Engaging community: notes on the necessity of reflection.
Journal of Thought › Vol. 40 Nbr. 4, December 2005
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Engaging community: notes on the necessity of reflection.
As we are constantly reminded of the contested spaces in education, reflection on our practice becomes critical to the improvement of learning spaces. Where the following example does not speak to an instance in the traditional classroom, it is equally important due to its attempt to address the educational needs of young people. Utilizing Dewey's (1) five phases of reflective thought, the remainder of this account documents the struggles of a university professor, two college administrators and a group of college students to authentically engage community concerns (issues external to the campus, but centered in the concerns of neighborhood residents) through a process centered in the educational needs of young people. Couched in a narrative, the remainder of the document reflects on the author's role as participant observer in a student designed community initiative. Providing a tangible example of how reflection operates in community spaces, our experiences in a community program shed light on the utility of reflection in the attempt to maintain a program despite escalating conflict.
Overview of Deweyan Reflection Popularized in his volume How We Think, Dewey maintains reflection "occurs when teachers experience difficult situations in practice and are charged with thinking through them." (2) Taking his suggestion further, the work of Christensen et al, speak to the difficulties in such work. Referrin...See the full content of this document
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