The importance of reflection

In Steps 1.8 and 1.9, you looked at what it means to be a global citizen, the concept of culture and the importance of intercultural competence in our ever more connected and interrelated world. You were introduced to the UNESCO framework for intercultural competencies which states that:

‘Intercultural citizenship relies upon conciliating multiple identities and contexts simultaneously, assumes the ability to engage in intercultural dialogues respecting the rights of cultural others, and ideally becomes one step toward promoting peace.’

‘It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalisations or concepts can be generated. And it is generalisations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively.’

Reflection is a highly introspective process. When reflecting, we attempt to look at our lived experience from the outside and, especially when reflecting interculturally, we aim to try and shed our own cultural assumptions and adopt a different cultural lens, making the familiar unfamiliar. The process of reflection brings a new understanding about ourselves or a situation we’ve experienced and the purpose is to enable us to make changes to our future behaviours and choices. Reflection is fundamental to challenging an entrenched ‘this is how things are done round here’ attitude.

There are many models and tools to support reflection. Different models suit different aims, but for all of them you need to:

• Stand back from the event you’re reflecting on and look at it objectively
• Analyse your own actions
• Think of alternative explanations for the event
• Make use of evidence from a range of sources
• Recognise that your own point of view will change over time
• Discuss your findings with others to deepen your insight and explore a range of perspectives.

(Adapted from The University of Reading guide on reflective thinking)

In the next Step, you’ll be asked to reflect on an intercultural encounter of your own.

References

1. Gibbs, G. Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Further Education Unit. London, UK. 1988