Presented at LILAC 2010

1. Reflection: improving
information literacy
practice. Learning from
the past, developing for
the future, becoming a
reflective practitioner.
BARBARA SEN
WORKSHOP. LILAC 2010, LIMERICK.
Images - Microsoft
Copyright - Barbara Sen

2. The aim of this workshop
• …is to explore the breadth and depth of
reflective practice and its potential
application in information literacy practice.
• “…information literacy must always be
qualified, contextualized, reflexive, and
dynamic.” (Jacobs ,2008: 259).
Copyright - Barbara Sen

3. In this workshop
• We will explore key theories on reflection
• Gain practical skills in reflective practice.
– Through reflective writing and reflective discussion
• Explore a range of applications for reflective
practice in an IL context.
• Participants will engage in individual and group
reflection in order to improve their own reflective
ability and explore potential applications of their
reflection practices
• Feedback and questions.Copyright - Barbara Sen

4. By the end of the
session participants:
• Should understand the importance of reflection.
• Recognise the differences between descriptive
writing and reflective writing.
• Will be able to recognise when reflective writing
might be useful in supporting IL practice.
• Have gained experience of reflective writing.
• Engaged in reflective discussion.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

5. Reflection
• “Reflection provides an active and structured
way of thinking and of facilitating professional
development.”
» Schon (1983)
• With this idea of reflection, reflection is not just
an abstract concept; it is dynamic (“active”), and
practical (“thinking and facilitating”), giving a
framework (“structured way”) for professional
change and deveopment.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

6. Reflection
• In some sectors in some countries
reflection is mandatory
– E.g. nursing
– Education
– Librarianship (for Chartership in the UK).
• In many sectors reflection is regarded as a
key competency.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

7. Key papers in our field:
• Grant.M.J (2007) The role of reflection in
the library and information sector: a
systematic review. HILJ, 24 (2) 155-166
– Grant comments on the classic work: Schon.
D (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. New
York. Basic books
Schon:
– “reflection in action”
– “reflection on action”
Copyright - Barbara Sen

8. Key papers in our field:
• Sen, B. (2010) Reflective writing: A
management skill. Library Management.
(1/2) 79-93.
– Key outcomes tested as a result of reflective
writing- learning, self-development, critical
review, own processes of mental functioning,
decision making, emancipation and
empowerment.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

9. Key paper on IL and
reflection?
• Jacobs, H.L.M (2008) Perspectives on
information literacy and reflective
pedagogical praxis. The journal of
academic librarianship. 34 (3) 256-262.
– “It considers how academic librarians can work toward theorizing
our profession in such a way that we may ask new questions of
it and foster creative, reflective, and critical habits of mind
regarding pedagogical praxis.”
Copyright - Barbara Sen

10. Jacobs (2008)
“The question of how to go about enacting this creative, reflective dialogue is
undeniably pressing. In response to this piece, an anonymous reviewer
asked a crucial question: “am I simply to include more problem based
learning into my teaching of information literacy, or do I need to start from
scratch and sit alongside the classes I work with, understanding how they
think, and walking with them on their path to critical thinking and information
literacy. God please give me the time for this.” The reviewer concludes,
“However, this is perhaps the nature of the reflective activity the author is
recommending.” Indeed, the answer the reviewer provides to his or her
question is the answer I too would offer. The act of asking questions such
as the ones quoted above is precisely the kind of reflective activity I am
advocating. Pedagogical reflection does not mean we need to dismantle
and rebuild our information literacy classes, programs, and initiatives from
the ground up (though we may, after reflection, choose to do so). Instead
pedagogical reflection means that that we ask questions like the ones
quoted above of ourselves and our teaching and that we think critically
and creatively about the small and large pedagogical choices we make.”
Copyright - Barbara Sen

11. Reflection in a work based
setting (Grant 2007):
• “reflection in action”
– During a training
session, you become
aware, and act upon,
the need to rearrange
the layout of the room
so that all participants
can watch a
demonstration.
– Reflecting whilst
doing.
• “reflection on action”
– After a team meeting,
you consider how you
responded to a particular
comment or criticism,
how this made you feel,
what you have learnt
from the experience, and
how you might respond
on the future.
– Reflecting back on an
event.
BOTH INVOLVE LEARNING

12. Reasons for reflection
• Self appraisal
• Personal development
• Professional development
• To recognise the need for learning
• To improve learning or performance
• To embed learning
• Problem solving
• Priority setting
• Planning
• Evaluation
• To inform future practice
• To manage change
• To improve understanding
• Stress management
All of these can have applications in an IL context.

13. Reflection
• Is often a solitary process e.g. in your role
as an information literacy trainer
• BUT
• It doesn’t have to be.
• You can have group/team reflections
– e.g. the group of people you are training, the
team within your library working on
information literacy
Copyright - Barbara Sen

14. Opportunities for group/team
reflection in the workplace
• The mentor relationship.
• The line manager relationship.
• Staff appraisals.
• Team meetings.
• Quality circles.
• Project evaluations.
• Library blogs and wikis.
• Communications e.g. emails, reports.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

15. Reflective thinking is good
• But it helps to write things down
– It helps consolidate your thoughts.
• Use the first person – “I”.
– e.g. “It was during the training session that I first
noticed that there was something wrong. Afterward I
considered the reactions of the participants and
reviewed the feedback forms…”.Copyright - Barbara Sen

16. Copyright - Barbara Sen
Exercise – reflective writing
• Working on your own and working quickly
• Using the template, in Box 1, write about a recent
experience at work (preferably with IL) from which you feel
you have learnt something, maybe the need for you to
change your behaviour or develop your skills in some way.
(5 mins)
• Be prepared to share what you write with others (you may
wish to avoid any names or personal comments). Write
neatly.

17. Back to Jacobs (2008)
“reflection means that that we ask
questions “
Copyright - Barbara Sen

18. Reflection
• Basic questions:
• What happened?
• How did you (and others involved) feel?
• What can you learn from it?
• What changes need to made?
• How can you make those changes
• How can you develop?
Copyright - Barbara Sen

19. Exercise - reflecting
• Now reflect on the experience you have written
about. Consider the questions below. Write
your answers in Box 2 (5 mins). Write neatly as
you will share this with others.
– What happened?
– How did you feel?
– How did it affect others, how did they feel?
– What did you learn from the experience?
– Have you developed as a result of this experience?
– What improvements or changes can be made?
– How will achieve them?
– How will you/the situation develop as a result?
– What impact might changes have?
Copyright - Barbara Sen

20. Reflection
• Reflection can occur
spontaneously
“light bulb moment”.
• A more structured
approach involving
written reflection
requires practise.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

21. Two forms of reflection
identified by Grant (2007)
• Non-analytical
reflection (description)
– “..largely descriptive in
content without any
critical reasoning or
considerations of the
implications of events
or experiences.”
• Analytical reflection
– “..attempt to understand
the relationship between
past experience and
future practice…revisiting
experience or situations,
questioning motivations,
attempting to pinpoint the
reason why they
experience a situation in a
particular way, and
contemplating how this
might impact on future
practice.”
For deeper learning
you need to
to reflect analytically
on action/practice.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

22. Four levels of reflection:
Moon, J. (2008)
1. Descriptive writing
– Descriptive and contains
little reflection. May tell a
story but generally from
one point of view.
2. Descriptive writing with
some reflection
– A descriptive account that
signals points for reflection
while not actually showing
much reflection. What little
reflection there is lacks
depth.
3. Reflective writing (1)
– Description, but it is
focused, with particular
aspects accentuated for
reflective comment. Shows
some analysis, some self-
questioning.
4. Reflective writing (2)
– Clear evidence of standing
back from the event.
Shows deep reflection.
Self-questioning, and the
views and motives of
others are also taken into
account. Observation that
learning has been gained.Fuller explanations can be found in Moon’s
paper.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

23. Exercise
• In pairs:
• Look at one individual’s writing,
considering Jenny Moon’s four levels of
reflection, which one of the descriptions
most describes the reflective writing?
Copyright - Barbara Sen

24. Writing reflections
• It should be structured
– An introductory section
• Set the scene, give factual information about what happened. Who,
what, when, how. Give evidence if you can.
– Body of the writing
• How is the event/evidence meaningful? Analyse the event/evidence.
Consider the reasons, motives, and interpretation of the event or
experience. How does it contribute to your understanding? If possible
and relevant consider the experience from different perspectives.
– Concluding section
• State how the experience has impacted on you. How will it make you
better in what you do? Have you changed your behaviour as a result of
the experience? How will you take what you have learned from this
experience and apply it to your own professional experience? Be
specific.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

25. Writing analytical
reflections
• Reaction. (Feeling). As you re-examine the event/evidence, how do
you feel about it now? Give at least one example that illustrates your
response.
• Relevance. (Thinking). How is the evidence relevant and
meaningful? How does it contribute to your understanding? Are
there alternative viewpoints or perspectives to that you now have.
What are some changes/improvements you might make based on
the experiences you have had? Cite examples to support your
ideas.
• Responsibility. (Doing). How will the knowledge gained from the
event or experience be used in your profession? Give examples of
possible applications in your professional life, as well as an analysis
of possible alternatives, other perspectives, or other meanings that
might be related to the evidence. Do you still have questions
regarding the issue?
Copyright - Barbara Sen

26. Common errors in
reflective writing
• Fail to set the scene – lack of context.
• Too descriptive (non-analytical)– lacking in analysis
e.g. I did this, they did that, it was helpful.
• Lack of self-questioning.
• Failing to consider the perspectives of others
involved in the incident (if applicable).
• Failing to conclude about what could be learnt from
the incident.
• Failure to consider what action is needed for the
future. Copyright - Barbara Sen

27. Example of (analytical)
reflective writing
• DESCRIPTIVE: I had a project meeting today regarding the implementation of the
new information literacy training programme and found it very useful. We may
make some changes to the programme.
• ANALYTICAL/REFLECTIVE: As a result of attending the project meeting today
regarding the new information literacy training programme I increased my
understanding of the information needs of the nurses within the hospital. In
particular I learned more about the way the nurses currently search for information
and their levels of information literacy. The input and discussion from both the
nurse representative and the Librarian who delivers the training made me realise
that changes would be needed to the information literacy programme. The timing of
our sessions is wrong, listening to the nurses, they need more training in both basic
and advanced search skills, and support in evaluating resources. I should have
called this meeting earlier and listened to those involved. It would have meant that
the sessions that have been carried out over the past few months could have been
more useful to the nurse participants. We have probably wasted time for both the
nurses and the trainer and library resources. I have learnt that consultation and
evaluation are important at all stages of a project in order to ensure efficiency and
effectiveness. Copyright - Barbara Sen

28. Becoming deeply reflective
• Descriptive writing often considers what
happened from one point of view.
• Being more deeply reflective you start to
consider other people’s perspectives; become
more aware.
• What can be learned from the event?
• What is needed to develop, change or move on
• Its dynamic, drawing on the past, considering
the present situation, looking to the future.
• How can any changes be achieved? What
impact might those changes have?
• What have you/will you put in place to make the
changes?
Copyright - Barbara Sen

29. SEA-change model of reflection.
(Sen and Ford (2010) in press
SEA-change
model of
reflection
Deep reflection process Low level reflection some elements
of the process will be missing
Tutor or mentor role
S-SITUATION Catalyst Catalyst Can provide the catalyst through
curriculum or training content
Context - Contextual
consideration
Context – not always fully considered Support critical reflection
Critical reflection of multiple
perspectives
Often focus only on self – not multiple
perspectives
Point this out to the student or
participant.
Support critical reflection
E-EVIDENCE Assimilation of the evidence Not fully assimilated Support if needed through teaching,
discussion, group work etc
Learning process based on
evidence, new knowledge
acquired
Learning at a basic level
Reflective process often stops here
Support if needed through teaching,
discussion, group work etc
A-ACTION Need for action identified
based on above
Often overlooked OR
Reflective process stops here
Support if needed through teaching,
discussion, group work etc
What action or change is
needed?
Often overlooked OR
Reflective process stops here
Support if needed through mentorship.
Action or Behaviour
change
Often overlooked OR reflective process
stops here
Support if needed through
mentorship

30. Exercise: In your pairs.
Reflective discussion
• Help each other consider how you might improve your
reflective writing and gain more from it.
• How can you demonstrate evidence of standing back
from the event?
• How can you show deep reflection?
• Is there evidence of self-questioning?
• Have you considered the views and motives of others ?
• Is there any evidence of learning?
• How will that learning lead to change?
MAKE NOTES FROM YOUR DISCUSSION
Copyright - Barbara Sen

31. Reflection: the benefits
• A process through which learning can be achieved, it
is transformational, helps achieve change
• Reflective writing is a skill that can be developed, for
individual contemplation using for example diaries,
journals, or portfolios (and in Web 2.0 blogs).
• Reflection can also be used in a team or group
settings, using discussion, blogs, wikis or file shares
can be helpful.
• Reflection can lead to positive changes in attitude,
behaviour and/or work and IL processes.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

32. Reflection: the
drawbacks
• For some, reflection is an abstract concept
which has no clear or apparent value.
• Non-analytical reflection tends to be superficial
(not as in depth as analytical reflection).
• Reflective writing is a skill that can take time and
effort to develop.
• Being made or encouraged to reflect can detract
from the spontaneity of a reflective event.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

33. Group exercise
• What opportunities are their to engage in
reflective practice in our information
literacy work?
Copyright - Barbara Sen

34. Opportunities for
reflection -
• Individual and group reflection.
• Reflective writing including logs and journals.
• Reflective evaluations.
• Peer reflection to improve practice.
• Reflective dialogue and engagement with
stakeholders.
• Reflection and IL research (analysis of reflective
written output)
Copyright - Barbara Sen

35. Exercise: Group reflection
• Going back to our list of ways we can
engage with reflection in IL activities
• Are there ways in which you can/will use
reflection in your IL work?
• How might it help you achieve your IL
goals?
Copyright - Barbara Sen

36. What participants have said.
• “The process of reflection has heightened my awareness.”
• “I enjoyed the idea of using web 2.0 techniques, which would create
a more dynamic and participative form of reflection.”
• “I learnt that as a library manager it is clearly important to allow time
for and encourage others to reflect.”
• “In my future employment I believe it will be vital to maintain records
of my achievements …this process will allow me to reflect on my
achievements and also identify areas for training or improvement.”
• “Reflecting on my previous experiences has therefore enabled me to
take my first step towards being an effective manager.”Copyright - Barbara Sen

37. Incorporating more reflection in
your IL activities
• Consider the past
• Be aware of current influences and constraints
• Think what you need to do for the future
• Extend your thinking and IL processes through
reflection
• Reflect on your own IL activities
• Engage those you train in reflective practice
• Reflect with other IL team members
• Feel empowered and empower others! Use reflection
as the foundation for personal and professional
development. Copyright - Barbara Sen

38. Further reading
• Chapman, M. (2008) Reflective writing. In. (Watson, M.)
Building your portfolio: The CILIP guide. London: Facet.
• Grant.M.J (2007) The role of reflection in the library and
information sector: a systematic review. HILJ, 24 (3)
155-166
• Jacobs, H.L.M (2008) Perspectives on information
literacy and reflective pedagogical praxis. The journal of
academic librarianship. 34 (3) 256-262
• Moon, J. (2007) “Getting the measure of reflection”.
Journal of Radiotherapy. 6, 191-200.
• Sen, B. (2010) Reflective writing: A management skill.
Library Management. (1/2) 79-93.
Copyright - Barbara Sen

39. Reflection: improving
information literacy
practice. Learning from
the past, developing for
the future, becoming a
reflective practitioner.
BARBARA SEN
WORKSHOP. LILAC 2010, LIMERICK.
Images - Microsoft
Copyright - Barbara Sen