The role of reflection in the preparation of teachers has been a long-standing focus of interest for educators across international contexts. From the work of Dewey (1933) through the intense interest in Schön’s (1983, 1987) notions about reflection as a key dimension of professional activity, teacher educators internationally have adopted reflection as a necessary component in the path to teacher education and have been convinced of its value in the formation of teachers (e.g. Freese, 1999; Korthagen & Vasalos, 2005; Loughran, 2002).

Yet notwithstanding the long tradition of reflection as vital to effective teaching and teacher preparation, reflection has been a contested notion in much literature in education generally, and even recently continues to raise questions for teacher educators in a range of ways (e.g., Erlandson & Beach, 2008; Hobbs, 2007; Lyons, 2010; Ottesen, 2007). A previous systematic review of the literature on reflection in teaching (Author, 2012) identified four major themes in this literature over a 20 year period up to 2005 (processes of reflection, rationales for reflection, contexts of reflection and actions related to reflection) and articulated the connections among these themes that allow us to perceive the complexities involved in understanding reflection. The themes formed the basis for a framework within which one might situate works in the literature on reflection.

However, since the time of the systematic review, a cursory examination of current literature on reflection revealed some possibly shifts and evolution in authors’ thinking about the concept of reflection. Some recent literature on reflection (e.g., Bradbury et al., 2010; Finlay, 2008; Thompson & Pascal, 2011) suggests that educators must bring new approaches to the integration of reflection into professional practice to account for the complexities of social change; other recent literature (e.g., Galea, 2012; Lyons, 2010) goes further in challenging accepted thinking about reflection and suggests deeper and more intricate ways to understand reflection and encourage it in teachers.

This paper will contain a brief review of the framework for understanding reflection that stemmed from the first systematic review (Author, 2012) of the literature on reflection. It will then focus on the results of an investigation into two questions related to the apparent trends in recent literature on reflection: 1. What changing views of reflection as beneficial for teaching can be found in current literature? 2. What potential impact might these changing views have on teacher education and on teaching generally?

To answer the two research questions, the results of a recent (2012-2013) review of current literature on reflection in teacher education and related areas will be set against the findings of the earlier review to indicate the nature of change in discussions about reflection and the possible effects such change might have on our understandings of teacher education practices. Given the continued prominent place of reflection in teacher education programs, the findings from this review could contribute to a deepened conception of reflection’s role in teacher education.

Recent references: Author reference removed for review purposes. Bradbury, H., Frost, N., Kilminster, S., & Zukas, M. (2010). Beyond reflective practice: New approaches to professional lifelong learning. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. Fook, J., White, S., & Gardner, F. (2006). Critical reflection: a review of contemporary literature and understandings. In S. White, J. Fook, & F. Gardner (Eds.), Critical reflection in health and social care, (pp. 3-20). Maidenhead: Open University Press. Freese, A. (2006). Reframing one’s teaching: Discovering our teacher selves through reflection and inquiry. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22, 110-119. Galea, S. (2012). Reflecting reflective practice. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 44(3), 245-258. Izadania, M. (2011). Who I was and became: a critical reflection on my teacher-student self. Reflective Practice, 13(2), 183-194. Kinsella, E. (2007). Emodied reflection and the epistemology of reflective practice. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 41(3), 395-409. Korthagen, F., & Vasalos, A. (2005). Levels in reflection: Core reflection as a means to enhance professional growth. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 11(1), 47-71. Lesnick, A. (2005). The mirror in motion: Redefining reflective practice in an undergraduate fieldwork seminar. Reflective Practice, 6(1), 33–48. Loughran, J. (2002). Effective reflective practice: In search of meaning in learning about teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 33-43. Lyons, N. (2010). Handbook of reflection and reflective inquiry: Mapping a way of knowing for professional reflective inquiry. New York, NY: Springer. Mälkki, K., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2012). From reflection to action? Barriers and bridges between higher education teachers’ thoughts and actions. Studies in Higher Education, 37(1), 33-50. Otienoh, R. (2011). Teachers’ lack of deeper analytical reflections: who is to blame? Reflective Practice, 12(6), 733-747. Ottesen, E. (2007). Reflection in teacher education. Reflective Practice, 8(1), 31-46. Thompson, N., & Pascal, J. (2012). Developing critically reflective practice. Reflective Practice, 13(2), 311-325.