Using Reflection in Learning

Have you ever experienced something and found after the experience that you forgot it? For instance, you may have attended a seminar that taught you a particular skill, but, when you left the seminar, you didn’t know how to apply it. This is because you did not reflect on what you learned.

When you reflect, it gives you the ability to break down the tasks into logical steps. You can think of it as a reenactment of the procedures that were taught. This doesn’t mean you won’t learn anything from your experiences. It’s just likely to boost the amount that you do learn when you reflect upon those experiences.

Sometimes, more work is needed. For instance, if you attended a seminar on learning how to program macros in Excel, reflection will get you only so far. It won’t be until you start using the language (VBA in Excel) that you truly comprehend how to work the language. There are plenty of skills that fall into this category, and it is prevalent in the technology field.

But, even with these topics, reflecting on your experience in the seminar will help you get up to speed much quicker than if you have to relearn what you were taught. Obviously, taking good notes will give you a leg up when using reflection in your learning. Try to jot down the steps the way you learned them in the training that you received.

Some people have amazing memories and don’t need to use reflection when learning. As soon as they learn, they can store it in their memories. For the rest of us, we should rely on reflection to help us better retain what we learn.

If you are someone who forgets lessons or experiences, it’s time to use reflection as a tool to help you overcome this. You do need to make a conscious effort and form new habits in your learning. It is even tougher for adults because we are not in the learning mode. Kids simply grasp information easier because they are in the learning mode.

If you have been away from school for a while and you need to increase your skills, this reflection will make the transition back to learning much easier than simply trying to memorize everything. The good news is there are different mediums to learn that were not available when many of us were in school. Choose the ones that work best for you and make reflection apart of your learning process.

Until next time...

Cheers!

Lisa

P.S. Are you ready to commit to your learning through a reflective practice? Here’s a link to join the VIP Waitlist for information and updates for my online coaching membership, A Pilgrimage to Self: https://www.lisamcgrath.me/thank-you-for-joining-the-waitlist-for-a-pilgrimage-to-self