Reflecting on Envisioning

Observation

As an educator who will, hopefully, be involved in initiating envisioning exercises I feel it is important to first participate in this activity. It is only through experiencing envisioning that I have become aware of the possible thinking processes a learner may experience during this exercise. Thereby, I can anticipate what a learner may be thinking and can guide them appropriately through the envisioning exercise.

During both envisioning exercises I had moments of hesitation when I thought that my ‘vision’ may not be ‘correct’ or ‘realistic’. However, I was aware I was thinking this way during the activity and directed myself away from these hesitations to allow myself to complete the exercise. I found that if I allowed to think that my ‘vision’ was ‘incorrect’ or ‘unrealistic’ it prevented me from continuing the envisioning exercise.

Implication

I believe often, as learners, we can become apprehensive about getting something ‘wrong’ which can stop us from truly engaging in an activity. We can be so tied to being ‘right’ that we do not proceed through a task where we may see ourselves fail. I believe these feelings inhibit quality learning. Envisioning confronts these feelings and makes learners work beyond these feelings as, with envisioning, there is not ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. Envisioning is about one’s own personal vision, it doesn’t have to be realistic and there is no room for judgment from others. Whatever the individual wants the future to be is up to them.

However, there is room for reflection on the vision. Reflection after envisioning exercise is not about whether an individual’s vision is ‘wrong’ or ‘unrealistic’, reflection is about questioning what assumptions the individual may hold about present day society as well as the future as to how their vision came about.

Action

Now that I am aware of the thinking processes that can occur during visioning I am better able to guide learners through the envisioning process. I will be able to suggest to learners to not hesitate with their vision, there is not right or wrong vision. I will also be able to suggest to learners that reflecting on one’s vision does not mean criticising and picking out where their vision may be wrong, but it is about being aware of one’s own assumptions.