Reflection-on-Action and Reflection-in-Action
Reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action are critical reflective practices in professional education.
Summary
Reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action are critical reflective practices in professional education. Reflection-in-action refers to the real-time process of thinking and adjusting one's actions during teaching or professional practice to make immediate improvements. In contrast, reflection-on-action involves analyzing and evaluating those actions after the event has occurred to inform and enhance future practice. Both processes are complementary and essential for continuous professional growth, adaptive expertise, and effective decision-making. Reflection-in-action relies on tacit knowledge and spontaneous decisions, while reflection-on-action engages deliberate, explicit analysis. These reflective methods foster ongoing learning, help educators respond flexibly to changing situations, and promote ethical and effective problem-solving in educational contexts. Donald Schön is the key theorist who introduced these concepts.
🧠 Key Concepts
- Reflection-in-Action
- Reflection-on-Action
- Tacit Knowledge
- Adaptive Expertise
- Professional Competence
- Immediate Adjustment
- Retrospective Evaluation
- Continuous Learning
🧠 Quick Check
See what you remember from the summary.
What best describes reflection-in-action in professional education?
🧠 Flashcards Preview
Tap a card to reveal the definition.
Ready to quiz yourself?
Test what you remember with a full practice quiz on this note. Create a free account and start in seconds.
Full Notes
Read the original note content before deciding whether to save or study from it.
Reflection-in-Action and Reflection-on-Action in Professional Education
📘 Overview Reflection-in-action involves thinking and adjusting during the act of teaching or professional practice, enabling immediate change. Reflection-on-action refers to analyzing and evaluating actions after they have occurred to improve future practice.
🧠 Key Idea Reflection-in-action is the real-time reflective process that guides immediate adjustments during practice, while reflection-on-action is the retrospective analysis that informs learning and development after the experience.
⚔️ Core Details: - Reflection-in-action occurs during the actual teaching or professional activity, allowing practitioners to adapt strategies on the spot. - Reflection-on-action takes place after the event, involving critical evaluation of what happened and why, to derive lessons for future improvement. - Effective reflective practice integrates both reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action to enhance professional competence and decision-making. - These reflective processes foster continuous growth by encouraging awareness of one's professional behaviors and outcomes. - Reflection-in-action depends on tacit knowledge and spontaneous decision-making, while reflection-on-action engages explicit analysis and deliberate thought.
🎯 Why It Matters: - Understanding and applying reflection-in-action enhances the ability to respond flexibly to unexpected classroom or workplace situations. - Reflection-on-action supports systematic improvement by promoting critical thinking about past experiences and outcomes. - Together, these reflections underpin lifelong learning essential for professional educators to adapt to diverse learners and evolving educational contexts. - They contribute to effective problem-solving and ethical decision-making in professional practice.
🧠 Quick Recall: - Reflection-in-action - immediate thinking and adjustment during practice - Reflection-on-action - retrospective analysis and evaluation after practice - Key benefit - supports adaptive expertise and continuous professional growth - Donald Schön - theorist who introduced the concepts of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action
More ways to study when you copy this note
Copy this note into your library to unlock focused practice sessions and long-term review.
Answer all questions first, then see feedback at the end — the way real exams work.
Focuses each session on what you got wrong, not what you already know.
Full timed exam with all questions, no pausing, and results at the end. Built for board exam prep.
Preparing for the LET? Browse curated notes, summaries, and practice quizzes.
Browse LET hub →More Early Childhood Education notes
See all →More in Professional Education
See all →More from NoteLib
Browse NoteLib's public notes →Copy this note to your library and get the full Study Pack instantly — summary, key concepts, and practice quiz included.