If preparation-> action -> reflection is the basic model for Practicing Management, we see this process repeated througout the learning experience at a variety of scales. Within a class session for a case-based class, for instance, students prepare by reading the case and learning the relevant theory via previous class sessions, assignments, and readings; they act by advocating their analysis and point of view in class, engaging in disucussiuon and debate; and they reflect by joining the instructor and their peers in summing-up reflection discussions, by considering the case in the light of what they learn in future class sessions and assignments, and by informal processes of reflecting on their experience.
Within the context of other activities at MIT Sloan, this cycle is even more apparent. For instance, it's embedded in orientation activities. And writ large, the MIT Sloan education can be seen as a big chunk of preparation that the students engage in prior to acting by working in the real world. Reflection takes place naturally as one encounters the feedback of one's actions.
But we know from research on learning, change, and innovation, that we miss crucial opportunities to learn and improve if we only focus on the large-scale, long time-frame learning experiences. Every chunk of experience can be seen from this preparation-action-reflection lens: for instance, the summer job - summer internships - are an ideal action experience, and first-year courses are designed to prepare students for this experience, with second-year courses offering students a chance to revisit, reflect on, and expand their understanding of their experience over the summer.
We think that the effective student learner is one who understands that they face many opportunities to work through the preparation-action-reflection cycle, and who chooses courses, experiences, and job opportunties that maximize learning from each of these. To do this effectively, students need both some self-knowledge, as well as a good understanding of the range of opportunities that they face.
We also know that the natural processes of reflection face obstacles: we often leave little time for reflection; at the individual level, strong cognitive and psychological processes can make it difficult to learn effectively from experience; at the collective level, we have few processes, cultural norms, and other practices that enable ongoing reflection. Hence the need for a teaching approach that links all three elements of the learning process and that equips students with skills, tools, perspectives, and theories useful in