Task 2a: Reflective Practice

What is a journal?

A journal (through French from Latin diurnalis, daily) has several related meanings:

• a daily record of events or business; a private journal is usually referred to as a diary
• a newspaper or other periodical, in the literal sense of one published each day
• many publications issued at stated intervals, such as academic journals, or the record of the transactions of a society, are often called journals.^[1] In academic use, a journal refers to a serious, scholarly publication that is peer-reviewed. A non-scholarly magazine written for an educated audience about an industry or an area of professional activity is usually called a trade magazine.^[2

I have used journals in the past as a way of expression and as a release of any angst or frustration that has built up inside me. I found writing down my feelings definitely helped my state of mind. It cleared my head of negativity and it seemed as if the journal had taken the feelings away. 

It was nostalgic returning to writing a journal as part of this task and it made me realise that communicating my feelings and ideas on a regular basis somehow released a sense of calm over me.

Whilst I was at Ballet school we were asked to keep a ballet 'diary' everyday, to note down what corrections were given to us throughout class or rehearsal, and what we personally wanted to improve on. I guess this was a type of journal, however it was quite regimented and there was no room for expression in the diary. How did I feel when I wasn't picked to be apart of the end of year performance? How did I feel when I felt inadequate in comparison to the other girls in my class? These feelings of exasperation were never vented, and I think an expressive journal would of undeniably helped. 

I find it really interesting that journal writing as a reflective tool has been developed in nursing, health and education. New ideas are being discovered and professionals in these fields are constantly learning more about their work and how to put these ideas into practice. Dancing is seen as more than an 'active' profession, so the reflective part is laid to rest and it can be hard to see your learning process written down on paper. However, after looking through Robert Kottcamp's concept of reflection-in-action, it began to make sense to me. His view is that reflection-in action (reflection in the midst of an ongoing action) underlines the fact that the type of profession you come from has an impact on the ways you reflect. As a dancer, our 'reflection' during dancing means correcting ourselves simultaneously, most of the time without us realising it. I was brought up in a profession to constantly reflect on my movements and find ways of amending my steps so I can improve. Dance is a physical way of learning, and delving into the conceptual way of learning is something which is very new to me. Kottcamp's theory intrigues me and I will definitely expand on this later on in this module.  

I am looking forward to incorporating different journal styles into my writing to see which method suits me best!

Katrina 

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