Meanings of the term reflection

The term reflexive is often used interchangeably with that of 'reflection'. However, these terms do have different meanings, which we need to be aware of:

• “Reflexive” refers to a grammatical term, which means referring back to the subject of the sentence: for example, myself.

Reflection has a range of meanings the most common being that of a 'reflected image', for example, in a mirror. The term can also be used to connote something negative; for example, pupil misbehaviour is a reflection on the school's reputation. Where reflection refers to a cognitive process, the term means a reconsideration or an idea arising in the mind.

Here, we are concerned with the term reflection, rather than 'reflexive'. Where the term relates to cognition, there are the two interrelated ideas of a reconsideration and generation of an idea. However, the dictionary definition itself does not make it clear why there is an emphasis on reflection in professional education and practice. Indeed, it might be argued that reflection only impedes development: reflection as a reconsideration is retrospective and so could become self-obsessive. In order to explore reflection we should briefly focus on the layers of meaning which surround this term.