. What's Truly Going on with Black Lives Matter Research Essay Samples They wish to stay powerful and realize their objectives. From there the on-line campaign began. This is dismayingwe would like to repair it. These are a few of the questions that resulted in this research investigation. The issues are now too complicated. In case the candidate who's running for president even sees an issue with the law enforcement team then it needs to be a simple job to solve but its not. Society should change the method by which they view others and the problems that go on.

“The Simpson’s” is about the satiric adventures of a...

â€Å"The Simpson’s† is about the satiric adventures of a working class family in the city of Springfield. â€Å"The Simpsons is an example of an American sitcom. A sitcom is situation comedy, which is when the same setting and same characters appear in every episode. Sitcoms surfaced in the 1950s in America showing the ideal family. Slowly sitcoms started to show the reality of life and dealt with social issues such as divorce and unemployment. Sitcoms have become very popular because people could relate to the program, since they show problems that happen in every day life. In this essay, I am going to analyze The Simpsons and demonstrate how it follows the conventions of the sitcom genre. The opening sequence of The Simpsons introduces†¦show more content†¦This is makes the audience skeptical and appears unrealistic. She goes against her stereotype because she is going against the norms of an eight-year-old girl. Later on in this episode, Bart gets a tattoo. This goes against the norms of a young boy, because you rarely see someone getting a tattoo that young. It adds comedic value as well. The tattoo parlor is being satirized because they are shown as irresponsible for allowing a child to get a tattoo. Homer is shown as an unsupportive father because he falls asleep when his children are performing on stage. He should be cheering and watching, but he goes against his stereotype, which also adds comedic value. Marge is the only one in this episode who does not go against her stereotype. She acts like a mother by getting angry with Bart and watches the school production and cheers on her children. The family as a unit is stereotyped. The father brings in the money while the mother stays at home. The kids go to school. On the other hand, they have problems that are not ideal for a family. They have a son who’s failing in school, and they have financial issues. However, at the end of each episode they are shown as happy even after the hardships. Even though theyre not perfect they still love each other. In the episode Homer Bad Man, the family sticks together when Homer is accused of sexual assault. The family supports him and tries to help him prove his innocence. The family also shows signs of