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The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think In Action
A leading M.I.T. social scientist and consultant examines five professions -- engineering, architecture, management, psychotherapy, and town planning -- to show how professionals really go about solving problems. The best professionals, Donald Schon maintains, know more than they can put into words. To meet the challenges of their work, they rely less on formulas learned in graduate school than on the kind of improvisation learned in practice. This unarticulated, largely unexamined process is the subject of Schon's provocatively original book, an effort to show precisely how "reflection-in-action" works and how this vital creativity might be fostered in future professionals.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 20, 2008
I recently chose this book for a Leadership Practicum course I am teaching as it is considered a classic in describing how professionals think as opposed to technicians. The key for true professionals is that they bring their theories and experiences to bear on every situation in unique and creative ways. One can get the overall thesis of the book by reading the last chapter which lays his overall theory of reflection-in-action. The rest of the book contains illustrations of the thinking process of professionals in a veriety of professions. Depending how familiar one is with various fields(architechture, psychotherapy, urban planning, management), those chapters may be more or less helpful.
What I realized in reading this book is how far teaching in the professions has come fromt he early 1980's since Schon wrote this book. I kept finding myself saying "I know that" and that's no big deal. But I realize that my reaction is a sign that Schon's ideas, which were avante garde in his day, have become mainstream.
I would recommend reading the first and last chapters and skimming those chapters that seem most interesting, relevant or accessible.
What I realized in reading this book is how far teaching in the professions has come fromt he early 1980's since Schon wrote this book. I kept finding myself saying "I know that" and that's no big deal. But I realize that my reaction is a sign that Schon's ideas, which were avante garde in his day, have become mainstream.
I would recommend reading the first and last chapters and skimming those chapters that seem most interesting, relevant or accessible.
September 13, 2008
OK, I read this book for social work school, so it's not exactly the next volume in Harry Potter. If it were, however, the book would likely be called "Harry Potter: A Guide to Expert Wizardy in an age of Failed Experts." To give you a glimpse.
Basically, the book explores the idea of the failed professional in today's (or 1983's) age. No longer can we rely on experts to tell us everything - time and time again in recent history have the failed to tell us the truth. In the area of social work, professionals have been especially eager to "solve everything" but have historically fallen short.
Schon's book goes beyond social work to reveal that true experts must balance learned knowledge with experiential knowledge and intuitive learning. What is true is constantly changing, and our clients have been historically resistant to "expert wisdom." Consequently, no single theory or approach can solve a problem - instead, we as professionals must reframe problems and draw intuitive references, using multiple streams of thought to capture it into a single, evolving narrative. It's a kind of postmodern thinking with a genuinely practical approach.
A good lesson for any professional. Also, a giant snake at the end (a touch of the Potter).
Basically, the book explores the idea of the failed professional in today's (or 1983's) age. No longer can we rely on experts to tell us everything - time and time again in recent history have the failed to tell us the truth. In the area of social work, professionals have been especially eager to "solve everything" but have historically fallen short.
Schon's book goes beyond social work to reveal that true experts must balance learned knowledge with experiential knowledge and intuitive learning. What is true is constantly changing, and our clients have been historically resistant to "expert wisdom." Consequently, no single theory or approach can solve a problem - instead, we as professionals must reframe problems and draw intuitive references, using multiple streams of thought to capture it into a single, evolving narrative. It's a kind of postmodern thinking with a genuinely practical approach.
A good lesson for any professional. Also, a giant snake at the end (a touch of the Potter).
November 23, 2013
This article was what prompted me to read this book: http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryR...
You might get impatient with parts of it because you may have already seen some of the major revelations revealed in this book in later works based on these ideas. If I were to assign this as reading to someone, I would select key chapters, such as the whole first part, the chapter on scientific-based professions, and Part III/Chapter 10. I got a little bored with some of the vignettes he used, like the psychologist and the architect, but they illustrated what he meant by reflection in action, etc, so it helps one understand his concept.
You might get impatient with parts of it because you may have already seen some of the major revelations revealed in this book in later works based on these ideas. If I were to assign this as reading to someone, I would select key chapters, such as the whole first part, the chapter on scientific-based professions, and Part III/Chapter 10. I got a little bored with some of the vignettes he used, like the psychologist and the architect, but they illustrated what he meant by reflection in action, etc, so it helps one understand his concept.
February 4, 2017
This is a slow read with great ideas exploring the way that professionals behave in situations and how they could behave differently if they incorporated reflection into their practice. There were times when trying to stay focused was challenging (a couple case studies), but the overall message and value of these older ideas is worth working through the slow sections for the observations about framing responsibilities and capabilities.
October 25, 2022
I've been thinking a lot lately about how we conceptualize and frame our own work and learning. Schön's work is fantastic for this because his central thesis is that reflective practitioners actively look at their work while they are engaged in that work. They listen to the "back-talk" from the situations they find themselves in. Schön's reflective practitioners are disinclined to follow rigid steps or force situations to obey set rules. They are more likely to reframe their own perspectives and reference their repertoire of experiences for clues about how their current situations might work.
Schön's book is an excellent read if you are looking for a more theoretical/inspirational view of professional work. His book can't be a how-to guide because a main point of his writing is that there is no functional generalizing that can be made and written up. I found my greatest takeaway from this book is to recognize that "We are in the problematic situation that we seek to describe and change, and when we act on it, we act on ourselves"
Schön's book is an excellent read if you are looking for a more theoretical/inspirational view of professional work. His book can't be a how-to guide because a main point of his writing is that there is no functional generalizing that can be made and written up. I found my greatest takeaway from this book is to recognize that "We are in the problematic situation that we seek to describe and change, and when we act on it, we act on ourselves"
May 17, 2012
I decided to read this book because it seems to occupy a central place in the canon of "design thinking" literature. The central idea of the book is that the conventional view of professional practice as the mere application of research is flawed; that in fact, practitioners actually conduct research themselves, in the form of on-the-spot, in situ experimentation.
While I enjoyed reading the book overall, I'm giving it only 3 stars because (confession) I really struggled to get through it. Objectively it probably deserves a higher rating, but subjectively, I just got bored with it. I found Schon's ideas interesting and important, but somehow less revelatory than I'd hoped. Perhaps the world - or at least, the professional world that I inhabit - has, in the time since the original publication of the book in 1983, assimilated the notion of the "reflective practitioner" to the point where I can't imagine things ever having been any other way.
While I enjoyed reading the book overall, I'm giving it only 3 stars because (confession) I really struggled to get through it. Objectively it probably deserves a higher rating, but subjectively, I just got bored with it. I found Schon's ideas interesting and important, but somehow less revelatory than I'd hoped. Perhaps the world - or at least, the professional world that I inhabit - has, in the time since the original publication of the book in 1983, assimilated the notion of the "reflective practitioner" to the point where I can't imagine things ever having been any other way.
December 6, 2020
I read this book as recommended reading for my homeopathy course and I must say I would never have chosen to read it. The author's writing style is extremely dry but, more than that, there is one small premise on which this 350 page book rests which could have been explained in about 10. A couple of parts are vaguely interesting (when he discusses actual reflective practice in action for a couple of pages) but this really is not a book I would ever recommend and I am very glad to have finished reading it.
March 16, 2015
Well, this book was a very difficult read for me. But thinking about how Schon's thoughts were of such depth given he wrote this in 1956 i got to say he is amazing. If you are studying Design Theories you might want to read it. It is also included in different curricula, I guess.
October 2, 2024
★★★☆☆
"The Reflective Practitioner" by Donald A. Schön presents some crucial ideas for professionals in any field. The core message is vital: experts must shed the pretense of omniscience, especially when faced with uncertainty and limited evidence. Schön emphasizes the importance of humility and continuous growth in professional practice, which are invaluable lessons for anyone in a position of expertise.
The book's central concept of reflection-in-action offers a compelling alternative to the traditional model of technical rationality in professional work. Schön argues convincingly for a more flexible, adaptive approach to professional practice that acknowledges the complexities and uncertainties of real-world situations.
However, the book's execution leaves much to be desired. There's an excellent 10-page book hiding within this 350-page tome. Schön's writing is often dense and repetitive, making it a challenging read. The adage "sharper writing is sharper thinking" comes to mind – this book could have greatly benefited from more concise and focused prose.
While the ideas are important, the verbose style and academic jargon may deter many readers who could benefit from its insights. A more streamlined presentation would have made this work more accessible and impactful.
In summary, "The Reflective Practitioner" offers valuable ideas for professionals seeking to improve their practice, but be prepared for a lengthy and sometimes frustrating reading experience.
"The Reflective Practitioner" by Donald A. Schön presents some crucial ideas for professionals in any field. The core message is vital: experts must shed the pretense of omniscience, especially when faced with uncertainty and limited evidence. Schön emphasizes the importance of humility and continuous growth in professional practice, which are invaluable lessons for anyone in a position of expertise.
The book's central concept of reflection-in-action offers a compelling alternative to the traditional model of technical rationality in professional work. Schön argues convincingly for a more flexible, adaptive approach to professional practice that acknowledges the complexities and uncertainties of real-world situations.
However, the book's execution leaves much to be desired. There's an excellent 10-page book hiding within this 350-page tome. Schön's writing is often dense and repetitive, making it a challenging read. The adage "sharper writing is sharper thinking" comes to mind – this book could have greatly benefited from more concise and focused prose.
While the ideas are important, the verbose style and academic jargon may deter many readers who could benefit from its insights. A more streamlined presentation would have made this work more accessible and impactful.
In summary, "The Reflective Practitioner" offers valuable ideas for professionals seeking to improve their practice, but be prepared for a lengthy and sometimes frustrating reading experience.
June 16, 2021
Long review: https://brainbaking.com/post/2021/06/...
Short review: a lot of truth is hidden behind the painful academese that makes this one another difficult-to-digest academic manual rather than a thought-provoking no-nonsense book, as I feel it should be. Especially since Schön's concepts of the reflective practitioner VS the technical knowledge expert strikes multiple chords here. Whether or not everything in the book from the eighties about the field of engineering in general is still relevant, I don't know. But the fact that uncertainty and complexity make up for most of the nowadays encountered problems practitioners (or should I say professionals this time?) attempt to fix is indeed very relevant. Learning about patterns is useless if you don't know how to adopt them in practice, or even invent your own just for that one unique situation.
All in all a troubled conclusion: muddy writing that holds back a powerful idea.
Short review: a lot of truth is hidden behind the painful academese that makes this one another difficult-to-digest academic manual rather than a thought-provoking no-nonsense book, as I feel it should be. Especially since Schön's concepts of the reflective practitioner VS the technical knowledge expert strikes multiple chords here. Whether or not everything in the book from the eighties about the field of engineering in general is still relevant, I don't know. But the fact that uncertainty and complexity make up for most of the nowadays encountered problems practitioners (or should I say professionals this time?) attempt to fix is indeed very relevant. Learning about patterns is useless if you don't know how to adopt them in practice, or even invent your own just for that one unique situation.
All in all a troubled conclusion: muddy writing that holds back a powerful idea.
September 22, 2022
A timeless contribution to understanding the gap between academic learning and professional practice ( applied ). Some of the reviewers here found it hard to read, long, dry style, academic tone, and dated. On the contrary, Schon is known for his engaging and easy-to-read style on difficult topics. He writes with clarity and authority, avoiding jargon and what has become trendy Youtuber approach to writing and reading, found everywhere today. This book is even more relevant today - since most popular 'productivity' and 'time-management' best sellers are pure 'next best ' in marketing of fashionable buzz talk. This book avoids what the plethora of these books contain. This book is still readily quoted and cited at conferences and in bibliographies after 40 yrs. Way ahead of its time and still a part of now.
September 22, 2020
In my opinion, the actual examples were not as helpful in understanding the practice of reflection in action (or maybe it would be better on a second read), but overall a good read for me just to give words to describe how research goes "in practice". The book draws attention to the important fact that a lot of professional expertise is about the framing of the problem rather than anything else. Also nice tid-bits about the history of "profession" in US and problems with how the separation between academia and practice; especially how putting one kind of knowledge with more prestige than the other has resulted into bad incentives.
January 31, 2018
I read this book with the intention of learning about reflection for leader growth and development. Thus, this is why I did not particularly enjoy the book. It is not about reflective thought or learning in a leadership context, really.
It’s also a highly academic book, making it hard for the “layman” like me to get through it and understand.
It’s also a highly academic book, making it hard for the “layman” like me to get through it and understand.
September 25, 2022
Extremely relevant in a policy and practitioner world dominated by efficiency and economic thinking. I would say some of the things ends are less relevant, but the lense and the premise of the reflective stance and what it means for policymakers is highly valuable. Policymakers, designers , engineers, and strategists would do well to read this book.
March 29, 2023
A slog
This book was awful. I don’t know why my CPE teacher assigned it. I got nothing from it. Just a boring, awful read. Save yourselves. I can’t tell you what the point of this book was for a Chaplaincy course. Maybe someone else will like it but this was almost physically painful for me to read. Save yourself and read anything else.
This book was awful. I don’t know why my CPE teacher assigned it. I got nothing from it. Just a boring, awful read. Save yourselves. I can’t tell you what the point of this book was for a Chaplaincy course. Maybe someone else will like it but this was almost physically painful for me to read. Save yourself and read anything else.
February 12, 2020
Good ideas, but not worth a read cover to cover. I sort of read the beginning, skimmed the end, and read the professional chapter on architecture because that's closest to my field/purpose on reading the book.
January 21, 2021
An absolute must for any one in academia that wants to realy think the role of education and educational institutions.
Also a must for researchers, if only to understand how and way practice based research is and should be a thing.
Also a must for researchers, if only to understand how and way practice based research is and should be a thing.
December 24, 2024
La genialità di Schon traspare dalle pagine di questo libro in maniera assoluta: dalle metafore generative al professionista riflessivo un crescendo di aspetti che aiutano a comprendere il vero fulcro di ogni vera e autentica professione: la ricerca della consapevolezza.
Da leggere!
Da leggere!
November 1, 2018
interesting read with some good information, but really slow at times and hard to get through.
May 25, 2020
I’m sure it’s a great book for some, but I found it really hard to stay interested. Maybe because it’s exploring different fields to my own. I got a few useful gems though.
June 12, 2020
This is not a how- to-do but ho-to-think book I recommend every professional reads. Especially professionals that deal/work with the general public.
Want to read
August 13, 2020Nonfiction, personal development
Want to read
July 6, 2022recommended by Charles Chafin
January 12, 2023
Невнятная книга с академическим бормотанием, по очень интересной теме. В чем идея в целом осталось непонятным
June 10, 2024
Good but very dry
January 18, 2020
Important foundational reading for looking at reflective practice. Also an odd look at how the concept of "professions" has developed in the US. Looking forward to reading more contemporary OT relevant work that is based in the concept of reflection-in and -on action.
January 23, 2008
The author, an MIT social scientist, nicely points out the biggest challenge in applying professional expertise to a problem, is in properly framing the problem in the 1st place.
This activity of 'framing' is a primary task of 'real-world' managers and professionals, differentiating this group from the pure academes who teach the theories and tools of professional activity, using predefined problems and well-defined settings. In this sense, 'framing' is left as an 'art', poorly taught in formal settings (e.g.; universities,) yet essential for substantive performance and application of professional knowledge. The mess of the real world must be appropriately framed to apply professional knowledge, and this framing must be constantly tested and updated as the situation unfolds in response to this application.
My interest in this topic stems from my current grappling with how best to teach faculty members how to teach medical students clinical reasoning skills. Clinical reasoning skills involve:
Framing the problem(s), using semantic qualifiers to help categorize the presenting illness (part of the framing task), applying Bayesian reasoning (hypothetico-deductive reasoning), and calling upon pattern recognition (inductive reasoning.)
I appreciated the insights I gained into the importance of framing, but his analysis and examples are a bit difficult to follow, and his writing style didn't engage me enough to prevent my head from nodding (a difficult task, to be sure!)
Interestingly, though, a few days after I put the book down (I never did finish it...) I attended a journal club in which the article under discussion revealed that academic accomplishment or previous academic career had a poor correlation with job performance. Reminded me of the old saying, 'Those who cannot do...teach. Those who cannot teach...teach PE.' (with apologies to any PE teachers who end up reading this review...)
This activity of 'framing' is a primary task of 'real-world' managers and professionals, differentiating this group from the pure academes who teach the theories and tools of professional activity, using predefined problems and well-defined settings. In this sense, 'framing' is left as an 'art', poorly taught in formal settings (e.g.; universities,) yet essential for substantive performance and application of professional knowledge. The mess of the real world must be appropriately framed to apply professional knowledge, and this framing must be constantly tested and updated as the situation unfolds in response to this application.
My interest in this topic stems from my current grappling with how best to teach faculty members how to teach medical students clinical reasoning skills. Clinical reasoning skills involve:
Framing the problem(s), using semantic qualifiers to help categorize the presenting illness (part of the framing task), applying Bayesian reasoning (hypothetico-deductive reasoning), and calling upon pattern recognition (inductive reasoning.)
I appreciated the insights I gained into the importance of framing, but his analysis and examples are a bit difficult to follow, and his writing style didn't engage me enough to prevent my head from nodding (a difficult task, to be sure!)
Interestingly, though, a few days after I put the book down (I never did finish it...) I attended a journal club in which the article under discussion revealed that academic accomplishment or previous academic career had a poor correlation with job performance. Reminded me of the old saying, 'Those who cannot do...teach. Those who cannot teach...teach PE.' (with apologies to any PE teachers who end up reading this review...)
August 12, 2019
This book is an example of postmodern denial of objective reality/truth.
According to Schon,
“our perceptions, appreciations and beliefs are rooted in worlds of our own making that we come to accept as reality,”
as opposed to the Technical Rational Practitioner’s Objectivist view by which
“facts are what they are, and the truth of beliefs is strictly testable by reference to them.”
He also asserts that rationality "squeezes" creativity. That sounds very nice.
But when he is supposed to give examples, he has none (yup, not a single example) to show.
Of course he can't give examples. Reality is there, whether you like it or not. Try flying off from the balcony and see what happens.
The book is pure managerial madness.
Do not waste your $ and time.
According to Schon,
“our perceptions, appreciations and beliefs are rooted in worlds of our own making that we come to accept as reality,”
as opposed to the Technical Rational Practitioner’s Objectivist view by which
“facts are what they are, and the truth of beliefs is strictly testable by reference to them.”
He also asserts that rationality "squeezes" creativity. That sounds very nice.
But when he is supposed to give examples, he has none (yup, not a single example) to show.
Of course he can't give examples. Reality is there, whether you like it or not. Try flying off from the balcony and see what happens.
The book is pure managerial madness.
Do not waste your $ and time.
July 24, 2011
READ JUN 2011
Excellent description of how professionals think and act in the moment. Quoting from Russell Ackoff, Schon notes that "managers do not solve problems: they manage messes" (p. 16).
Schon maintains this happens best through a process he describes as "reflection-in-action" which uses an interactive problem-setting and framing approach. How one frames and sets situations influences decision-making, interpersonal communication, and conflict resolution.
Best quote, "our bias toward thinking blinds us to the non-logical processes which are omnipresent in effective practice" (p. 52).
Excellent description of how professionals think and act in the moment. Quoting from Russell Ackoff, Schon notes that "managers do not solve problems: they manage messes" (p. 16).
Schon maintains this happens best through a process he describes as "reflection-in-action" which uses an interactive problem-setting and framing approach. How one frames and sets situations influences decision-making, interpersonal communication, and conflict resolution.
Best quote, "our bias toward thinking blinds us to the non-logical processes which are omnipresent in effective practice" (p. 52).
June 27, 2011
Schon brilliantly outlines the grudge academics have against people who actually do things--notably plan and give services.
Schon has found ways to track the thought process that goes into things like helping a client, solving a complex design problem, and the like.
This book points the way for a more sophisticated approach to professional education--and higher education generally: an approach based on competence, problem-solving, and mastery.
A must-read for the serious practitioner of higher education.
Schon has found ways to track the thought process that goes into things like helping a client, solving a complex design problem, and the like.
This book points the way for a more sophisticated approach to professional education--and higher education generally: an approach based on competence, problem-solving, and mastery.
A must-read for the serious practitioner of higher education.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews