Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving Reflection Journal

A reflection journal is a medium that allows students to document and reflect on episodes during the problem-solving process. Reflection or reflective thinking, according to John Dewey (1933: 3), involves “turning a subject over in the mind and giving it serious and consecutive consideration”. Reflective thinking thus enables us to rise above the impulsive and the routine in order to be “deliberate and intentional” with what we choose to observe, document, and analyse (Dewey, 1933: 17). The reflection journal works to mediate these moments of deliberation and intentionality. Through reflection, students will glean a deeper understanding of interdisciplinary problem-solving—its process, stakes, and difficulties.

This assignment comprises FOUR reflection journal entries, each reflecting on one stage of the interdisciplinary problem-solving process Each entry should focus on ONE episode in each stage that is significant to you and your experience of interdisciplinary problem- solving. An episode consists of an event or a sequence of events that, when taken together, can be considered complete in itself. The significance of an episode can be measured by event(s) that caused a change in you. Memory is crucial in recording episodes. Therefore, it is recommended to write the entry as soon as the experience of a significant episode occurs (Posner, 2009).

Below is a list of non-exhaustive questions that can help you sieve out significant episodes during each stage of the problem-solving process:

• Were there assumptions and perspectives of different disciplines that surprised you at any stage of the problem-solving process?
• Did any disciplinary biases crop up at any stage of the problem-solving process?
• Were there societal or ethical implications of the problem that troubled or surprised you?
• Were there societal or ethical implications of the solution that troubled or surprised you?
• Were there alternative ways of framing the problem?
• Were there alternative solutions to the problem?

The four journal entries will be accompanied by TWO photographs, ONE sketch, and ONE AI-generated image pertaining to the episode in question. Each entry will feature one of the above images with annotations that describe, explain, emphasise, elaborate, and/or comment on the content of the image in relation to the experience of interdisciplinary problem-solving.

Each entry should have the following components:

1. Heading
   1. Stage of problem-solving process
   1. Date and time of experience
2. Description and elaboration of episode
   1. Where did the episode occur?
   1. Who is involved?
   1. What happened?
   1. What made the episode stand out to you?
3. Analysis of the episode
   1. What feelings or thoughts arose during the episode? Why do you think these thoughts or feelings arose?
   1. What questions were prompted by the episode? Do you have answers to these questions?
   1. What have you learnt about interdisciplinary problem-solving from this episode?
4. Annotated photograph, sketch, or AI-generated image
   1. What do you see in the image?
   1. What stands out to you in the image?
   1. Why do these features stand out to you?
   1. How do these features relate to interdisciplinary problem-solving?

Interdisciplinary Assignment Answers: Expert Answers on Above Problem Solving Reflection

Formulation of a problem: Description and elaboration of episode

While performing a group brainstorming session, the objective was to identify a key issue for our interdisciplinary project. The main focus of members from engineering and environment science was on identifying the reason behind the lack of clean water in informal settlements whereas the members from economics and sociology focused on affordability and social inequality. This episode is highly learning oriented for me because it helps me understand how members from different disciplines frame the same issue differently. What I perceived as a simple question turned out to be a deep debate among the members.
Analysis of the episode was quite learning oriented along with challenging from a variety of perspectives. Initially I was not clear about the approach but later I realised that true interdisciplinary work is crucial to reach a better solution for a particular problem. It helped me learn about the disciplinary assumptions where different members like engineers views=ed the issue technically and sociologists focused on social equity and community participation. The important questions that I realised are whose perspective defines the real problem and how do we ensure that the definition of the problem does not exclude social dimensions.

Annotated Visual

The annotated visual photograph as included in the appendix section shows the group’s brainstorming white board with arrows and topic clusters. This image clearly indicates that the selected topic branched into multiple dimensions. The overlapping arrows indicate the attempt of group members to merge diverse disciplinary perspectives into a unified statement.

Learning from the discussion

I have learnt that defining a problem is an act of collaboration, negotiation and ethical awareness. A well formulated problem takes into consideration both the scientific and social dimensions which leads to better analysis.

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