The responsibility of uncertainty is uncomfortable

The responsibility of uncertainty is uncomfortable, until the excitement of
discovery takes hold. Students and supervisees often initially express the non-
developmental attitude of wishing tutors to take responsibility. Anyone who
70 REFLECTION AND REFLEXIVITY: WHAT AND WHY

THROUGH THE MIRROR 71
thinks they know the right answers all the time is bound to be wrong. To
people willing to ‘not know’ all the time, all sorts of things are possible.
Serious playfulness : a playful attitude, and willingness to experiment and
adventure, makes uncertainty a positive force. Looking for something without
knowing what it is uncovers pertinent questions. An adventurous spirit leads
to that trackless moorland which education has come to be, rather than a
walled or hedged field (Usher et al. 1997, p. 3). Anything and everything is
questioned, leaving no room for self-importance. There is, however, only so
much we can do to alter our own situation, that of others, and the wider
political one: we recognise our power is unlimitedly limited . This playfulness
is essentially serious. It can only take place within a safe enough educational
environment in which people can feel confident to take risks.
Unquestioning questioning : we accept, unquestioningly, the questioning
spirit. Questions determine directions across the moorland, and therefore
what might be discovered along the way. These findings beget more
questions. We ‘risk abandoning previous “truths” and sit with not knowing ’
(Gerber 1994, p. 290). This non-judgemental critical process is active and
enquiring, rather like the small child’s iconoclastic eternal Why ?
Paradoxically, the way to find out about ourselves is through letting go of
ourselves: of everyday assumptions about who we are, in order to be open to
the discovery of other possible selves. I discover the myselves of whom I am
not habitually aware, the myself I might be, and the selves I am becoming,
joining up the dots between these selves (Watson 2006). Only when ‘the cup
is empty’ can anyone receive, hear what is being said, perceive what is
happening. Providing students with frameworks to work within might lessen
tutor anxiety, but such programming disables students from thinking and
exploring for themselves. Research by Baernstein and Fryer-Edwards (2003)
showed critical incident reports (CIRs) to be less effective than reflective
interviews without writing. This is hardly surprising as CIRs would have been
simple responses to guiding questions. Reflective and reflexive beginners
such as undergraduates and postgraduates are wonderfully flexible and
adventurous if well facilitated. Formalised structure takes the place of
experienced knowledgeable facilitation of beginners (Bulman and Schutz
2008). Senior practitioners are more likely to have blocks, having more in
their cups to empty before they start.