Learning from experience: reflective practices amongst higher education professionals.

The practice of reflecting on work-based experiences has received an increasing amount of attention from management and leadership writers in recent years. Yet, few empirical studies have been conducted into the use of reflective methods in the workplace. In response, this study explores the reflective practices of nine managers working in the higher education sector. Three broad methods of practice are identified. Whilst characterised by a number of shared features, significant variations were also evident in the way individual practitioners employed each method. These variations and the initial choice of reflective method can be explained as a response to the circumstances practitioners operated in, along with their personal preferences – the latter an outcome of a process of experimentation. Indeed, each method profiled was subject to continued evolution, as reflective practices were themselves reflected upon. Although time had been invested in the development of these practices, all were positive about the benefits and certain that reflective practice constituted a highly effective use of time. Whilst these findings help underpin the value of reflecting on work-based experiences, it is hoped that they also offer an insight into the means by which such practices may be pursued by others. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]