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Going to the Core: Deepening Reflection by Connecting the Person to the Profession

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Handbook of Reflection and Reflective Inquiry

Abstract

This contribution deals with the question of how reflection of practitioners can be deepened. Due to the pressures of day to day practice, they often focus on “quick fixes.” We describe several steps in the development of an approach to reflection aimed at overcoming this tendency. These include a more balanced attention to thinking, feeling and wanting as the sources of behavior, the distinction of six layers of reflection in the so-called “onion model,” a shift in the content of reflection from the past to the ideal future, and finally a focus on presence and mindfulness. In the resulting concept of Core Reflection, a specific method is used for dealing with the inner obstacles of the human mind to the actualization of personal qualities.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Fred A. J. Korthagen

Authors
  1. Fred A. J. Korthagen
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  2. Angelo Vasalos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fred A. J. Korthagen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Education, University College Cork, Donovan's Road, Cork, Ireland

    Nona Lyons

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Korthagen, F.A.J., Vasalos, A. (2010). Going to the Core: Deepening Reflection by Connecting the Person to the Profession. In: Lyons, N. (eds) Handbook of Reflection and Reflective Inquiry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85744-2_27

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