The Role of Research and Reflection in Learning from Experience

Abstract

This paper examines the characteristics of lifelong learning, pointing out that individuals have more to learn, as they rise in seniority, from experience than from taught courses. Experience, though, is not a well-organized teacher, and individuals need to learn skills of ordering such experiential lessons into regular, memorable and understandable patterns, applying appropriate theoretical frameworks for their explanation. Individuals operating at this elevated level of self-motivated learning also need to be able to develop the quality of their professional contribution by pursuing, within the context of their work, appropriate research activity. University professors are extremely good at this process of experimentation, reflection and theorization, and could make a serious contribution by facilitating the learning of professionals, with benefit to both parties.