An important element in the professional development of student teachers in most European countries is progression towards becoming reflective practitioners - reflecting on and in practice (Schön, 1987) - and this can be evidenced in both oral and written forms of assessment. These two evaluative processes - oral feedback (for example in seminars) and written reflections (for example reflective journals or assignments) are seen as different modes; those who do not perform well in writing may succeed in oral discussions, and vice-versa. A key difference in terms of how these two modes are ‘performed’ is that while oral discussion is generally interactional, written assignments are typically completed in solitude. Thus students who prefer the written mode encounter relatively limited interaction or feedback, while those who prefer discussion may struggle with the lone nature of the written form. In this paper we compare outcomes of student teachers use of both oral classroom and written online-forum discussions for reflections on course literature, with the aim of examining the each mode in facilitating reflective practice. Initial findings indicate that both modes have benefits and drawbacks. Further analysis which explores the interaction between modal preference and modal presentation, and the implications for online peer-collaboration, are discussed.