ECCAY RESOURCES
Exercise nr. 5
S.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.
| Minimum number of participants | Average time length | Individual setting | Group setting |
Special Equipment | Unit | Online | Challenge /competition |
| 1 | - | yes | yes | yes | 1-5 | yes | no |
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience” John Dewey
The exercise provides the Reflective Canvas based on the S.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. framework developed by Matera & Muhel (2021) (see Unit 5).
S.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. is the acronym of the letters representing the various dimensions of this model.
The canvas aims to facilitate the reflective practice process in a more SF way.
You can apply it whenever you want, e.g., after a single session, or when you want to reflect on the way you approach to your profession and/or your everyday job.
Also, it can be used for both on individual and on group work.
Aim / Benefits
UNIT(s) related
Why?
It can be related to Unit 1 as it facilitates the development of as solution-oriented mindset.
It can be also related to Unit 5, as it aims to helps the process of self-reflection.
How to do the exercise
Give the participant(s) the S.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. canvas:
Explain the different dimensions represented on the canvas in its various areas.
Also, explain the participant(s) that the ideas related to each dimension will be written down in the respective boxes.
Pay attention in undermining that the different dimensions of the model are all based on SFA and aim to self-reflect in a way that helps developing a more solution-oriented mindset.
Step 2:
Once everyone has had his or her own canvas, and you have explained how the model works, the exercise begins.
Explain the participant(s) that you will ask him/her/them questions aiming to help him/her/them explore each dimension.
Please note:
Help the participant(s) explore the dimensions in line, following the order represented by the acronym.
S: Suppose
Invite people to reflect, a possible question we suggest:
· Suppose that this reflective practice work of yours will be useful to you, what will be useful?
A question like this helps focus on the benefits you might get from analysing something that happened in the work with young people.
Someone could answer:
“I will feel more focused and authoritative….”
“I will have optimized my way of working so that I can stay on time….”
“I will have an even broader view and be able to be more attentive to what is happening in the group...”
The Suppose dimension aims to direct all the work that will be done both personally and in the group to the very purpose of reflective practice and to always keep in mind the benefits of what you are doing.
According to this, starting the reflective process with discovering the benefits you can achieve in your work with youth could facilitate the increasing of your motivation.
O: Object
This section explores the object of reflection. For instance, it can be a personal theme of theirs that influences their work, a personal theme of theirs that has been urged by their work or a discussion on a specific case.
· What is the object of this reflection?
· What do you want to reflect on?
· What is interesting to explore, thinking about the possible advantages you expressed earlier?
L: List
Here you enter in a more detailed analysis of the theme they are exploring.
· Who are the actors involved?
· What are the elements of the object you want to reflect on?
· What else can you consider?
· What can emerge from all of this?
For us it can be a good idea to write down a list of the elements and factors they believe are involved in the topic.
U: Understanding
Once they have metaphorically put all the elements they think are important on the table during the previous step, they can try and connect the various points emerged - they can also apply all the reflective approaches they normally use in their reflective practice.
This helps they identify possible patterns among these elements and giving them a useful sense.
Some possible question could be:
· So, what can you learn?
· What could be the possible patterns?
· How does your cultural background affect the way you work with youth?
· How do my values/beliefs/life principles affect the way you work with youth?
· What types of insight can you have? Are they useful to you? How can they be useful to you?
T: Time
In this section invite them to stop and take time to let the reflections sink in.
Take a walk, take a break, drink their favourite drink, sleep or simply go back to their work and come back later.
A possible question could be:
· What can you do to take distance from the reflective practice for a while?
I: Innovation
This is the step where we have a deeper dive in the SFA, as we can develop more effective solutions and alternatives. They can turn their reflection in action (creating, new tools, procedures, etc.).
A possible question could be:
· What can you do differently?
· What can you change in your approach to make it more useful?
· What else or how else could it work?
For example, they can have a new way to look at the way you work, they can create new tools/procedures, or they can present an activity to the young people in a different way.
O: Optimization
Innovation often leads to a raw product which has to be optimized.
The optimization phase requires some experimentation which will add ideas and reflections in the List section.
· How can you improve this new tool or idea?
· Who can you test the new approach, in order to develop it better?
· Do you need external resources to optimize this new tool/process/idea?
· In which context would this tool/process/idea work better?
N: New
When the optimization process is finalized, they will have a brand-new tool/ idea/knowledge they might want to share with colleagues, disseminate in their own community of practice, etc.
· How can you implement these new tools/ideas in your work?
· Who, among your colleagues, do you think should be informed of these new tools/ideas?
· What could be the possible stakeholders benefitting from this new tool/ idea/knowledge.
Debrief
Possible question could be:
· What ideas/thoughts/feelings do you have after exploring all these dimensions?
· What benefits did you get by filling this canvas?
· What are the skills/resources/abilities you aware (or more aware) of after filling the canvas?
Specific materials
Pens/pencils
Tips and Tricks
On-line version
People can download the canvas by themselves and fill it while following the facilitator’s indications.
Another idea might be using platforms like MIRO (www.miro.com) where persons can write their dimensions in virtual post-its directly on the platform.
Bibliography - Sitography
- Matera M., & Muhel C. (2021) S.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. - A reflective canvas (in press).
Print
eccay-curriculum-en.pdf