The Magic Word (Concept Map #3)

The past comes to define the present and the present shapes the future. This means that what we’ve thought and done have come to make us who we are at the moment but we are still in control of what we do right now. It is through diverse experiences that we expand our horizons and allow ourselves to continue to grow and progress (think living life on the edge), thus it is in the moment choices that come to influence us and lead us down the paths to our future. However, there are near limitless doorways and we are able to steer ourselves in a new direction at any point. Prior to taking this class I was a pensive thinker and a determined writer, and could logically work my way to a choice so that more often than not I could lead myself down a successful path. However, I was not actively engaging in reflection that would allow me to simplify future decisions, adjust to alternate situations or learn exactly what to correct when things went wrong. More often than not I stopped at what grade I received as feedback on whether I’d achieved success. From there, I’d attempt to directly replicate successes and drastically change failures, although what exactly I needed to fix I was never certain of. Now 6 weeks into the quarter I realize that reflection is a deep contemplation or analysis of outcomes, or even within the situation, and upper level thinking (metacognition) identifies procedural “mistakes”. This enables rapid readjustment of behavior, on the fly, and a deeper understanding of what exactly occurred.

My map focuses on the word contemplation which means to “look thoughtfully at; to cogitate”. This is because when we undergo reflection we are looking within ourselves for answers… answers to solve uneasy situations, how to adapt, what went wrong (or right), etc. We are bombarded with a great multitude of stimuli which cloud our situation but by pulling in outside information (represented pictorially with the book) and using all regions of the brain to remember past experiences that may usefully be transferred (represented pictorially by the busy network of neurons within a brain) we are able to eventually come to a conclusion. In the end (at the completion of the long word) we are able to clarify (lightbulb) on most occasions how the present should be handled. We’ll know whether to go right or left at the crossroad and will make the appropriate (✓) decision that will lead to success or pave way for the best version of our continually adapting future. But the process doesn’t end there. This event in our lives will undergo transformation (due to inaccurate memory, illusions of grandeur, etc.) and will eventually come back around and be useful in a future reflection.

One thing that can be concluded about reflection is that it is a continual process that is cumulative. Students tend to fear cumulative tests, due to their complexity. However, having this cumulative database of past experience is essential to proper reflection and they direct us make decisions that will impact the future (some more severely than others simply due to the nature of the choice). But reflection is a device that allows us to be best informed while making our choices that lead us down our desired paths… whatever they may be.