Journal
The trip to Mount Ledang was a good time spent to reflect on ourselves. When we arrive at the peak, we reflected what has happened during the journey, our predictions and the results that we achieved at. It was more journey of the soul, to know oneself. Reflective thinking is an "Active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusion to which it tends". (Dewey, 1933)". When we went up, we evaluate the experience that we already had, and tried to implement it in the situation. The knowledge of first aid and medical that we had theorethically learnt in class or in the uniform bodies became a great help when our feet hurted so much or we began to see others could not walk anymore. Evaluating experience –this taught us to be compassionate and emphatic to our band of brothers. Boud,Keogh, and Walker (1985) define reflection as: “those intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to new understandings and appreciations” (p. 19)
When we reached the peak, we remembered the people who became our lifeline, we do not forget them. In our lives, there are people who have helped us to become what we are now, in the school, the teachers and my mentor who is currently teaching me. At the peak too, we took a break, be alone, while pretending to fall asleep and the images of who we are prevailed. Kemmis (1985) points out that we do not reflect in a vacuum: “We pause to reflect...because the situation we are in requires consideration: how we act in it is a matter of some significance” (p. 141). The trip taught me to decide what to do, where to go, to be with the gang or to hurry up and leave them, to be selfless or aloof, to be a member or a loner.
Being with other teachers in the staffroom, I took the liberty to reflect on many issues related to our teaching profession and the school itself. Many theorists see reflection as both a process and a product (Collen, 1996; Kemmis, 1985), and that it is action oriented (Kemmis, 1985).Thus, it is vital for us to take the action to be better teachers on a daily basis. Preparing the best lesson plans and not to be hampered by the situation and what it lacks. Knights (1985) contends that reflection is not the kind of activity, which its name suggests—a solitary,internal activity—but a two-way process with the attention of another person: “Without an appropriate reflector, it cannot occur at all” (p. 85). This view is strongly supported in the literature by others who point out that reflection is a social process (Kemmis, 1985), and that collaboration on tasks enables the reflective process to become apparent (von Wright,1992).
Being a member of a society, a teacher in the staffroom, it is essential to exemplify the seniors and compare on how to tackle the lesson. As mentioned by Candy, Harri-Augstein, & Thomas (1985), an important function of reflection is that it enables the learner to compare his or her performance or understanding to an expert in the field. Collins, Brown,and Newman (1989) have also pointed out that it is important for students to be able to compare their performance with others at various levels of expertise. There is no other way than to get the best from those who have been teaching English throughout their lives. Collins et al. (1989) mentions that access to expert performances and the modeling of processes has its origins in the apprenticeship system of learning, where students and crafts people learned new skills under the guidance of an expert. The new teachers are currently undergoing internship in schools andthey have access to the pedagogy. Access to expert performances and the modeling of processes has its origins in the apprenticeship system of learning, where students and crafts people learned new skills under the guidance of an expert (Collins et al., 1989). Important elements of expert performances are found in modern applications of the apprenticeship model such as internship (Jonassen, Mayes, &McAleese, 1993).
The trip to Ledang was an unforgettable experience everybody treasures. Thank you SMKDB.
References
1. Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (1985). Promoting reflection in learning: A model. In D. Boud, R. Keogh, & D.Walker (Eds.), Reflection: Turning experience into learning (pp. 18-40). London: Kogan Page.
2. Candy, P., Harri-Augstein, S., & Thomas, L. (1985).Reflection and the self-organized learner: A model for learning conversations. In D. Boud, R. Keogh, & D. Walker (Eds.),Reflection: Turning experience into learning (pp. 100-116).London: Kogan Page.
3. Collen, A. (1996). Reflection and metaphor in conversation.Educational Technology, 36 (1), 54-55.
4. Collins, A., Brown, J.S., & Newman, S.E. (1989). Cognitiveapprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing, and mathematics. In L.B. Resnick (Ed.), Knowing, learning and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser (pp. 453-494).Hillsdale, NJ: LEA.
5. Jonassen, D., Mayes, T., & McAleese, R. (1993). A manifesto for a constructivist approach to uses of technology in higher education. In T.M. Duffy, J. Lowyck, & D.H. Jonassen (Eds.),Designing environments for constructive learning (pp.231-247). Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
6. Kemmis, S. (1985). Action research and the politics of reflection. In D. Boud, R. Keogh, & D. Walker (Eds.),Reflection: Turning experience into learning (pp. 139-163).London: Kogan Page.
7. Knights, S. (1985). Reflection and learning: The importance of a listener. In D. Boud, R. Keogh, & D. Walker (Eds.),Reflection: Turning experience into learning (pp. 85-90).London: Kogan Page.
8. von Wright, J. (1992). Reflections on reflection. Learningand Instruction, 2 , 59-68.
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