Reflective Thinking

I've heard the term reflective thinking countless times but it never occurred to me to discover what it really was. Considering that I've been in school for over 20 years, you'd think that I would be quite familiar with its concept. Reading Mayes' article (as well as just about everything else in this course) made me realize just how truly important reflective thinking is. Not just important, but an essential and fundamental element necessary for learning.

It is through discussion that we are able to learn, to take in other people's perceptions and we use reflective thinking to process these new perceptions and try to make sense of those new perceptions by using our own perceptions (prior knowledge). Reflective thinking allows for a greater learning experience and it's something that I becoming to understand is pretty much unavoidable. So when I really think about it, it's more than likely (highly possible) that I have utilized reflective thinking in the past without realizing it. However, now I am able to channel my thoughts in a way to get the most of learning.

I also feel as though effective reflective thinking in itself is a learning technique. What I mean is that I don't think you're a born expert, it is something that must be honed in on in order to mature to its full capability. I'm off to do some research to see if there are ways in which you can improve your reflective thinking skills, it's such a necessary concept, one that shouldn't be left unattended!