Task 2a: Reflective Practice

This task was to keep a journal to explore our own thoughts... I'm actually weirdly apprehensive about this. I kept a journal when I was a teenager and I remember it being full of the usual teenage angst and anger; I tried to keep journals through in to my twenties but life gets in the way and it fell by the wayside. I recently came across some of these old journals and it brought up a whole range of emotions - some that I was unprepared for.

I suppose that's the point of this task then: so as the course goes on we can look back and see where we've come from and how far we've progressed.

The journal could take many different forms - a blog, a physical diary, audio recordings... well I shan't be recording myself. As previously mentioned, I can't stand the sound of my own voice on a recording!

There are many different ways in which people puzzle through their own thoughts and ideas: some people meditate or take a bath, others go to the gym or like to cook. It could be an activity in which a conscious part of the brain is focusing on another task, like reading a book, allowing the unconscious brain to work things out quietly behind the scenes. Some people work through ideas best in a proactive way, by talking them through, writing them down or doodling graphs and charts: like the one I made below!

How to Write A Journal

Green: How/When to Write - Red: Benefits of Writing - Purple: Aspects to write about

I like to write my ideas down in order to work things out. When problems are typed out on a computer screen they seem, to me, to lose some of their magnitude: when an issue is reduced to a couple of words or a sentence it seems to be easier to manage: and for me I like to bring order to the chaos that my thought patterns often spiral in to. It also calms my jumbles of thoughts - the time it takes to physically write out a paragraph is calming for me and by the time I've finished writing I'm usually a lot more focused.

"Journal writing is inherently associated with learning... [it] enhances reflection and therefore Creative Practise..." (DAVID BOUD) 

I'm not sure how this journal is going to progress: looking back on my old journals from childhood there are a lot of scribbles, lots of pictures and colours, and I suppose I'll probably take the same sort of route. Pretty things to look at are nicer to look back on. For the time being, because no one is going to see it,

My Journal!

I obviously can't predict what might happen for the duration of the course but for the time being I'm planning on using real names and places when talking about events.  If I had to use one of these as an example later in the course I would probably consider anonymising people for ethical reasons, depending on the context of the situation and the example; changing names when appropriate, or deliberately omitting names of venues or agencies. (During a recent Google Hangout session, Paula mentioned that several companies will set Google Alerts to send them a message whenever they are referenced! Despite the fact that online I'm nothing but professional (!) I'd still be worried about any negative implications from mentioning places I work or people I work with!)

No one is going to see this journal, although excerpts of it will be used later in the course. It's purely something for me, for my progress, and that's a lovely thought. I've already written a couple of entries and it's amazing how cathartic it feels!