PSEUDYNOMS

Pseudynoms have been used to protect the anonymity of the service user

Pseudynoms Have Been Used To Protect The Anonymity Of The Service User

Introduction

Reflective practice involves making sense of events, situations, or actions and emphasises the importance of a thoughtful approach to understanding experience, whether in real time or retrospectively. (Schön 1983, 14-25) Through this process we draw on existing ideas our own or other people's and in applying them to experience, may confirm these ideas or develop new ones (McGill & Beech 2002, 33-48). Therefore, this study is a true reflection of an intervention where a decision that I made was central in the work.

Kolb's Cycle of Reflection

Kolb asserts that most effective learning happens as one goes through a cycle using all four modes. Constant use of these modes would also cause individuals to develop learning flexibility. One could enter the cycle at any modal point; however, entering the cycle in a particular mode indicates an individual's tendency or preference for how to grasp or transform information.

Kolb identified four main styles of learner and developed his Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to establish an individual's relative emphasis on each of the four styles. Kolb's LSI is based on the work of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget. John Dewey emphasized the need for learning to be grounded in experience. Kurt Lewin stressed the importance of active learning, and Jean Piaget articulated a theory of intelligence as the result of the interaction of a person and his or her environment.

Kolb's learning style model separated learners on the basis of four steps of learning defined from a two-dimensional model. The first dimension is based on task, and the second dimension is based on the soul or ego. The dimension based on task ranges from performing tasks to observing tasks. The soul or ego dimension ranges from logical (left brain) to creative and emotional (right brain). The model is usually shown with the task dimension displayed horizontally and the soul dimension displayed vertically. The four resulting quadrants are labeled with four steps to learning and four personal learning styles. The four steps to learning are labeled (1) concrete experience, (2) reflective observation, (3) abstract conceptualization, and (4) active experimentation. The four personal learning styles are (1) theorists, (2) pragmatists, (3) activists, and (4) reflectors. (Boud et al., 1985, 9-33)

Case Study

Sharon a 33 year old woman of Jamaican heritage, accompanied by her three children, Christian aged twins Jade and Jaden aged. Sharon came to a women's refuge through self-referral, due to alleged domestic abuse. The refuge offers temporary accommodation to women and their children who are homeless due to reasons such as family breakdown, harassment and forced marriage. The decision I made was basically that Sharon's needs were too high for her to remain at the refuge. Sharon was showing signs of ill mental health, there were issues in regards to parenting and supervision of the children. Sharon (out patient) is undergoing mental health assessment to asses ...