Reflection in Action

 Reflection in Action
 Bairbre Redmond,
 Ashgate
 ISBN 0754649555,
 £16.99

 STAR RATING: 2/5

In this small, qualitative study Redmond has developed a model for students and educators who value the development of critical reflection as a core element to their practice, writes Giles Bashford.

The author draws on a wealth of literature in a descriptive rather than analytical way.

The reader can glean several important messages, such as the need to get back to basics, listen to ourselves and those we are working with and re-evaluate our practice, let go of our expert status and our need for certainty. The author also notes how the technical and rational systems we inhabit value this hierarchical production of knowledge to the detriment of service users and professionals alike.

The need for critically reflective practice to be inclusive, creative and, above all, effective is highlighted. But Redmond’s model is weakened by the limited critique of the theories it is based on and the small specific nature of the study group make it difficult to generalise her conclusions.

Redmond’s analysis of the use and abuse of power and its multi-faceted nature only alludes to people’s experiences of power and oppression rather than to its structure or social context.

To use a driving metaphor when I finished the book I was left with the feeling I had learned to drive with only a limited grasp of the highway code.

Giles Bashford is assistant team manager 16-plus team, Solihull Council