Reflection

Some books include an epilogue, last comments or a final point that needed to be made by the author. After reading Gergen’s (1999) ‘An Invitation to Social Construction’ it made me think through the way I finished my blog. I tried to close the circle, to go back to the beginning and make sure the initial questions were answered. But as I see it today, this isn’t enough. Looking back to my experience in Barcelona, I cannot let go of the feeling of becoming part of another community of learners that welcomed me with their arms opened. The trip to London, and the ILET gatherings were similar too, although because we were so many and time was so little, the interactions and scholarly gatherings were different. One week or a few days is not enough to embrace another culture (from another country), to feel the differences and similarities around you, to develop strong ties. Not even a month will allow you to know that much, although I believe it is a good start. I feel we had a start that needs to continue at another time, in another place. Hopefully this will happen in the near future!

Going back to Gergen, his book doesn’t include an epilogue, not even a last chapter titled conclusions – even though its last chapter reads like it. But maybe what impressed me the most was that every chapter finished with a reflection. In these sections he takes another voice, one of a self-evaluator, one closer to the researcher, to the teacher, instead of ‘the author’. He tried to be closer to the reader, and in order to accomplish this his writer personality folds in our eyes while commenting his work and giving hints or insights of future research projects.

Social constructionism has to do with relationships he says, with how people construct knowledge as a group, as part of a community, as part of or by being the product of a particular cultural environment. The idea of relativity is critical because some have made the point social constructionits don’t stand anywhere – think about extreme and opposite social issues. As a response he argues, things looks different when you look through the eyes of others, when you stand in the shoes of others, when you take into concern where they come from and what are their reasons. There is much to say about this! Another time and another space is needed.

The Spanish version of this blog is coming in September. I’ll come up little by little, keeping the original dates.

Thank you for sharing your time with me, reading my bad English, traveling to new places with me, and sharing your thoughs throughout this journey.

Hasta luego, Madeline :-)