For anyone who is interested I just found an website which explains Transactional Analysis in more depth.
http://www.businessballs.com/transactionalanalysis.htm

In a way I'm sorry I mentioned Transactional Analysis (TA). It came to mind when in my response to a colleagues blog I wondered if I sounded too parental or just adult. T.A. is quite a complicated theory/practice but over the years I simplified it to suit my own purposes. It was developed by Eric Berne in the 1950's. He believed that we have three ego states but unlike Freud with his id, ego and super ego, Berne names them as the Parent, Adult and Child. These catagorise how we think, feel and behave in social interactions. It is used as a means of understanding people or even yourself and is about personal growth and change. By considering which ego is responding in a situation T.A. is very useful as a way of reflecting on conversations or behaviour both verbal and non verbal. The Parent in us will mimic our own parents way of handling a situation, the Adult will see it in a logical and rational way and the Child will replay behaviour, thoughts and feelings from childhood. That's it in a nutshell.
In the course of my work I also used 'process recordings' of interviews as a means of reflection. Basically this means writing an account of all that is said, including tone and inflections as well as body language and then studying it for themes or contradictions, which will be used for progress and change.
To sum up, reflection is more complicated than just thinking. It involves hearing as well as listening; seeing as well as looking and being interested enough to attempt an understanding.

Reflection on Reflection

While walking on the beach I spent some time reflecting on reflecting . What is it? Is it more than just thinking? Their seems to be something more critically analytical about it. I presumed everyone reflected but I may be wrong.......on reflection. My blog looks at the great educator Paulo Friere whose work is based on a praxis i.e. action-reflection-action. In this you act to change a situation, reflect on the changes and act again to change and improve these. These actions would be born out of a consciousness which had been heightened and which would continue to develop throughout the process. Within this process however lies a broader perspective on examining an issue, than we are likely to learn in a 'banking' education system. Friere would bring us through the identification of an issue; it's codification in language or through pictures, poems etc; then our feelings/emotions about it. Following this we reach the level which appears to be actively discouraged in our society i.e to question why!, why we feel the way we do about the issue. Finally, with 'raised consciousness', what can we do to change it. The action evolves from this process and resultant changes are then reflected on prior to further action etc etc. Also within this are the people involved in the issue i.e. those who have the experience of it. No expert arrives with the answers. The people share knowledge and experience of the issue within a known environment and they form their own answers. The educator within this process is merely the facilitator.

Then I began to think about other 'tools' to hang reflection on, and I was on a roll. One of these is transactional analysis. Tune in tomorrow to find out more.

Well! you might wonder at my e-portfolio design. I decided that a caterpillar was the most appropriate motif given that I have been metamorphised into cyberspace. Or, could it be a reference to how long it is taking me to go through this process.......remember.......
Butterflies have wings of gold
Moths have wings of fire
Inch worms have no wings at all
But they always get there just the same.

Now that I have an e-portfolio, what am I going to do with it? Does the answer 'my best' get me anywhere? Em!..................Er!.................. I'll be back.

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