Reviewing and Reflection

Active Reviewing: A Practical Guide for Trainers and Facilitators
Roger Greenaway, Vaida Bogdan, Calin Iepure

Discover how to make reviews at least as engaging as the activities you are reviewing. Find practical ways to help people learn from experience. Reviewing Techniques you will find in this book: Activity Map; Action Replay; Storyline; Empathy Test; Goal Keepers; Horseshoe; Missing Person; Back to the Future. Plus Guidance about: Reviewing with Playing Cards - a practical model. When to review? Not enough time for reviewing? What could possibly go wrong? Spot these traps and know how to avoid them. Top Tips for Reviewing

Fostering Critical Reflection in Adulthood Jack Mezirow From the Inside Flap: This book presents successful programs, techniques, and strategies for helping adult learners tap into their rich and diverse life experiences as a basis for growth and lifelong learning. (Amazon.co.uk)

The theory and practice of transformative learning: A critical review Edward W Taylor This critical review includes a critique of Mezirow (see left and above). Publisher: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, Center on Education and Training for Employment, College of Education, The Ohio State University (1998) ASIN: B0006R2XQ6

Lasting Lessons:
A Teacher's Guide to Reflecting on Experience
Clifford Knapp

Guidance on planning reflection sessions and improving facilitation skills. About the Author: Clifford E. Knapp is a professor in the Curriculum & Instruction Department in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. For the past 37 years, he has been an elementary, junior high, and high school teacher as well as a teacher educator. He has a special interest in teaching environmental ethics and has developed a graduate course that focuses on this topic. Book Description: Are you convinced that youngsters learn best when they are making or doing or discovering things themselves? Are you unsure about how to turn such experiences into meaningful lessons? This guide will help. A 30 year veteran of the classsroom, Dr. Knapp provides plenty of practical guidance in planning reflection sessions and improving facilitation skills. Also included are listings of helpful organizations and resources for learning more. (reviewed at amazon.com) Check the contents or Learn about this book at the ERIC website Check both Amazon stores - it is probably much less at amazon.com.

Playback:
A Guide to Reviewing Activities
Roger Greenaway

Playback should be on every trainer's bookshelf ... It is cheap enough, creative enough, self-effacing, but well founded ... a treasure trove of group processes to use when debriefing an activity and can give the hackneyed discussion session a life of its own .... (reviewed by Billie Taylor, Training and Development) Playback is principally written for those working with young people. But review activity is ageless. It is also interdisciplinary. Hence there is much of practical value... (reviewed by Jeffrey Gold in Education and Training) More Reviews   Contents   Extracts   More Information

Processing the Experience:
Strategies to Enhance and Generalize Learning
John L. Luckner, Reldan S. Nadler

This book draws together ideas from a number of articles published in The Journal of Experiential Education. The methods described include: large group discussion, journal writing, dyads, small group discussion, written activity sheets, isolation, drawing. Also available at Amazon.com where you will find at least 5 favourable reviews

Reviewing Adventures:
Why and How?
Roger Greenaway

This book starts with some challenging questions, then explores some models of learning and development, ending with descriptions of a number of active and creative reviewing methods. Is it always necessary to review an experience to learn from it? Are there not plenty of adventurous experiences which are rewarding in themselves, and in which the learning is self-evident? Contents   Preface   Introduction Reviewing Adventures is out of print, but you may read some extracts online

See Design Your Own Games and Activities (next)

Book Description: Smart trainers know that games and activities can involve adults in learning like no other instructional method and no one knows more about games than Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan. In this must-have resource, Thiagi shows you how to customize more than thirty different kinds of games -- games that fit the circumstances perfectly and that can be designed in mere minutes. (Amazon.co.uk) Lots of great reviews at Amazon.com including ... "Though there are many collections of training and simulation games, only a few are able to give you the understanding and guidance you need to take full advantage of the power of games as learning tools. Of those few, none is more comprehensive, more fun, more practical than Thiagi and Son's Template— a master trainer and master player who has been bringing new levels of functioning fun to business and education for more than thirty years. His son Raja has taken the best of his father's wisdom, and added both clarity and humor." — Bernie DeKoven, author, DeepFUN.com, The Well-Played Game

ISBN: 0566073811

Reflection:
Turning Experience into Learning
David Boud (Editor), Rosemary Keogh (Editor), David Walker (Editor)

For Boud, Keogh and Walker reflection is an activity in which people 'recapture their experience, think about it, mull it over and evaluate it'. They focus on three aspects: Returning to experience - that is to say recalling or detailing salient events. Attending to (or connecting with) feelings - this has two aspects for them: using helpful feelings and removing or containing obstructive ones. Evaluating experience - this involves re-examining experience in the light of one's intent and existing knowledge etc. It also involves integrating this new knowledge into one's conceptual framework. See more comment on this book at infed.org

Reflection in Learning and Professional Development
Jennifer Moon

Publisher: Reflection in Learning and Professional Development makes this diverse subject accesible and and will be an essential guide for all those who are seeking to use or develop reflection to improve learning in many different situations. Features include: • wide cross-discipline coverage • the literature of reflection • reflective techniques • a new model of learning reflection and journal writing • practical reflective activities to develop and improve learning. Both detailed and practical, the book will be valuable for all those wotrking in higher and further education, in training and in professional development. It will also be useful for educational researchers, psychologists, staff development managers and trainers in industry and commerce.

Synopsis: This handbook acts as an essential guide to understanding and using reflective and experiential learning techniques in educational and training contexts. Jennifer Moon adopts a methodical, integrated approach to reflective and experiential learning. The book features a rigorous analysis of the theory behind the techniques to establish exactly what we mean by reflective and experiential learning and how they relate to the process of learning. The final section of the book provides useful ideas for applying the models of learning, providing practical advice, tools, activities and photocopiable resources which can be incorporated into teaching practice. This book is essential reading for any teacher, lecturer or trainer wanting to understand, develop and use reflective and experiential learning to improve teaching and learning. (Amazon.co.uk)

The Intuitive Practitioner:
On the Value of Not Always Knowing What One Is Doing
Guy Claxton

Synopsis: This volume investigates, both conceptually and empirically, the role of intuition in professional practice and its significance for professional development, especially within the world of education. The relationship between rationale or explicit ways of knowing and learning and inarticulate, intuitive or implicit ones is explored in the context of professional practice and development. The tendency to interpret "reflection" solely in terms of articulation is questioned and the value of other forms of reflection is reasserted. The working relationship between reason and intuition is illustrated in a variety of case studies in distinctive educational and professional settings. From this reassessment of intuition, practical lessons for the initial training and continuing professional development of educators and others are highlighted and extracted. (Amazon.co.uk)

Becoming a Reflective Educator:
How to Build a Culture of Inquiry in the Schools
John W. Brubacher, Timothy G. Reagan

Synopsis: The authors draw on experiences evolving out of the overhaul of the U. of Connecticut teacher education program. They include many case studies to illustrate the difficult experiences teachers encounter and to encourage reflection and analysis rather than reliance on a prepackaged set of techniques. (Amazon.co.uk)

The Atlas of Experience
Louise van Swaay, Jean Klar, David Winner

Synopsis: While adhering to the conventions of cartography, this atlas invites travellers to follow routes through familiar-looking topography to realms of imagination, ideas, feelings and experience. It encompasses the Ocean of Possibilites, the Swamps of Boredom, the City of Boom and the Airport of Escape. Review: Two Dutch cartographers get carried away with the idea that life is a journey and can be represented on maps. The text between the maps is suitably thought-provoking and inspirational, but it feels like two books in one. I would have enjoyed even closer integration between the text and the maps, but it's worth buying for the maps alone. There is plenty of scope for the creative trainer to turn this coffee table novelty into a powerful tool for reflection. Some might say that Tony Buzan has done the job already with Mind Mapping. But this is different and more magical. It is like Treasure Island or The Phantom Tolbooth - for grown ups. (reviewed by Roger Greenaway) Reviews at Amazon.co.uk - from 1 star to 5 star Go to the publisher's website and make your own map - at a price

Synopsis: This text maps out the professional, political and theoretical landscape of reflective practice, its nature and purposes and the claims being made for it. The book aims to bring together two central aspects of educational improvement: the power that teachers have to appraise, understand and transform their practice; and the bigger picture and the structures that serve to imprison and liberate practice. The authors centre their text on a model of the teacher as a reflective learner, with enlightenment and empowerment as central themes. A core professional textbook for undergraduate and PGCE students on initial teacher training programmes, it will also interest practising teachers, teacher educators and those on continuing professional development courses. (Amazon.co.uk)

Synopsis: Journal-writing is an increasingly common technique in education and training. This text offers guidance on keeping and using journals and gives step-by-step advice on integrating journal-writing on taught courses and in training and professional development. (Amazon.co.uk)

Manager's Guide to Self Development
Mike Pedler, John Burgoyne, Tom Boydell

Synopsis: This book is designed as a self-development programme for managers seeking to develop skills such as mental agility, creativity, social skills and emotional resilience. The book is divided into two main parts. The first part outlines eleven key managerial qualities and the second contains practical activities aimed at developing the reader's skills and abilities. The book has been extended and updated to reflect the challenges faced by managers in the new economy, and also the need to balance work and life. The new edition features five new activities: the saturated life; thriving and surviving in the virtual revolution; be your own personal trainer; managing upwards; and surfing to learn. References and "follow-up" activities have been updated throughout. (Amazon.co.uk)

DIALOGUE & CONVERSATION

Synopsis: "I believe we can change the world if we start talking to one another again." With this simple declaration, author Margaret Wheatley proposes that we use the increasingly popular process of conversation and dialogue as the means to develop solutions for the societal changes that need to occur both locally and globally. Wheatley asserts that the changes required in all aspects of modern life will not come from governments or large organizations, national programs, new policies or laws. The changes will be led by people - everyday people self-organizing locally with colleagues and friends to create the changes they want. Turning to One Another will help you begin conversations about things that are important to you. Wheatley begins by describing several conditions that support good conversation, including simplicity, personal courage, real listening, diversity, and several others. Ten short essays will act as "Conversation Starters," leading people into conversations about their deepest beliefs, fears, and hopes. (amazon.co.uk) Margaret Wheatley lists a set of principles, which must be emphasized to create deep, meaningul dialogue: We acknowledge each other as equals We try to stay curious about each other We recognize the we need each other's help to become better listeners We slow down so we have time to think and reflect We remember the conversation is the natural way humans think together We expect it to be messy at times     (See full review from this reviewer from Copenhagen:)

This "how to" book demonstrates myriad use of the ToP Discussion Method in the workplace. Part I explains the theory of the method and part II contains 100 sample discussion designs used in a variety of situations. (publisher's description, ICA) More ICA Publications about Facilitating a Culture of Participation

Part I explains the theory and history of the Focused Conversation Method. Part II gives sample conversations that are specific to an educational environment. Each chapter deals with interactions with students, staff, parents and community. (publisher's description, ICA) More ICA Publications about Facilitating a Culture of Participation

Book Description This imaginative and original book challenges the traditional scientific view that naturally occurring psychological and sociological `realities' of a systematic kind are to be discovered underlying appearances. Instead, it claims that such orderly realities are both socially constructed and sustained within the context of people's disorderly, everyday conversational activities. John Shotter's interdisciplinary analysis highlights the socially contested but imaginary nature of many of the `things' we talk about in social life and illuminates the processes of their construction. He offers a broad-ranging exploration of the rhetorical, argumentative nature of conversational communication, using interesting examples taken from psychotherapy, management and everyday life. Drawing on psychology, communication studies, anthropology, sociology, history and sociolinguistics, this volume will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in current debates across the social and human sciences. (Amazon.co.uk)

Synopsis: Shows how conversations can not only facilitate learning within organizations, but actually create the subject of learning: knowledge itself. Despite different belief systems and other complex, divisive problems, people can still learn from each other and in doing so, create new knowledge. The medium is conversation. The authors of this challenging new book make clear that business conversations can be seen as social experiences. Through them we discover new ways of seeing the world, and this in turn helps destroy barriers between us. When that happens new knowledge can emerge or be developed. Well illustrated with case studies to demonstrate the practical value of conversational learning in variously diverse organizational settings, the authors provide the guidance we need. They shift the emphasis from the more common prescriptive techniques that are essentially insensitive to different contexts, attitudes, beliefs, and instead elaborate a theory of learning that is more social and interactive. When done, we get a remarkable new source of explanatory theory to validate an intensely pragmatic way to help organizations get people talking to each other--and by doing so, advance the well-being not only of their organizations but, equally important, the well-being of themselves in them. The authors begin by asking, how can people learn from their differences and not be divided by them? One way is by creating conversational spaces, areas where conversation takes place. The authors show how such spaces are created, maintained, and enhanced, and how they are used to transform different interpretations and perspectives into new common understandings. That the author's theoretical approach is well grounded in empirical research is proven by their detailed case studies, all of them drawn from individual and collective experiences. Their purpose: to influence academics and practitioners to move beyond pure rationalism, and to recognize and value more highly the interactive, social dimensions of learning. To accomplish this they provide guidelines and a conceptual foundation for a more comprehensive approach to learning. They stimulate recognition that the often undervalued resource of conversation is actually an important opportunity to facilitate learning. In fact, it may be the best way within organizational settings to create its own purpose: the creation of knowledge itself. (Amazon.co.uk)

Synopsis: Emphasizes the importance of a successful dialogue to successful business operations, explaining how the "art of thinking together" can be used to create a communication bridge in organizations and communities. Isaacs, who is Director of the Dialogue Project at MIT and a consultant to major corporations, including AT&T and Intel, believes that corporate, political and personal communication can be a process of thinking together--as opposed to thinking alone and then trying to convince others of our positions by refusing to consider other opinions, withholding information, and ultimately getting angry and defensive. This is not pie-in-the-sky, let's-all-hold-hands-and-sing stuff. He offers concrete ideas for both listening and speaking; for avoiding the forces that undermine meaningful conversation; for changing the physical setting of the dialogue to change its quality. The outcome, he says, can be quite different from the traditional winner-loser structure of arguments and debates. Businesses can make more reasoned decisions and thus earn more money. Governments can create peaceful resolutions to seemingly intractable problems. (As an example of this, Isaacs cites secret conversations between Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk in South Africa, which occurred over a number of years, while Mandela was still under arrest, and led to a new framework for their country.) And, though this is a book primarily geared toward managers, even married couples can learn a few new ways to communicate. --Lou Schuler, Amazon.com (see full review at amazon.co.uk)

Difficult Conversations:
How to Discuss What Matters Most
Douglas F. Stone, Sheila Heen, Bruce Patton

Synopsis: Offers advice on working gracefully and effectively through such confrontational situations as ending relationships and asking for a raise, identifying key adjustments necessary to the dialogue process. (Amazon.co.uk)

Synopsis: This book draws on the theoretical foundations laid out in earlier volumes of this series to describe an approach to organizational change and development informed by a complexity perspective. It sets out to make sense of the experience of being in the midst of change. It focuses on the essential uncertainty of participating in evolving events as they happen and inquires into the creative possibilities of such participation. Most methodologies for organizational change are firmly rooted in systems thinking, as are many approaches to process consultation and facilitation. This book questions the way such thinking suggests that we can choose and design new futures for our organizations in the way we often hope. Avoiding the widely favoured use of 2 by 2 matrices, idealized schemas and simplified typologies that characterize much of the management literature on change, this book encourages the reader to live in the immediate paradoxes and complexities of organizational life, where we must act with intention into the unknowable. The author uses detailed reflective narrative to evoke and elaborate on the experience of participating in the conversational processes of human organizing. (amazon.co.uk)

Book Description Myths, stories, and folklore are part of the fabric and life of all organizations, enabling us to understand, identify, and communicate the character of the organization - its ambitions, conflicts, and peculiarities. A systematic account of storytelling in organizations. Yiannis Gabriel develops a theory of organizational storytelling by building on various approaches including narrative, folkloric, ethnographic, symbolic, social constructionist, and psychoanalytic. He then examines how stories can contribute to the study of the symbolic, cultural, and political dimensions of organizations, offering four case studies which make use of stories in exploring particular aspects of organizational life. (amazon.co.uk) Table of Contents Part I: Towards a Theory of Organizational Storytelling; Chapter 1: Same Old Story or Changing Stories? Folkloric, Modern, and Postmodern Mutations; Chapter 2: Storytelling and Sensemaking; Chapter 3: Poetic Modes: Characters, Plots, and Emotions; Chapter 4: Stories, Symbolism, and Culture; Chapter 5: Stories, Culture, and Politics; Part II: Working with Stories; Chapter 6: Using Stories in Organizational Research; Chapter 7: Heroes, Villains, Fools, and Magic Wands: Computers in Organizational Folklore; Chapter 8: Studying Emotion Through Stories: Organizational Nostalgia; Chapter 9: The Organizational God: When Organizational Members Come Face to Face With the Supreme Leader; Chapter 10: Insults in Storytelling; Conclusion: Happily Ever After

RECORDING
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Book Description: FAST stands for Frequent, Accurate, Specific and Timely, and FAST Feedback is a new approach to performance evaluation in sync with today's fast-paced, rapidly changing workplace. FAST can be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to six and twelve month reviews. FAST links training directly with ongoing performance evaluation by keeping employees in a constant feedback loop. There are many ways to implement FAST Feedback in your organization, including the customizable forms included in this pocket guide. (Amazon.com)

A classic on the art of feedback - neatly summarised in the last three pages, but well worth reading in full for the insights, examples and exercises. Practical advice for managing people at home, work or play. The book is soundly rooted in psychological theory - which you would expect from an author (Edie) who served as president of the National Training Laboratories (established by Kurt Lewin) where the use of T-groups for group development was pioneered. This book was recommended to me by Tim Pearson. (Thanks, Tim. Roger Greenaway)

Psychological Debriefing
Beverley Raphael (Editor), John Wilson (Editor)

Synopsis: Debriefing has emerged as one of the most controversial interventions in clinical psychology and psychiatry. This text presents and analyzes evidence for the efficacy, and otherwise, of psychological debriefing. Contributors draw on experience to examine traumatic events ranging from major disasters affecting large numbers of people and communities to individual experiences of road accidents, assault and childbirth. (amazon.co.uk) Contributions by about 40 authors. (Amazon.co.uk)

Facilitation and Debriefing in Aviation Training and Operations
R. Key Dismukes (Editor), Guy M. Smith (Editor)

Synopsis: Facilitation, as the term is used in this work, refers to processes by which one member of a group operates to help the group analyze issues, learn from experience, and work as a team to draw conclusions. This volume seeks to show the innovative ways facilitation is being used in aviation and to provide an account of methods in facilitation that will enable aviation professionals to apply these methods in their work. The first chapter outlines the basic concepts of facilitation and traces its origins. It compares the advantages and disadvantages of facilitation with traditional methods of instruction, discusses the circumstances in which each is best used, and recommends an approach to training facilitators. The second chapter describes a research study of facilitation in Line Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) debriefings, and the third chapter gives guidance for using facilitation techniques in LOFT debriefings. Chapter Four identifies other applications of facilitation in aviation training, and the next three chapters, respectively, discuss debriefing of normal line operations, critical line incidents in which crews have got into some sort of trouble, and traumatic line incidents and accidents. (Amazon.co.uk)