Re: What is reflection?
Taking a cue from Richard Schechner’s definition of performance as twice-behaved behavior might help, ie reflection = twice-thought thinking.
Increasingly, in my experience, students (especially undergraduates) tend to submit first drafts/first prototypes/first readings (I teach theater history, performance theory, visual culture, cultural transmission) without engaging the complex processes of reflection and revision (we tend to couple these two terms with good reason, I think). If revision literally means seeing again or seeing anew (or possibly, seeing askance or with different eyes), then reflection requires a similar kind of engagement with ideas, concepts, theories, structures, and frameworks. A second-, third-, or fourth- order thinking, if you will, that suggests both self-consciousness and self-awareness (both essential qualities for any aesthetic practice).
This, perhaps, is Shklovsky’s broadest argument in “Art as Technique” (also Eisenstein’s in his use of juxtaposition and montage, and Brecht’s in his attempts to reconceive and combine psychological motive and physical action as ‘gestus’, representation as a ‘showing again’ or ‘historicizing’, and social behaviour as both recognizably familiar yet fundamentally odd or alien (the infamous ‘verfremdungseffekt’).
So any activity or prompt that compels a student to do this would constitute ‘reflection’.
The danger for students is they often don’t know where or how to start. This can turn an exercise intended as a mind-opener into self-indulgent, mental masturbation. One solution would require students to reflect in pairs or small groups, ie to have other minds and bodies ‘reflect’ back to a student his or her own ideas/frameworks (it works best if these ‘reflections’ take concrete form). Another, especially if they’re engaging bottom-up design solutions, would ask them to relocate their ideas to a different physical context (location, social milieu). A third would identify and then poke at their foundational theoretical assumptions (this, of course, is harder), thereby making them more conscious of their frames of thought or metaphors of equivalence.
If you plan to be in India, but have not yet settled on a site, may I suggest considering Bhopal and its environs. The residual effects of the world’s most devastating industrial accident are everywhere visible, especially in poorer communities. The design challenges are huge, and touch on all aspects of lived experience there.
All best,
Framji Minwalla
Vagrant Academic, Independent Scholar
Aliabad, Gilgit-Baltistan
Pakistan
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> On 18-Jul-2018, at 04:01, PHD-DESIGN automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
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> There are 5 messages totaling 330 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
> 1. Model of 'the possible', 'the true' and 'the real' (2)
> 2. How to encourage and generate reflection in students through design
> approaches ? What is reflection?
> 3. How to encourage and generate reflection in students through design
> approaches ? What is reflection?
> 4. Post Doctoral Post 0.4 EU Horizon2020 Grant
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> Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2018 12:06:33 +0200
> From: Kasper Skov Christensen <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Model of 'the possible', 'the true' and 'the real'
>
> Dear all,
>
> I am currently trying to map my research through design project onto one
> of the design research frameworks e.g. Fallman, Daniel. 2008. “The
> Interaction Design Research Triangle of Design Practice, Design Studies,
> and Design Exploration.” /Design Issues/ 24 (3): 4–18.
>
> However, I have been unable to remember which paper the following
> framework model is from (see link), and I cannot locale in my reference
> man. Does anyone on this list know of this triangle and if so, where do
> I find it?
>
> Link to picture of framework model https://imgur.com/a/8LgKw81
>
> Thanks
>
> Med venlig hilsen/Kind regards
> Kasper Skov Christensen
> /Ph.d. Student,//Child Computer Interaction Group @ Aarhus University,
> Denmark/
>
>
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2018 11:50:18 +0100
> From: "Branch J." <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Model of 'the possible', 'the true' and 'the real'
>
> Hi Kasper,
>
> I know the one — I believe it is in Design Issues: Volume 24, Number 3 Summer 2008
>
> Best,
>
> James
>
> —
> James Branch
> jamesbranch.co.uk
>
>
>
> On 17/07/2018, 11:16, "PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design on behalf of Kasper Skov Christensen" <[log in to unmask] on behalf of [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
> I am currently trying to map my research through design project onto one
> of the design research frameworks e.g. Fallman, Daniel. 2008. “The
> Interaction Design Research Triangle of Design Practice, Design Studies,
> and Design Exploration.” /Design Issues/ 24 (3): 4–18.
>
> However, I have been unable to remember which paper the following
> framework model is from (see link), and I cannot locale in my reference
> man. Does anyone on this list know of this triangle and if so, where do
> I find it?
>
> Link to picture of framework model https://imgur.com/a/8LgKw81
>
> Thanks
>
> Med venlig hilsen/Kind regards
> Kasper Skov Christensen
> /Ph.d. Student,//Child Computer Interaction Group @ Aarhus University,
> Denmark/
>
>
>
>
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> PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
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>
> Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2018 11:12:55 +0000
> From: Brita Fladvad Nielsen <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: How to encourage and generate reflection in students through design approaches ? What is reflection?
>
> Dear everyone;
>
> So I am responsible for a study program this fall, where parts of the work includes taking international students to peri urban areas in India to understand the implications of urban (planning) decision making on the 'bottom of the pyramid'.
>
> According to the schedule made earlier by someone else, the students are to reflect every Friday during the time in India. However, the reflection programme has not had any decided approach or direction and has according to my predecessors not been to successful. In general, it is a difficult task to 'make' people reflect.
>
> Being a designer, I seek to use 'design tools' and explore how to create deeper insights. Regarding reflection, I am interested in your opinion on
>
> What is reflection? Reflection is important in design, but is spoken about in different ways. One can reflect while/by doing, but it is hard to grasp what makes one reflect. From personal experience, I know that reflection has to do not only with introspectiveness but also with dialogue, maturity, timing and sometimes coincidence or meetings. I often see that students reach a different level of reflection only six months or so following a design project.
>
> Are there tools that may trigger reflection? Insight generation is one thing, but how about gaining deeper understanding, I am so far going for 'people near' approaches such as storytelling and drawing. The latter is not so easy for non-designers. Photo ethnography perhaps.
>
> What is 'good reflection'? Often people who say others should reflect more, may think that only their view on what 'reflection' means is satisfactory. But what are the frames here, are there any?
>
> How do I best guide non-design students into regular reflection during a fall course on designing urban interventions? What can I pick from design?
>
> So far I am thinking storytelling, photo ethnography, participatory observation, sketching...
>
> I look forward to your thoughts on the above, and advice for good reads on reflection in design.
>
>
> Kind regards from very sunny Norway,
>
> Brita Fladvad Nielsen
> Ph.D. in Design Methods / MA of Tech Industrial Design
> Post.doc. researcher at PI-SEC (Planning Instruments for Smart Energy Communities)
> & lecturer in Urban Ecological Planning
> Dept. of Architecture and Planning, NTNU
> Tel: 954 24 055
>
> https://www.ntnu.edu/smartcities/pi-sec
>
> www.designforselfreliance.wordpress.com<http://www.designforselfreliance.wordpress.com/>
>
>
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2018 11:28:42 -0700
> From: george slavik <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: How to encourage and generate reflection in students through design approaches ? What is reflection?
>
> Hello,
>
> I think that your storytelling, photography, observation, sketching
> approaches are good tools. It sounds like it would be good to give the
> students some sort of framework in order to focus their thinking. I've used
> Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats in classes before, in order to get
> students to pay attention to different parts of analysis:
> http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php
>
> There are many ways you could apply the tool creatively. You could assign a
> "hat" each week and have students collect by focussing on that particular
> hat only. If you have a "home base" classroom, you could map out the hats
> and have the collected photos, post-its, sketches, etc sorted onto a wall.
> You could break the class into teams based on each hat. You could also have
> each student run through each hat individually during a timed exercise
> every week. There are lots of ways to use the idea creatively.
>
> The hats can be a bit cumbersome and feel a little unnatural at first, but
> what I like about them is that they end up generating a lot more discussion.
>
> I hope it helps. It sounds like a great class.
>
>
>
> [g]
>
> On Tue, Jul 17, 2018 at 4:13 AM Brita Fladvad Nielsen <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear everyone;
>>
>> So I am responsible for a study program this fall, where parts of the work
>> includes taking international students to peri urban areas in India to
>> understand the implications of urban (planning) decision making on the
>> 'bottom of the pyramid'.
>>
>> According to the schedule made earlier by someone else, the students are
>> to reflect every Friday during the time in India. However, the reflection
>> programme has not had any decided approach or direction and has according
>> to my predecessors not been to successful. In general, it is a difficult
>> task to 'make' people reflect.
>>
>> Being a designer, I seek to use 'design tools' and explore how to create
>> deeper insights. Regarding reflection, I am interested in your opinion on
>>
>> What is reflection? Reflection is important in design, but is spoken about
>> in different ways. One can reflect while/by doing, but it is hard to grasp
>> what makes one reflect. From personal experience, I know that reflection
>> has to do not only with introspectiveness but also with dialogue, maturity,
>> timing and sometimes coincidence or meetings. I often see that students
>> reach a different level of reflection only six months or so following a
>> design project.
>>
>> Are there tools that may trigger reflection? Insight generation is one
>> thing, but how about gaining deeper understanding, I am so far going for
>> 'people near' approaches such as storytelling and drawing. The latter is
>> not so easy for non-designers. Photo ethnography perhaps.
>>
>> What is 'good reflection'? Often people who say others should reflect
>> more, may think that only their view on what 'reflection' means is
>> satisfactory. But what are the frames here, are there any?
>>
>> How do I best guide non-design students into regular reflection during a
>> fall course on designing urban interventions? What can I pick from design?
>>
>> So far I am thinking storytelling, photo ethnography, participatory
>> observation, sketching...
>>
>> I look forward to your thoughts on the above, and advice for good reads on
>> reflection in design.
>>
>>
>> Kind regards from very sunny Norway,
>>
>> Brita Fladvad Nielsen
>> Ph.D. in Design Methods / MA of Tech Industrial Design
>> Post.doc. researcher at PI-SEC (Planning Instruments for Smart Energy
>> Communities)
>> & lecturer in Urban Ecological Planning
>> Dept. of Architecture and Planning, NTNU
>> Tel: 954 24 055
>>
>> https://www.ntnu.edu/smartcities/pi-sec
>>
>> www.designforselfreliance.wordpress.com<
>> http://www.designforselfreliance.wordpress.com/>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>> PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
>> Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
>> Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> [g]
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2018 21:44:43 +0100
> From: Alison Prendiville <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Post Doctoral Post 0.4 EU Horizon2020 Grant
>
> We are currently looking for a Fixed term, Part time Design Researcher 0.4 to work on an exciting EU Horizon2020 Biotechnology project - Pharma Factory - to apply design and service design research methods to engage a variety of stakeholders in this new technology. If you are interested please use the link below to find out more details.
>
> https://ual.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-1/brand-1/xf-ecbac5b373af/candidate/so/pm/6/pl/1/opp/4382-Post-doctoral-Research-Fellow-Pharma-Factory-EU-Horizon-2020/en-GB
>
>
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