Donald A. Schon (1930-1997) was an influential thinker in developing the theory and practice of reflective professional learning Image:Schon.jpgin the twentieth century. He was born in Brookline, Massachsetts and, after doing a Bachelor's at Yale University completed Master's and Doctoral studies in philosophy at Harvard University. His thesis dealt with Dewey's theory of inquiry. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and pursued advanced study in music.

For many years Dr.Schon was with the large consulting firm, Arthur D. Little. His work there presaged a lifetime of interest in the subtle processes whereby technological and other change is absorbed (or not) by social systems. In 1971, he delivered the prestigious Reith Lectures for the BBC on how learning occurs within organizations and society that are in permeanent states of flux. These presentations were published subsequently in his classic Beyond the Stable State. Arthur D. Little, Inc. ... The Reith Lectures are a series of annual radio lectures given by leading figures of the day, and broadcast by the BBC. They were begun in 1948, in honour of the first Director-General of the BBC, John Reith. ...

Donald Schon became a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1968 and stayed on with an appointment in 1972 as Ford Professor of Urban Studies and Education. He remained there until his death in 1997. During these decades his long collaboration with adult education/organizational behavior expert, Chris Argyris proceeded yielding key insights into the question of how organizations develop, adapt, learn or fail in these critical missions. Their collaboration led to two books in the 1970s -Theory in Practice and Organizational Learning - the latter of which was completely revised and published in 1996 as Organizational Learning II. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a university located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is one of the worlds leading research institutions in science and technology, as well as in numerous other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... Chris Argyris (born July 16, 1923) is more commonly known for seminal work in the area of Learning Organizations which was later developed in the best selling The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge. ...

Donald Schon was instrumental in introuducing several important organizing concepts applicable across a wide range of applied fields:

• the idea of a "generative metaphor" , figurative descriptions of social situations, usually implict and even semi-conscious but that shape the way problems are tackled (example - seeing a troubled inner city neighbourhood as urban "blight" and, hence, taking steps rooted in the idea of disease.

• "learning systems" - Schon was among the pioneers of studies aimed at exploring the possibility of supra-individual level learning

• reflective practice inquiry - Schon's seminal 1983 book, The Reflective Practitioner, stimulated a wide array of dsciplines, notably teacher education, health professions and architectural design to reconsider the role of technical knowledge versus "artistry" in developing professional excellence.

• frame reflection - the title of a 1994 book co-authored with MIT colleague Martin Rein, in which the system-level learning needed for dealing with "intractable policy controversies" whose eponymous idea was the need for critical multi-party shared reconstruction of taken for granted "frames" of social problems

Much of his more recent and influential work relates to reflection in practice and the concept of learning systems. He (along with Chris Argyris) maintained that organizations and individuals should be flexible and should incorporate lessons learned throughout their lifespans, known as organizational learning. His interest and involvement in jazz music inspired him to teach the concept of improvisation and 'thinking on one's feet', and that through a feedback loop of experience, learning and practice, we can continually improve our work (whether educational or not) and become a 'reflective practitioner'. Thus, the work of Schon fits with and extends to the realm of many fields of practice, key twentieth century theories of education, like experiential education and the work of many of its most important theorists, namely John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, Carl Rogers and David Kolb. Chris Argyris (born July 16, 1923) is more commonly known for seminal work in the area of Learning Organizations which was later developed in the best selling The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge. ... Organizational learning is an area of knowledge within organizational theory that studies models and theories about the way an organization learns and adapts. ... Jazz master Louis Armstrong remains one of the most loved and best known of all jazz musicians. ... Experiential education is the process of actively engaging students in an authentic experience that will have benefits and consequences. ... Democracy and Education (WikiSource) Works by John Dewey at Project Gutenberg Excerpts from Experience and Nature (pdf file) [http://geocities. ... Kurt Lewin (* September 9, 1890 in Mogilno, Posen; † February 12, 1947 in Newtonville, Massachusetts) ranks as one of the pioneers of psychology (especially social psychology), as one of the founders of group dynamics and as one of the most eminent representatives of Gestalt psychology (Gestalt theory). ... Carl Rogers Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902–February 4, 1987) was an influential American psychologist. ...

Donald Schon was married to internationally renowned sculptor Nancy Schon who, among many public and private works, is particularly well known for her installation in the Boston Public Garden of the bronze duck family from McLoskey's children's classic "Make Way for Ducklings". Nancy Schon has now completed a sequence of works titled "The Reflective Giraffe" in tribute to her late husband for whom the giraffe was an important and appropriate icon. Equestrian statue of George Washington. ... Make Way for Ducklings is a picture book for children, published in 1941 by American author Robert McCloskey. ...

Major works by Donald Schon (chronologically):

• Schön, D. A. (1963)The Displacement of Concepts. London: Tavistock
• Schön, D. A. (1967) Technology and change: The new Heraclitus, Oxford: Pergamon.
• Schon, D.A. (1973)Beyond the Stable State, Hammondsworth:Penguin/New York:Norton
• Argyris, C. and Schön, D. (1974) Theory in practice: Increasing professional effectiveness, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Argyris, C. and Schon, D.A. (1978). Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective, Addison-Wesley, Reading MA,
• Schon, D.A. (1983)The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals think in action London:Temple Smith
• Schon, D.A. (1987)Educating the Reflective Practitioner, San Francisco:Jossey-Bass
• Schon, D.A. (ed.) (1991) The Reflective Turn: Case stduies in and on educational practice. New York: Teachers College (Columbia)
• Schon, D.A. and M. Rein. (1994) Frame Reflection: Toward the Resolution of Intractable Policy Controversies. New York: Basic Books
• Argyris, C. and Schön, D. (1996) Organizational learning II: Theory, method and practice, Reading, Mass: Addison Wesley.