Reflective thinking and medical students: some thoughtful distillations regarding John Dewey and Hannah Arendt

Thomas J Papadimos

doi:10.1186/1747-5341-4-5

Abstract

Reflective thought (critical thinking) is essential to the medical student who hopes to become an effective physician. John Dewey, one of America's foremost educators in the early twentieth century, revolutionized critical thinking and its role in education. In the mid twentieth century Hannah Arendt provided profound insights into the problem of diminishing human agency and political freedom. Taken together, Dewey's insight regarding reflective thought, and Arendt's view of action, speech, and power in the public realm, provide mentors and teachers of medical students guidance in the training of thought and the need for its effective projection at the patient's bedside and in the community.

Highlights

Reflective thought, education, human agency, social freedoms, and responsibility are all important topics of discussion in the tutelage of future physicians
If students will not take up reflective learning unless it is related to a personal academic benefit, and if little is published regarding reflective thought, or learning, in medical education, one may surmise, rightly or wrongly, that reflective thinking is (a) not taught or role-modeled by teachers/mentors, (b) today's teachers/mentors do not engage in reflective thinking, (c) if they do, they do not impart such knowledge, and/or (d) such reflective thinking and learning is not valued by teachers/mentors
Reflective thought in medical education While, on the one hand, we have contended that reflective thought and learning are necessary in medical education, a seemingly trite and obvious statement, we have demonstrated that there is little research published regarding this contention

Summary

Background

Reflective thought (critical thinking), education, human agency, social freedoms, and responsibility are all important topics of discussion in the tutelage of future physicians. If reflective learning is not occurring, or is not effective, these tasks of personal accounting will not take place, and if they do, they may not be honest or effective This commentary will dwell on Dewey's concern about the problem of the training of thought and Arendt's view that we disclose our own image (as humans) through speech and action in the space of appearance, and how these thoughts are important and relevant to the mentoring of medical students in regard to reflective thought. If students will not take up reflective learning unless it is related to a personal academic benefit, and if little is published regarding reflective thought, or learning, in medical education, one may surmise, rightly or wrongly, that reflective thinking is (a) not taught or role-modeled by teachers/mentors, (b) today's teachers/mentors do not engage in reflective thinking, (c) if they do, they do not impart such knowledge, and/or (d) such reflective thinking and learning is not valued by teachers/mentors. Dewey's and Arendt's thoughts help us to understand this source

Discussion

Conclusion

Dewey J: How We Think Lexington

31. Lifton RJ: The Nazi Doctors