(1) What is Belanoff's theory of reflection? How does this theory connect to writing and learning?
(2) How can you apply Belanoff's theory to your writing practices?
(3) More generally, where does reflection/reflective practice fall within your own writing process(es)?
(4) Why might reflection be an important part of writing practices and writing process(es)?
Use Belanoff to ground your thinking pulling out specific quotes and details from her text.
Respond to your peers. 300 words or so.
Due: Monday, May 20, 2013.
Belanoff makes a compelling argument for the importance of reflection in his (or her) article titled, “Silence: Reflection, Literacy, Learning, and Teaching.” Belanoff theorizes reflection as the process of reconciling with the instability of life by silently connecting ideas and listening to one’s inner dialogue. Writers must engage in reflection in order to fully comprehend their individual cognitive processes.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison Belanoff makes between the reflection of a successful reader and the reflection of a successful writer clearly illustrates this claim. An expert reader understands “both what a text is saying and what a text is doing.” Expert readers stop to reread and contemplate a particular section of text as soon as it arouses confusion. They will try to uncover the meaning of a text by reflecting on what it is saying and doing. Likewise, to be an expert writer, one must take time to stop and reflect on what they just wrote. Reflection allows writers to not only absorb their literature’s message but also to “delight in the sweetness of that…which [they] found.” Side note: currently I am delighting in the sweetness of my vanilla coffee by reflecting on my last sip. Oh, so delicious. Anyways…
As I began to reflect on the past 8 weeks of WRIT 1133, I discovered Belnaoff’s theory on reflection represents more than just intellectual fluff; indeed, his (or her) theory tells the truth. I learned quite a lot throughout the process of writing (i.e. how to compose a lit review, how to write a collegiate-level essay introduction, how to cite sources in APA, how abortion affects women, etc…). However, I also learned quite a lot (more) through the process of reflecting. I was able to think about myself as a writer, and in doing so the preconceived notions I had about writing crumbled. Writing cannot and should not be placed in a box.
I tried, but failed, to think of a more tangible explanation to give of what reflection means to me. I suppose that just highlights the personal nature of reflection.
The detail about understanding “both what a text is saying and what a text is doing” is really cool! Like you said, to be an expert writer we must do both... even though we often forget the second half. Nice job!
DeleteI believe that you succeeded in presenting a plausible explanation of what reflection means to you. But I don't see why you mention that writing should not be placed in a box; the statement might be true but what brought it up? Anyways, Belanoff's theory truly presents many logical points on reflection and silence but one thing I learned from these writing classes; there's always more than one truth.
DeleteI mentioned the "writing should not be placed in a box" statement because, after reflecting on the the past 8 weeks, that was one of the things I learned. (:
DeleteI like the quotes you pulled to support your understanding of this piece, especially the one saying writers should "delight in the sweetness of that…which [they] found." I think you got a good grasp of her argument in that you were able to apply it to your daily life, as she does with the idea of reflection. Also, good point about not placing writing in a box. I too feel that I have developed a lot through reflecting this quarter and feel the same way, whereas before I thought writing had more of a strict format.
DeleteWhile reading this super long document, I deduced that Belanoff’s theory of reflection is the genuine responses that arise from viewing any facet of life. On page 405 of this document, Belanoff takes the reader on some rant about reflection and other people’s opinion on it so that is where I found her theory of reflection. This theory connects to writing and learning because as the audience is confused about the topic, they will then question what is not blatantly clear and reflect on how the object is presented.
ReplyDeleteI would apply this theory to my own practices by taking another look at my writings, problem sets whatever and make sure it is organized clearly and all questions are answered. This is kind of what I thought Belanoff was trying to convey but now that I’m writing this I’m not too sure.
When completing my inquiry-based essay, most of my reflection occurred after I turned it in. This is mostly because I’m pretty sure this paper essentially makes up our writing grade and now I’m freaking out about it. That being said I’m pretty sure good ol’ Pat Belanoff would be shaking her head at me because everything she wrote in her document went way over my head.
Reflection may be an important part of writing practices and processes because it implores the reader to digest what he/she just wrote and make sure it is clear to the audience. I don’t know how easy this is however because the writer will be super biased as to what should be concluded and what is unknown by the average reader.
Belanoff's article included quite a bit of "stuff" that went over my head as well. Ultimately Belanoff wanted to make the point that reflection is an important part of the writing process because it allows the rhetor to absorb that which they just produced. The rhetor losses an integral learning concept if he or she never absorbs the impact of their writing. It's like putting on sunscreen and not waiting 15 minutes before jumping in the pool: the sunscreen never has time to absorb and the purpose of applying it is lost.
DeleteYeah I definitely did not understand a lot of this article either! I like how when you talked about applying the theory to your own life you included problem sets. It was interesting to see you you thought about reflection outside of reading and writing. Nice job!!
DeleteFirst off you did a great job addressing us as an audience. I have noticed that consistently you are able to cater your writing to a certain audience, and all of your blog posts have proven this.
DeleteNext, I really liked how your broke down the theory into a simply and easy to understand format. You were straight to the point and gave the information needed.
Great job!!
Belanoff’s Theory: the practice of reflection encourages better understandings of ideas/thoughts and their environments, ultimately leading to increased learning and effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteShe breaks down the word into two parts: “re” (back) and “flect” (bend), making the word technically mean “to bend back” (p. 405). Therefore reflection and the analysis which accompanies it are rooted in a system of mirrors; it’s all about seeing old information in new ways.
This connects to writing and learning because, I’d argue, writing IS reflection. Before beginning our essays, we’d already read all of the sources and had their ideas in our heads. But it wasn’t until reflecting upon them for the purpose of synthesizing (lit review) and analyzing (essay) that we truly took the information flapping around our brains and turned it into knowledge. This was especially true for me; reflecting upon all of my research led me to a whole new section of my essay-- a case study. After rereading and rereading and rereading, I started to see very real connections between my research and the Boston Marathon bombings, so I added it. I think it gave my research a very tangible, relevant component.
In terms of writing practices, this “theory of reflection” idea definitely changed the way I view the act of writing. Throughout this first year at DU, I’ve been introduced to (and drilled on) the practice of “reflective essay” writing. I didn’t get it at first; writing was supposed to be a means of communication, just a way to record and share my ideas. It wasn’t until I really got into writing these papers that I understood their purpose: to reflect upon the subjects and to turn mere facts into viable knowledge.
I love that you made the argument that writing IS reflection. I talked about needing more reflection throughout my writing process but your post made me think of reflection in a different way.
DeleteI agree with Emily in that Belanoff’s Theory of reflection is to silently “bend back” and revisit the reading/writing in order to find new connections and themes that can be applied to your own life. I found it a bit confusing to recall just one theory because the article defines reflection about ten times.
ReplyDeleteI found it really interesting when Belanoff said, “Nonetheless, none of us is constructed exactly like any other one of us. So even when we read identical texts, we do not reflect (on) them (back) the same way: each of us gives the text his or her own bend or twist. Each of us sees and reports events in a slightly different way, for each of us is gazing at our surroundings as they are "fixed" within our personal mirrors” I thought this was a really interesting way to explain reflection. It clearly emphasizes that reflection can take on different forms for different people and no one reflects on the same thing in the same way.
This theory connects to reading and writing because it emphasizes that everyone is unique and therefore all writing styles are different for each individual. I found it interesting when Belanoff said, “Expert readers are those who can understand both what a text is saying and what it is doing”. Reading, and writing, has multiple layers. It is not just about putting words on paper or reading words that are on paper. It is more about how the reader understands, interprets, and uses the text in his/her own life.
Going to a Catholic high school I am very familiar with reflection. I think I had to write a reflection for almost every project/paper we ever did. Many times I would just disregard the reflection and just write down what I knew the teacher wanted to hear. I got pretty good at making up reflections. I still do not use reflection as often as I should. However, I now understand that reflection can have its benefits. Reflection forces the reader/writer to understand the text and apply it to every day life. This can be very helpful because it allows the reader/writer to digest everything and pick out important information.
I really like that you connected this back to your experiences at a catholic school. It was really interesting to me to read that you had to do reflections all the time. I went mainly to public schools growing up and I don't feel like we had to do reflections that often. Belanoff says in her article how reflection, meditation and contemplation all come from religion and the act of prayer at one point, so I thought it was kind of cool to see evidence supporting that. Nice post!
DeleteMy favorite part about your view of the reading was how reflection is different for everyone. Everyone puts their own twist into their writing, it is what makes their voice. It is what makes their paper speak loudly and sound differently than someone elses. I forgot to incorporate this important piece in my own post, but I think I still managed to speak on the topic. Overall I really like your own bend and twist on reflection and I am glad you remembered to post this week haha.
DeleteThat quote about the mirrors and how reflection is different for everyone really stuck out at me as well. Everyone's experiences, truths, etc. are unique, and we can't be expected to reflect upon something in the same manner as anyone else.
DeleteOn a side note-- I don't know if any of you had to read Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" in high school, but it really develops this idea in a kinda creepy quote: "We live as we dream, alone." Conrad basically says that these differences in perception are isolating, and that we can never really understand each other.
Danielle-I completely agree with you statement that reflection should be used to create themes and connect them back to your own life. Throughout my year at DU, I have had a lot of experience with reflecting as part of the writing process. For my Wellness LLC class, our professor stresses the importance of reflection time and time again. Every quarter, for our final, we are asked to write a final reflection paper. She says that it will help us in establishing the principles we learned throughout the quarter. Without this final reflection, I would not have known exactly how to relate my knowledge back to my life, because I would not have thought about it. That is why reflection is such a necessary tool in the writing process. It acts as a conductor of knowledge to real life situations and implications for the future.
DeleteEven though our culture tends to fear silence, because silence is merely a “lack of words or a lack of being heard,” Belanoff argues that silence is good because it is there that you find reflection. In Belanoff’s article, “Silence: Reflection, Literacy, Learning, and Teaching,” she theorizes that silence is necessary for reflection and that reflection is necessary for education. There are multiple different forms of reflection that a person can use in order to look inward, reflect and grow. Belanoff says, “Everyone needs to reflect to be educated.” When it comes to learning, the professors that are teaching need to have experienced reflection to be able to teach the importance of it. She also believes that we need space and time devoted in our classrooms for time to learn how to reflect.
ReplyDeleteMany times, when I write, I try to write to music even though I know that I cannot collect my thoughts as easily. I think the reason is that I get bored with the silence so I need something to fill it. Taking Belanoff’s theory into consideration, I should try to write without the music. That is the perfect time to experience silence for an hour or two in order to reflect inward on what exactly it is that I want to say. I also need to reflect on my 1st drafts more. I am the type of writer that once that first draft is done, I don’t like drastically rewriting any of it. I need to reflect more on what I have written and if I really got my point across in the best way. Overall, I tend to only reflect at the end of a writing process when I am made to. I need to reflect more throughout the entire process.
I think reflection is important because it promotes learning and change. We get stuck in our ways (I definitely was before this class) and it’s nearly impossible to change those habits without deep reflection. I agree with Hannah that writing should not be put into a box. I did that for a while, thinking that there was one formal way to write in order to get an A. I lost my voice as a writer because of this and it wasn’t until I really reflected on my writing that I saw that. Belanoff says that reflection is “understood as both turning back and fixing,” and that’s exactly what we have been doing throughout this course.
In the article Belanoff found reflection to be an act of "bending back" and "fixing". In other words, looking back upon one's current work and fixing what needs to be fixed. This keeps in mind with our prenotion from another article that reflection can take place at anytime in the writing process. At any point in writing, one can bend back and look to see what needs work and what does not.
ReplyDeleteTo my own writing process I always imagined reflection to be something that happened at the very end of writing where the writer gives one final look at his or her work. But after two quarters I have realized reflection is something much more. With this piece Belanoff saw it is as it literally was, bending oneself back and looking at your work, even as you write it out. What I interpreted from the action of bending back was not only looking back at your work, but flipping the thing upside down and getting a whole new view on the situation. You can look at one sentence a hundred times, and you could still want to make changes about it just by looking from a different perspective.
Reflection is such an important topic in writing because no one writes a paper without looking back to correct mistakes at least once. Especially in later years with writing pages and pages of a dissertation, no one just throws that into the public hoping for the best. One must review it and make sure to put everything into it.
Lastly, this one isn't mentioned in the prompt, how it works within my own theory of writing. My theory of writing was purpose, a purpose that pulls the rhetor from the beginning of the process till the very end. Since purpose is such a big piece for me, if I really have purpose in something then that means I must have a reason to put my work out there. If I truly do have purpose for something, then I will want to reflect upon every piece to make sure that the words are able to stand on their own and speak for my purpose. If they are unable to do that, then clearly I have failed at something and must then bend back to look at my words and fix them such that they speak loud.
I didn’t know that silence could be a part of reflection or could even be related to it. I admired how Belanoff revolved her whole piece around silence, stating “My main pathway here begins in silence and moves through reflection, meditation, contemplation, metacognition, and thoughtfulness to conclusions about literacy and learning and then back to silence-just as all words do.” According to Belanoff, silence has an important part in reflection and its process. She defines reflection specifically as “bending back” or turning back and fixing what you wrote. She also mentions terms such as meditation, imagination, time and contemplation. If you notice, all these words relate back to silence in one way or another. In other words, to reflect is to give the mind space and time for it to expand its understanding and therefore, its imagination in order to fix, reconstruct and conceive new ideas.
ReplyDeleteAs I said before, silence is an important part of the writing process; a theory that is supported by many authors including Yancey, whose theory I’ve got to understand throughout this course. In my writing process, I feel that reflection, or more generally silence, falls after writing the first draft of my piece. Given the time to read it again, reflect on it and fixing my mistakes, I feel that this is the crucial part of my reflection process. Although I concentrate on reflecting after finishing a draft, I don’t want to neglect the use of reflection during the writing process where I stop and think through my ideas and words. Even though Belanoff mentions, “Silence can be a lack of words or a lack of being heard,” she provides a valid argument when she brings up what Yancey and Spooner state, "to have voice, in the West or elsewhere, requires silence, too.... Silence is thus a necessary if not sufficient condition for voice to occur.” Therefore, I believe that reflection has an important part of having a voice in my written pieces.
It is apparent that reflection is a vital part of any writing practice or process. It gives the writer time to rethink and fix whatever he did wrong. Moreover, it gives the reader time to expand his understanding of what he just read. Reflection is so important in writing to the extent that it doesn’t need an explanation or an argument. Without it, the reader would embark upon a very confusing journey through the writer’s thoughts. It’s perfectly clear; reflection forms an comprehensible final written draft.
Belanoff’s theory as I interpreted it is that reflection leads to better learning and understanding of concepts. Belanoff himself defined reflection as “to re-bend, perhaps to re-turn” (421). He places a high importance on the idea of reflection and how reflection is truly the way to understand and master ideas.
ReplyDeleteI can apply Belanoff’s theory to my writing practice by after writing, reflecting on it, and thinking about what I have gained from that experience. By doing so I will hopefully have a better grasp of the concepts and what I have learned, which in turn with let me learn to the best of my abilities.
I believed this theory to reverberate throughout the whole research process. For, first we started off by proposing and idea then reflecting on it as we began our research. As we researched we were constantly finding new sources and reflecting and deciding if we had enough information to answer our question. Then throughout the whole process one has to constantly be open to reflect and edit their question or topic. Next, when writing the Lit Review, we had to reflect on all the information we had gathered and compile the information in an organized manner. Then lastly, when writing the actual essay we had to reflect on the three different forms of primary sources we conducted, and then compare that to previous research in order to achieve a successful and coherent paper. Then when looking back and writing an actual reflection, we were able to see what we had actually learned and help ourselves realize how we were going to be able to apply our new skills in the future.
Without reflecting it becomes easy to overpass what you have learned and accomplished. Not reflecting bars one from truly mastering an understanding of the material or idea. So I believe that the reflection stage to be the most important, for without doing so you’re found knowledge and understanding might be forgotten or dismissed.
Dre, I think you hit the nail on the head in your last paragraph. You talk about how if one does not reflect, it is possible that your idea will be forgotten or dismissed. I think that could not be more true. I also agree with you when you say "Not reflecting bars one from truly mastering an understanding of the material or idea." since reflecting can help you to understand key ideas and concepts. I enjoyed your blog post, well done.
DeleteAfter reading the piece by Belanoff I see her theory of reflection as proposing the idea for needing to go back or fix previous writing to enhance future writing or one can even say thoughts. This theory connects to writing and learning in the sense of being tied together by literacy. Literacy is the ability to learn about a specific subject or field, but more importantly the ability to read and write. Being able to go back, understand, fix, and change what has been written gives us the ability to show we are learning from previous writing as well as improving current writing. Much like how Caedmon “composes from the elements of his recent experience and his knowledge…turns the words he has heard into…something that is had never previously been.” I can apply Belanoff’s theory in the sense that I would go back to prior writing and ideas and fix or change to eventually better my current writing. This process will help me develop strong and well developed thoughts. As Belanoff explains reflective practice is the ability to “make connections between the old and the potential for the future”. Reflective practice gives me the ability to draw in from prior writing to improve and build into my current writing. Generally reflective practice falls towards the editing portion of my writing. When I edit, I often times go back and fix or apply previous writing ideas in order to make my current writing more concise. Reflection is ideal to writing practice as well as process because Belanoff notes, from Moffett, that we are not able to simply pull information from our past thoughts. Being unable to collect thoughts from memory requires us to make note of them or write them down. Reflecting allows us to pay “attention to inner speech”.
ReplyDeleteConcise and on point. Nice job, Spencer. I like how you referenced a few different scholars who all had something to input on the subject. I cannot say that I do the same as you to a point I'm happy with yet when talking about my own reflection habits, glad you're having success though!
DeleteI believe Belanoff’s theory of writing is about both the act of silence and returning back to one’s own work. She states,” This liminality brings me back to one of the definitions of reflect: to re-bend, perhaps to re-turn” (421). She is saying that it is constantly important to reflect upon what has been written to better understand key concepts and to improve one’s writing abilities. Silence also plays a key role in the reflection process. Her article is titled “Silence: Reflection, Literacy, Learning, and Teaching” thus meaning silence is a main aspect of the reflection process because through silence comes learning and education, both of which will improve the work and the process of understand critical concepts.
ReplyDeleteMany aspects of Belanoff’s theory of writing can be used in my writing process. The main concept would be to constantly be “bending back” and looking at my writing from a different perspective. I rarely, if ever, do this to my writing. I tend to go with one perspective, or a perspective I am most comfortable with, but Belanoff believes it is important to change your writing around and keeping an open mind set when writing and reflecting. If I begin to do this in my writing process I believe that it will have a positive impact on my writing. More generally speaking I do not reflect at all until my entire piece of writing has been finished. Whereas Belanoff would say reflection needs to be a process which is ongoing during the writing. I need to learn to reflect throughout my entire writing process instead of just waiting until the end.
Reflection is a key part of the writing process because as the author reflects it makes him take another, more in depth look at what he has just written. Through this process it makes him understand his own writing better as well as making sure he comprehends his main ideas which he is trying to convey to the audience. If the author reflects throughout his entire writing process and not just at the end, then the audience as well as the author understand the writing better which in turn benefit them both.
In Belanoff’s article “Silence: Reflection, Literacy, Learning, and Teaching,” she explains the importance of reflection in the reading and writing process and defines it as a process of coming to terms with the “conflicts” in our daily lives and how they can separate us as individuals by listening to ourselves and others to gain a more wholesome understanding of ideas about a situation. Speaking to the benefits of reflection in our lives, she says, “when events set fragments of ourselves in conflict, we may profit from stepping back to seek balance before acting.”
ReplyDeleteApplying Belanoff’s theory to my writing practices, I can connect the academic nature of writing and reading that I have grown accustomed to, with the purpose of understanding a text and transferring ideas, to her lessons for daily life. I see that the benefits we receive from reflection in life can crossover into the writing process, better understanding a situation by stepping back to gain a better perspective from all angles.
Within our own writing processes, reflection is a constant practice. Whatever the subject, we must reflect on from where we will pull our information to understand the situation and what direction we want the text to go. Going in close minded that it will all be personal understanding, or scholarly research, or what we see on TV, we will lose sight of the grand scheme of the situation and will not fully understand all that is to be found. We must then reflect on what we find, determining what is most appropriate. Then, throughout the writing of the text, we must reflect on the direction it is going and how to shape is as new ideas arise. Reflection is such an integral part of the writing process that, without out, the writing we have and create would be woefully incomplete.
As I was reading through the article, I could not help but realize how similar my theory of reflection was to Belanoff’s. He references ideals of how none of us are constructed the same way; therefore, the way we reflect will be different. He states, “Each of us sees and reports events in a slightly different way, for each of us is gazing at our surroundings as they are "fixed" within our personal mirrors” (Belanoff 405). I thought that this perception of reflection was brilliant. It takes into account that each individual has his/her own mentality. Hence, there is no way in which each of us will reflect in the same way. Each will add “his or her own bend or twist” to their reflection of the situation. This theory relates to writing because although several authors choose to write about the same topic, their novels, articles, or blogs end up completely different. This is because they each tell their story based on their own experiences. Any typw of subjective view they might have will change their presentation of the topic. Also, learning does not have a method that is right or wrong. We learn in our own way. This supports Belanoff’s theory because learning styles are unique to each person.
ReplyDeleteBelanoff’s theory relates to my own writing process because I recognize the importance of different perspectives. There is more than one side to every story, which allows each writer to be unique and creative. It is important that I do not only write from only one perspective because then I limit my audience.
As Belanoff states, “When events set fragments of ourselves in conflict, we may profit from stepping back to seek balance before acting” (419). I utilize this statement when I think about my own reflection process. There are times where the situation I create conflicts with my own ideals. It is at that point that I have to take a step back and reflect on my purpose. I break my writing down to the fundamentals. I think about my audience, reflect on the perspective that I am attempting to convey. Reflection is imperative to the writing process because it provides a method in which to check ourselves, and make sure that we are effectively relaying our point or argument. Without reflection, writing would be incomplete. A rhetor would complete a study and be an expert on the topic, but have no idea what his/her purpose was in performing that study or the implications and meanings of his/her results.
Belanoff’’s article about reflection was quite the reflection itself. Although quite lengthy it still served a great purpose. I believe what Belanoff was trying to say was that reflection is the practice of looking back at past events or other things in order to gain more from it and further knowledge. He (or she) refers to reflection as being both “turning back” and “fixing”on page 405. This observation shows that reflection really does focus on the importance of not only just looking back but also changing something due to this. He even makes religious references saying how contemplation and devout meditation were early versions of what he is trying to talk about (as early as 1225).
ReplyDeleteI could definitely benefit from Belanoff’s ideas. As a writer, I tend to sprint write through a piece such as an essay and have very minimal reflection time. In this class over the last quarter, I have learned a lot about how to write, what is important to consider when writing, and various other things. Reflection is something I still have yet to fully implement into my writing toolbox. I tend to forget that this step could potentially bring any of my work up to a new level with more intellectual value. But just reflecting right now, I have learned a ton from these last weeks that will continue to help me in my career here and past that.
I should have reflected on my inquiry-based essay BEFORE turning it in. Now I’m simply waiting to see what Dr. Kt has to say about it. Because my reflection fell at a later date than the deadline, I can only learn from this experience.