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WHY REFLECTIVE PRACTISE MATTERS:
EXCELLENCE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT
MICHAEL D. LANG
“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” John Dewey.
There is a weak relationship between years of experience and mastery. Doing something repeatedly does not automatically make us good at it. In fact, for experienced practitioners, our actions can become repetitive, almost habitual, and we can become complacent. Mistakes repeated without learning from the experience may become ingrained in our practices.
Novices face a different set of challenges. Once trained, there is a tendency to adhere to a format and set of techniques they were taught. As a result, their approach can be methodical and rigid; they haven’t yet gained the knowledge and experience to adjust their responses to unexpected and puzzling situations.
The focus of this presentation is reflective practice—a process of learning from and through experience. It is a practical and proven method for moving beyond “good enough” to excellence.
In this session, Michael will address the following topics:
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What is Reflective Practice (and what it is not)?
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What are the practical benefits for my practice?
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What are reflective practice groups (RPG’s) and how do they function?
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What can practitioners gain by participating in an RPG?
As a central part of the presentation, members of an ongoing reflective practice group will join Michael for a demonstration of reflective practice. Throughout and especially following the demonstration, there will be ample opportunity for audience questions, comments … and reflections.
(The process of reflection occurs when) ”the practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement or confusion in a situation which he finds uncertain or unique.” Donald Schon
For more than 40 years MICHAEL D. LANG has mediated family, workplace and organizational disputes. He has designed and presented introductory and advanced mediation and conflict management courses, workshops and webinars in the US and internationally. Michael created and was the founding director of one of the first graduate programs in conflict resolution in the US at Antioch University in 1992 and served in a similar role at Royal roads University in victoria, BC.
In the area of reflective practice, in addition to numerous articles, he has authored The Practitioners Guide to Reflective Practice in Conflict Resolution (2019) and co-authored The Making of a Mediator: Developing Artistry in Practice (2000). He currently facilitates or co-facilitates nine monthly online reflective practice groups for mediators.
He and Susan Terry recently formed the Reflective Practice Institute
(www.reflectivepracticeinstitute.com ) to offer training programs, to provide mentoring, and to assist in the initiation and management of reflective practice groups. Michael has created a video series, In Their voices (www.thereflectivepractioner.com/video-conversations).
Along with Susan Terry he is the co-series editor for the Practitioners Guide Series, a joint venture of ACR and Rowman & Littlefield.
joint venture of ACR and Rowman & Littlefield.
IMPORTANT NEW NOTE: BREAKFAST WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING ON ZOOM. THE LINK WILL CHANGE EACH MONTH AND WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO ALL REGISTRANTS THE EVENING BEFORE THE EVENT.
8:00 am – 8:30 am | Join call to network with attendees
8:30 am – 10:00 am | Presentation and Discussion
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