Trainer development: understanding reflective practice
By Barry Johnson and Mandy Geal (January 2005 Issue)
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Increasingly, the term ‘reflective practice’ is appearing in the vocabulary of professional development. In this article we will define the concept and explore its benefits and difficulties. We will also consider single-loop and double-loop learning within the application of reflective practice. Additionally, we will go on to explore some strategies for becoming more reflective in practice.
So why is reflective practice of special importance to trainers and developers? Most trainers do not come through an academic curriculum or apprenticeship aimed at producing a qualified trainer. One route is from other professions where the practitioners have become subject matter experts and then start to pass on their professional skills to others in that profession. Another route is from an administrative base either as administrative staff or as specialists within the HR function. We are not suggesting they are not trained in the arts and crafts of training and development (T&D). What we are suggesting is that T&D professionals acquire most of their professional skills through practice. It is the practice of the behaviours that builds the skills. Being a T&D professional is much more than an assembly of skill sets. It has associated goals, beliefs, values, conceptual frameworks, mental models and structures. These are not a coherent whole. They vary from professional to professional, from organisation to organisation, and between training specialisms and methodologies.
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