I always find it difficult to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), to reflect upon the learning process.  This is not to say that I do not mull over the information I take in from each course; or that I do not discuss it with peers, friends or family over the supper table.  How do I capture this process in a meaningful way?

I am reminded of Jandt (2013) in his discussion on the differences between emic and etic knowledge:

We learn values, what is competent, and what is desirable behavior from our culture.  This type of learning is called emic knowledge, or knowledge of the culture learned from the inside. . .(When a culture is learned by an outsider, the stranger tends to acquire theoretical and normative information called etic knowledge).  Because culture is widely shared and taken for granted, we have little experience in discussing how cultural values affect our behavior (Jandt, 2013, p. 197).

It can be argued that adult education is a culture, and those of us on the inside subscribe to emic knowledge of what being an educator entails, including all our cultural practices.  What I feel, when trying to carry out the cultural practice of critical reflection, is that of etic knowledge of the process – the proverbial outsider looking in.