Monica,
Thank you for your post. I had not read the article by Calahan, but after reading your summary, I found myself relating the stages to my own experience in teaching just as you were evaluating where you are in your field of ministry.
The questions that you posed at the end of your post really got my mind thinking. Like you, I wondered if everyone automatically goes through this process. When I re-read your post however, I noticed Calahan’s quote explaining how novices become practitioners. “They grow in reading and assessing situations through comparing other situational experiences (Cahalan, 2017).” This implies that they reflect upon their previous experiences and apply what they have learned in new situations. In my unit 3 readings I have learned that many people are passive thinkers, avoiding engagement in active, critical thinking. Many are also ignorant of their thinking. I would hazard to guess that people that do not progress through the stages may be people who are not in the habit of engaging in personal reflection, or are unmotivated to do because they feel they already know everything they need to know, or perhaps feel overwhelmed and powerless to improve their performance.
So I feel that it really comes down to one’s mindset and how motivated one is to learn and grow. Now that I realize the huge impact that one’s thinking has upon one’s life, I am motivated to be more aware of my thought processes and I will begin to engage in critical thinking. I think that this is crucial for my own personal development, as well as for my development as a transformational servant leader.