Bibigul NUSSIPZHANOVA
Professor, Rector of T.Zhurgenov
Kazakh National Academy
of Art(Almaty, Kazakhstan)
bibigul-08.08@mail.ru
REFLECTION ISSUES IN STUDENT-CENTERED VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION
Statement of problem, its connection with important scientific and practical
assignments with the development of integrative scientific and analytical approaches
to understanding the leading psychological regularities that are fundamental for any
professional and educational activities, attention to the reflective properties of
human mind gains more intense focus. ‘The advantage of this approach is in seeing
the general lay of the land by sketching some principal heuristic landmarks and
leaving aside a more detailed conceptual mapping to a later day. My analysis is
predicated on two assumptions. First, I employ a dialectic approach, in which two
contrasted in a systematic way and where, rather than being melded in a bland mix,
each will take center stage from time to time. Second, each position is construed as
an ideal or theoretical type, in terms of profiles of characteristic symptoms that are
systematically compared… given that they each provide a basis for epistemological
approaches to music, music education can be better illuminated through an analysis
of their views of music psychology’ [1, p. 64]. In this case, research interest is
primarily aimed at the progressive, system-forming nature of their essential
manifestations where the reflection phenomenon already stands as one of
the driving factors of personality self-realization. Thus, according to the statement of
G.A. Golitsin who examines this phenomenon at a global level: ‘As a result of
generalization up to general evolution context, reflection looks like some universal
‘method’ of animate nature by which it was rising to a totally new level of
evolution every time’ [2, p. 55].
One of the notable features of a reflexively adjusted subject, its focus on specific
professional results is its internal concentration on its own mental operations, based
on the fact that ‘... any idea of consciousness, as suggested by D.A. Leontyev, will
be at least incomplete, if we do not consider a unique human ability in it to
manipulate arbitrarily the images in the field of consciousness and point the
awareness beam at objects and mechanisms which usually stay out of this field’ [3,
p. 144.]. Such an obvious focus of the individual's personal aspirations inside itself
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in search of intellectual rationalizations carried out by it and recorded by its
consciousness of professionally significant acts, undoubtedly, counts in favour of
reflexivity as an integral feature of any person-oriented professional education. It
stands to reason that reflexive processes in any civilized society, being a reflection
of socio-cultural changes, have always been associated with problems of personal
development and spiritual improvement of personality. So it was at all times, since
the ancient period when the motives of search and cognitive character have already
sounded in full voice in the discourses of the ancient philosophers (Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle, etc.). Even at that time the ultimate truth seemed as elusive goal, despite
the reflective and efficient methods of mutual relations of an actively thinking
subject with its immediate surrounding: an inquisitive seeker and thoughtful
observer meditating not only on the meanings of universe but also on the inner
‘penetralias’ of its own soul.
Having proclaimed the following slogan: ‘Know thyself’, Socrates and his followers
are laying out a road to the emergence of the primary elements of scientific
knowledge, where the most important metaphysical ideas about the essential aspects
of human existence led to ‘splash’ of philosophical ideas in subsequent historical
era, are formed through the reflexive assessments. Triumph of reason over
ignorance, arrogance and passive narcissism has prompted philosophers to reflect
over the need for methodological reasons for more liberating reflexive tendencies
generated by the desire to penetrate as deeply as possible into the depths of self-
developing consciousness and focusing on the spiritual substance of the personal "I".
Thus, it is believed that for the first time, the concept of reflection was introduced to
the scientific use by efforts of R. Descartes who has actually equalized self-
knowledge and thinking in his philosophical discourses about the nature of
individualized manifestations. And, despite the fact that the designated term (Lat.
reflexio - turning away or back) has gained its independent status in the theories of
prominent thinkers of past centuries: B. Spinoza, J. Locke, G.W. Leibniz and others,
the socio-historical experience accumulated over the whole period was served as a
valid
justification
for
further
research in this direction.
In particular, following the postulates of John Locke, the subject's stay in a reflexive
state is accompanied by a special kind of manipulation over conscious reactions,
pointing at its ability to determine the ‘image’ of its inherent sensory-logical
representations. Thereafter, according to G.W. Leibniz, the knowledge gained from
generalizing self-analysis is elevated to the higher-order category which ultimately
leads to the generation of so-called formula: “idea of ideas” (B. Spinoza). The latter,
in its turn, being the product of intensive observations over the progress of own
mental operations, becomes a guarantee of precisely adjusted reflective activity in
various forms of self-knowledge.
As for the rational line in the development of reflexive approach to detection of
internal reserves of self-knowledge (I. Kant, J.G. Fichte, G.W.F. Hegel, etc.),
epistemological shade which is present in philosophical views of its representatives
mentioned, allows excellently understanding the benefits of "knowing knowledge"
and their advantages over external perception of individual facts and phenomena.
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The subsequent development of phenomenon considered by us under the sign of
steady expansion of its constituent meanings, enriched by leading positions of
transcendental phenomenology, hermeneutics and leading positions of
transcendental phenomenology, hermeneutics and existentialism, that essentially
brought reflexive knowledge of personal self-observation potentialities beyond the
purely philosophical understanding and brought it to the basics of humanistic
psychology. Following G. Hegel, E. Husserl, G. Gadamer and other prominent
representatives of the latest philosophical trends, theorists continued to make
significant additions to the understanding of reflection not only as an intellectually
transformative
but
also
emotionally
and
value category [4, p. 23].
It is not difficult to understand that with every turn of its conjunct development, the
reflection category has detected other unexplored facets of meanings included into
its content, gradually acquiring a range of evidence of their multidimensional
interpretation. At a certain stage of its existence, the reflexive method of assessing
own results and achievements characterized by personality-oriented adjustment for
mental self-analysis becomes poly-functional in its own way, by virtue of
philosophical, social and psychological context of its general scientific justifications.
Currently, the reflection term, widely used in a variety of cultural and situational
meanings, more than ever, continues to excite the scientists' thoughts aimed at
further strengthening the system positions of reflexive methodology as well as
creative re-thinking of mostly established canonized reflection methods for both
personal and collective social and historical experience. Paradoxically, innovative
outlines of modern reflexive processes make successive links with the leading
philosophical and psychological interpretations of the creative role of subjective
beginning in full, subject-inspired actions of their interpreter. It is telling that many
values in this direction was introduced by S.L. Rubinstein who was convinced that
the reflectivity as a special instrument to process the life material may have a direct
impact on the psychological conditions of the subject's location in the world of
events, phenomena and facts subjectified by its mind. Arguing its own point of view
by the presence of two different ways of the individual's functioning, in each of
which there is own attitude to genesis, a famous scientist appeals to the possibilities
of self-awareness in regulating multivarious links with objective realities, referring
to the fact that in some cases ‘...the person are not excluded from the life, can not
mentally take a position outside it for reflection over it... ’In other moments of
reflexive factor ‘invasion’ into the area of essential meanings and vital interests,
according to the opinion of psychological science luminary, ‘...accidentally
suspends, interrupts this continuous process of life and mentally brings the person
out of its bounds, accidentally the person takes a position outside it’ [5, p. 570.].
Mental processes specified by psychological adjustment for successful
implementation of subsequent logic operations, promote, as indicated by
Yu.N. Kulyutkin, to the emergence of ‘generalizations’ of a specific identity, ‘where
there are generating solution models, ratio of leading ideas and methods for their
implementation, factors influencing the choice of strategies and operation
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methods...’ [6, p. 104]. It stands to reason that it plays the role of an intermediary
between the normal activities and creatively innovative, formal and substantive
activities in the modern interpretations of reflexivity as an integral feature of
conscious perception of the social realm. In general terms, the reflexive knowledge
of our time person is built in support on two prevailing concepts of the desired
phenomena existing in the depths of scientific and practical understanding of its
amazing specificity. Thus, according to the first point of view, we have consistently
functioned ‘principle of human thinking pointed it at the understanding and
awareness of own forms and preconditions’, while the second opinion is based on
the inclusion of reflection into the ‘process of reflection by one person of the inner
world of another person, awareness by acting individual of the fact how it is
perceived by the communication partner ... moreover, the inner world of the first
individual, in its turn, reflects in this inner world’ [7, p. 48-49].
The reflection category which is often identified with self-awareness consciously
implemented and ‘self-consciousness in action’, appears in interpretations of the
current scientists - philosophers, psychologists and sociologists as a kind of dynamic
self-education falling into the plane of personal and socially significant interests and,
as a consequence, bringing to a qualitatively new level of scientific knowledge
(A.G.Spirkin, V.A. Lektorskiy, E.V. Ilyenkov, A.Z. Zak, Yu.N. Kulyutkin, V.P.
Filatov, G.S. Sukhobskaya and many others). Substantially, for a long time its
updated content includes the signs of an interdisciplinary unity of related meanings
aimed at the discriminate capabilities of person to become itself, socially developed,
active and humanistically minded personality.
From all has been said it follows that, regardless of the degree of development of
personal attitude to a reflexive consciousness and thinking, dialogueness,
communication skills and meaning-making become integral signs of the subject's
reflexive searches for a full creative self-realization of own personality.
Method
The modern reflection model is entirely based on the recognition of role of the
driving mechanisms for personality self-disclosure in a social context where
cognitive actions are in unbreakable interrelations with the means of communication
and interpersonal skills. By means of it, the unlimited opportunities are opened for
personality self-realization in any sphere of life activity, gradually developing into a
personalized and internalize process of processing the assimilable material into the
new "open for itself" semantic content. The last, being the product of a plurality of
subordinate relationships, "feeds" the personal experience of the reflection owner
and makes the necessary adjustments to its further development and self-
improvement in the "image" of the expert - a professional in its field.
Reflexive processes became the subject of multilateral scientific analysis in
psychology, among the basic directions of which the following was defined:
- activity direction as a component of the activity's structure
(L.S. Vygotskiy, А.N. Leontyev, etc.);
15
- personal direction where the reflexive knowledge acts as a result of
understanding own life activity (F.Ye. Vassilyuk, B.V. Zeigarnik, I.I. Chesnokova,
etc.);
- ontogenetic direction characterized as the subject's reflexive ability to
submit own thoughts, emotions, actions, relations in the form of subject of a special
consideration and practical transformation (V.I. Slobodchikov, etc.);
- pedagogical direction whose representatives understand reflection as a tool
for organizing learning activities (O.S. Anissimov, A.Z. Zak, etc.).
‘Personal’ reflection is an important for professional training of expert including
musician performer because only it allows rationally and objectively analysing own
judgments and actions in accordance with the plan of activities and conditions, as
professional activities can be adopted by it subject to its recognition. ‘Is it possible
to update the common life not knowing for yourself for what do you live in general
and which eternal, objective meaning has life in its whole?’ - as noted by S.L. Frank
[8, p. 96]. ‘In essence,.. that in the process of musicking all participants are
unconsciously doing three things. Firstly, they are exploring, affirming and
celebrating a sense of identity. Secondly, they are taking part in an ideal society that
has been brought into existence for the duration of the performance. Finally, they are
modelling in the actual sounds of the music the relationships of their ideal society
[9, p. 126]. According to many experts, only reflexive activities provide such level
of life activity where the dialectical unity of ‘general’ and ‘individual’, ‘objective’
and ‘subjective’ is successfully implemented.
The concept of aesthetic interaction developed by Arnold Berleant, occupies a
central place in the musical experience of the researcher, becoming significant in
contemporary art. Because of this concept theater audience experiences growing
interest through such forms of art as an artistic and performing. ‘Another musical
influence, equally central, appears in the concept of aesthetic engagement, which I
first developed in my book, Art and Engagement (1991), and subsequently refined in
other essays and books. Offered as a clear alternative to Kant’s aesthetic
disinterestedness, the idea of aesthetic engagement formulates what, at the same
time, is central to musical experience, at least in my own practice as a performer and
listener. To be sure, that was not the motive for developing the idea. Rather, I had
been struck by the practices in the contemporary arts that subverted the dualism of
art object and appreciator, deliberately breaching their separation. I had first noted
the significance of this transgression in a paper I published in the JAAC in 1970
called “Aesthetics and the Contemporary Arts,” and am now gratified that this
observation anticipated what has taken many forms to become one of the most
conspicuous trends in contemporary art, from audience participation in theater,
fiction, and other arts, to relational art, performance art, and the growing interest in
the aesthetics of everyday life. Musical experience, like the appreciative experience
of dance and film, has, I think, always invited aesthetic engagement, which is why I
continue to wonder what would have been the consequences for aesthetic theory if
music, rather than painting, with its apparent (but misleading) dualism of object and
viewer, had been taken as the paradigmatic art’ [10, p. 3].
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According to Nick Zangwill such reflexive processes allow a deeper understand the
aesthetics of musical sounds and to relive them. ‘Aesthetic realism, applied to the art
of music, is at least the idea that music has aesthetic properties, which are in some
sense ‘mind-independent’ and that in experiencing music and talking about it, we
think of music as having such aesthetic properties. Furthermore, music does not just
have aesthetic properties, it is designed to have them; I shall also put this to one side
in this article. A more controversial idea would be that the sounds that constitute
music have mind-independent aesthetic properties, and in the experiencing music
and talking about it we ascribe aesthetic properties to sounds. But I will ignore this
further controversial thesis about the sound that constitute music’ [11, 2014].
Not surprisingly that up to now obtain an ongoing debate about the nature of music,
mystery of its creation, complexity of understanding, relationship of music and
thinking [6, 1990], specifics of reflection [4, 2005] With ever increasing frequency
thinking of idea that music it's more than just form of art, that it not only creates a
certain image of the world, but also represents the highest manifestation of the
human spirit. This gives the right to interpret the music as sounding space possess an
inexhaustible ‘information potential’ [12, p. 22], where musician’s reflexive
processes - performer have the property of inclusion (inclusive) in the regulation of
virtually all spheres of reality.
A change of priorities in any professional field, without mentioning the musical art
where everything is subject to emotions, feelings and so on, is always a mirror
image of one of the leading psychological patterns of the subject's typical behaviour
- conscious correction of its own actions. Such a powerful transformative energy of
‘reflexive computer’ found shelter in the human mind and stimulated by a string of
consecutive professional situations, finds its real ‘exit’ in the projections of inspired
mind motivated by anticipation of upcoming result. In this context, we subscribe to
the opinion of T.A. Kolysheva that the “reflection is a work with actually existing
knowledge acting as a criterion to comprehend the results of cognitive, almost
transforming activity, communication’ as it is ‘... not alienated from practical
cognitive problem situation...” [12, p. 36].
Doubtless ability of professional reflection to send the knowledge undated in search
for existing contradictions in the direction of professionally-oriented thinking,
deployed, according to the theory of V.P. Bezdukhov, in the unity of abstraction and
concretization of general scientific, theoretical and pedagogical knowledge of the
basics of the chosen activity status, seems to us as an important trait to consider it
[14, p. 127]. In these aspects provided by us, the profiling nature of reflexive actions
is closest to the level of methodological variations thereof, belonging to which,
above all, is guessed in activation of analytical methods of scientific knowledge.
Here, as indicated by Yu.N. Kulyutkin, everything is built ‘... on the basis of
generalizations’ specific identity’, where there are generating solution models, ratio
of the leading ideas and methods for their implementation, factors influencing the
17
choice of strategies and methods of activity... that is, everything that constitutes the
structure of practice as a creative process’ [7, p. 15].
Something similar happens in the professional and personal reflection of a man who
has dedicated itself to the arts, where, thanks to the ‘hermeneutical survival’ in the
spiritual essence of phenomena, it
knows the joy of
‘infinite
creative development’ (Fr. Nietzsche). In this connection, we turn to one of the
precepts of the philosophy of existentialism indicating that only “sublime art reaches
the existential layer of personality and breaks through to the transcendent world
which can be defined in terms of understanding and reason...’, which means ‘reveals
the genesis through itself, makes it visible” [15, p. 24]. One of the brightest
representatives of the same direction M. Heidegger proposed even more brief
formulation: “The purpose of art is to open the world” [16, p. 22]. “The purpose of
art is to open the world” [16, p. 28].
‘Another instance of the effect of music on philosophy struck me years ago when I
was teaching Bergson’s “An Introduction to Metaphysics.” Bergson was particularly
fond of music and knowledgeable about it, and the influence of musical experience
may be recognized in his distinction between relative and absolute ways of knowing
a thing. Relative knowledge, he held, comes from our external relations to an object,
whereas absolute knowledge is acquired by directly entering into it’ [17, p. 113].
Arnold Berleant noted that undoubtedly right Bergson, believed that creativity as a
continuous creation of new, is the essence of life, the flow of creative form that
passes through reflexive processes of man. It is something objectively what is
happening, as in nature (as the processes of birth, growth, maturation, etc.), as well
as in the mind (in the form of new images and experiences) as opposed to the
subjective activity of design, the essence of which is to combine old.
‘Bergson’s characterization of absolute knowing bears a close resemblance to
musical experience. But apart from the content of “An Introduction to Metaphysics,”
I discovered a more recondite but profound musical influence on Bergson’s essay:
its structure bears a striking resemblance to what in music is known as sonata-
allegro form, commonly used for the first movements of symphonies, concerti,
sonatas, and other standard compositional types of the classical repertory.
Exposition, development, and recapitulation of thematic materials, followed by a
coda, are the basic components of sonata-allegro form, and Bergson’s essay
embodies an identical structure. Bergson’s interest in music was not unique, for
there are notable instances of philosophers who have also written music, among
them Nietzsche and Adorno. Whether music had an influence on their philosophical
work and on that of other important philosophers as well, would be a fascinating
subject to pursue, but it is beyond the scope of this autobiographical sketch’ [10, p.
4].
Our appeal to the reflexive processes of musician performer's professional activities
was dictated by the fact that they act as one of the basic psychological foundations
in training of expert. Ability to act artistically and professionally in dramatic art
18
requires a high level of self-organization, self-control, skills to assess adequately,
analyse and predict the results of its own performance. As of today, both domestic
and foreign literature has accumulated a certain amount of information that reveals
the scientific basis and experience of reflection development as a complex
phenomenon of the study [18, 1975, 19, 1985, 20, 1988, p. 167]. However, the
problems of musician performers' reflexive processes and their conditions of
development in professional activities have not received adequate consideration. We
note in passing: the musical art is a boundless panorama of human passions and
actions, accommodates the whole vertical of human ascent to the highest spiritual
values, constantly enriched by responding to the needs of time. In particular, D.I.
Bakhtizina emphasizes the following: ‘Music is like no other form of spiritual life
allows the individual looking into the depths of its ‘I’, understanding and feeling its
own ‘selfness’, liberating it and striving for freedom’ [21, pp. 150-151].
Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a musician not concerned with the problems of its
own identity in a particular performing "role", indifferent to the disclosure of its own
internal capacity and, therefore, insufficiently fascinated with self-esteem, reflexive
analysis of its achievements in chosen speciality. In this regard, here is a visionary
statement of V.Z. Wulfov on amazing transformations committed by reflexive
actions of a creatively developing subject, which, certainly, can be considered as
‘self-determining in the inner ‘dialogue’ with itself of a professional musician:
thinking, feelings, will, past in the present, real and imaginary, beliefs with doubts,
enumeration of possibilities and choice of solution are integrally involved in them...’
[22, p. 132].
As is known, there are searches of the most relevant artistic solutions in the process
of implementing the performing design of a particular piece of work in the creative
career of any true musician having a highly developed capacities for reflexive
thinking. This explains primarily our desire to penetrate into the ‘holy of holies’ of
artist's thinkings of professionally educated artistical musician who has a fine
appreciation and flexible reasoning alone with itself, by placing its distinctive figure
into the ‘epicentre’ of observations proposed by us in regard to specificity of
reflexive properties of a creative nature. Thus, skilful mastery of specific musical
instrument implies, in our view, the presence of ‘many-sided reflection’ (L.N.
Kulikova) constituting a kind of the “instrument to change yourself in order to solve
the opening assignments” which, according to the quote author, “is determined by
search, discovery, clarification, selection of meanings identical to its own ‘I image’,
interpretations, reinterpretations of its own contacts with the higher world...” [23, p.
126].
There is no need to prove that the essence of person who has set a goal to serve the
musical art, “... is much richer and more versatile than its activities, ... is not
exhausted by it, can not be reduced to it, and identified” [24, p. 54].
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Studying aspects are present in any professionally-oriented activities of the musician
as a significant mean of bringing cultural framework in it, contributing to fruitful
development of its general human ideals and aspirations inseparable from the
leading orientations of humanistic education paradigm. ‘Cultural understanding,
however, is complex in nature and multi-layered. Even if research findings
concerning the relationship between singing and cultural understanding are mixed,
we argue that there is value in enhancing students’ cultural understanding through
singing multicultural songs. Singing multicultural songs can also promote the well
being of students. It is beyond the education of music. It is about a comprehensive
education of humans as social beings and music as a human endeavor’ [25, p. 87].
The author discusses the interaction of singing and cultural understanding, believing
that there is singing appears in infancy and developing as a profession and
enculturation and sociologization. Reflexive process allows deeper understanding of
different cultures through singing perceive cultural interaction. Therein lays value of
cultural understanding, for multicultural song singing and promotes the integrated
educational aspect of students departing beyond cultural improvement by means of
music.
Already during the university training period, future singer, instrumentalist,
choirmaster, etc., comprehending the ‘basics’ of its chosen specialization, learns not
only to treat reflexively itself, its spiritual needs, personal preferences, etc., but also
as far as possible to ‘enter the image’ of the thoughts and feelings of people
connected with it by common aims, objectives and general professional interests.
Thus, it forms the primary idea of responsible mission of the artist designed to take
an active part in the transformation of musical and aesthetic reality where a
reflective approach to the personality as a set of relations including those musical-
performing, finds the appropriate implementation. Being in a situation of constant
understanding of the ‘objects’ getting into field of viewing, the subject of music and
educational process poses the specific artistic and creative assignments marked by
reflexive orientation and measured not only with their individual and personal
knowledge, but also with the already accumulated collective and performing
experience. Moreover, organized emotional and ethical feelings interpreted in a
generalized plan as the ‘psychological life component’ give, in a special way, a
unique colouring to their conscious implementation (K.A. Abulkhanova-
Slavskaya).
Giving special importance situational ethics in music education, Randall Everett
Allsup believes that the theory of sensitivity to become a powerful factor in the
creative activity of the arts. Ability to reflect promotes sensitivity in the atmosphere
surrounding reality of the artist, composer, musician, performer. We share the view
Kratus. J., that modern music education and teacher training acquires novelty,
significance in non-formal education, the value of which is the effectiveness of
educational space, going beyond the narrow specialization. Researcher Allsup. E.R.
rightly points out that the old model of teacher training focused primarily on
mechanical skills. Modern methods of learning encourages teachers to look for
interesting shapes, developing skills appropriate to the needs of the teacher and
students.
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‘If music education researchers are now finding new favor in informalist learning as
a reaction to a history of poorly trained music educators (26, 2007), or if a
profession’s collective loss of faith in teachers and their capacity to educate is
engendered, we may be sowing the seeds of our own demise’[27, 2012, p. 11].
‘Older models of music teacher preparation focused primarily on mechanical skills
like baton technique and woodwind fingerings, with the expectation of placing these
a priori skills without reference into faceless schools in faceless neighborhoods.
Today’s music educator is often called upon to work in partnership with the
particulars of location and context’ [28, 2000]. ‘Looking outward, this is an
interesting inversion of formal learning, where the teacher places skill at the service
of student needs, rather than personal expertise. But neither should teacher expertise
be hard to locate, only redirected or refocused toward a common good’ [27, 2012;
29, 2012]
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