Let's Not Get Too Personal: Critical Reflection, Reflexivity and the Confessional Turn

Autor/in	Swan, Elaine
Titel	Let's Not Get Too Personal: Critical Reflection, Reflexivity and the Confessional Turn
Quelle	In: Journal of European Industrial Training, 32 (2008) 5, S.385-399 (15 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0309-0590
DOI	10.1108/03090590810877102
Schlagwörter	Teacher Attitudes; Reflective Teaching; Critical Thinking; Teaching Methods; Behavior; Self Disclosure (Individuals); Personal Narratives; Political Issues; Relationship + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Lehrerverhalten; Kritisches Denken; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Erlebniserzählung; Politischer Faktor; Wechselbeziehung
Abstract	Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to ask how we can think about critical reflection as a pedagogical practice given the "confessional turn." By the "confessional turn," the author refers to the idea that "subjective, autobiographical and confessional modes of expression" have expanded exponentially across a wide range of social spheres, including education, the legal system, the media and the workplace. Examining these developments, this paper asks what these debates on critical reflection and confession mean for pedagogical practice. Design/methodology/approach: The main approach is a review of key debates in the literature on critical reflection and also in the wider social sciences. Findings: The discussion compares different debates. Thus, it shows that for critics, the turn to the "first person" technologies is narcissistic, psychologistic and de-politicising. On this view, critical reflective practice might be understood as an individualistic and individualising pedagogy in spite of its claims to be critical. The paper discusses how in contrast, others see this move to talk about the subjective and the self as an extension of the feminist project of the personal is political--i.e. that personal stories, feelings and issues have social and political roots and consequences. For them, reflection can be critical, leading to political consciousness-raising, i.e. a new awareness about social, political and personal processes. It finishes by examining the view that the idea of reflexivity might help us out of the conflict between these debates. Practical implications: The paper poses a number of questions in relation to critical reflection that can be taken up by practitioners in the field. Originality/value of paper: The paper brings new literature to bear on the practice of critical reflection and raises important questions relevant to academics and practitioners. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10