Private Practice: exploring the missing social dimension in ‘reflective practice’

In professional education today, Schön's concept of ‘reflective practice’ underpins much thinking about learning at work. This approach – with its emphasis on the inner life of the professional and on her own interpretations of her learning experiences – is increasingly being challenged: often cited objections are that the model ignores factors like power and ideology and that it is too individualistic in its conception of learning. One line of criticism is that Schön's focus on reflection is too individualistic. Another possible fault is that Schön conceives of a practice in an overly individualistic fashion. This is the criticism that I will explore in this paper. Ultimately, a social view is need to explain wherein a practice consists; such a view also throws light on the limitations of relying on reflection to develop professional expertise.