I had just led 2 sessions with my colleagues in which the area of learning from reflection came up and then read Don Ledingham’s blog and here he is commenting on the same thing.

I recently mentored a group of students studying for an MSc in Human Resource Management at Napier University - where I earned my own PG diploma and BA  - great place to learn in my view. But I digress.

The programme is accredited to the CIPD - the governing body for Human Resource professionals in the UK and one of the requirements was that each student keep a learning log and create a plan for learning throughout the course. My role was to review these and ask questions and make comments about the content. Many of the students found it difficult to start their learning logs but as time went on it was clear that most began to value the exercise. Let’s be honest here though - there were some who fundamentally either did not get it, did not want to do it, or thought that by going through the motions they would hit the mark. With a bit of pressure and tweaking I only had to “refer” one out of about 40 students over 3 years for not meeting the standard.

As I was encouraging my students to do this I decided I should also keep a log. It is actually a professional requirement and I can be asked for it at any time. I found it very helpful - sometimes with real revelations about what I had learned that I would probably have missed. Sometimes I simply reinforced what  I already knew. Sometimes it was therapeutic.

In my work with both groups and individuals the issue of reflecting on learning often comes up. Most of us set goals - business and personal  - and I think that a learning log can help measure the achievement and identify what else or more I need to do.

In the conversation with my colleagues this week it was clear that some regularly reflect on their day  informally. In fact the sessions I was running required them to reflect.

What particularly resonated with me on Don’s post was when he said

A Learning Log imposes a discipline upon the reflective process, which, although it may be going on informally, or tacitly, all of the time, can often be lost in the ‘jungle’ which forms much of our daily, weekly and monthly work.

Oh yes!

I moved my learning log into my blog a year or so ago. It has 2 purposes for me - so that my clients can learn more about me and as a prompt to think about my learning. Yes - sometimes I allow myself a rant about something but even that is a process of reflection for me. I can compare situations, consider how I reacted and work out what I would do next time.

So whether your learning log is written in a blog, in a smart notebook or on the back of envelopes - give it a try. If you think you don’t reflect - think about the last time you thought about a situation at work after the event, if you learned anything from that  and how you are using it. If you wake up during the night thinking about work  ( in a bad way) that’s a whole different thing - you might want to share that with someone you trust.

There was a comment made about sometimes wanting to talk something through but not wanting the other person to think that they should somehow fix the problem. Of course there are times when bringing someone else in is a sensible step but, if the chat helps in reflection, the solution might evolve from the conversation. Keeping a log could support that.