Reflective Learning, Reflective Practice, and Metacognition: The Importance in Nursing Education
Joyce A. Johnson PhD, RN-BC

$7.95 		Journal for Nurses in Professional Development
February 2013 
Volume 29  Number 1
Pages 46 - 48
 
  PDF Version Available!

ABSTRACT
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about reflection[horizontal ellipsis]no pun intended. I have been thinking about how reflective learning, reflective practice, and metacognition are essential in improving professional practice. Reflective learning has been defined as "consciously thinking about and analyzing what one has done (or is doing)" (Henderson, Napan, & Monterio, 2004, p. 357). Reflective practice has been defined as "the process of developing new insights through self-awareness and critical reflection upon experiences both in the moment and from past experiences" (Freshwater, Taylor, & Sherwood, 2008, p. 1). This process allows us to engage in lifelong learning and is an important characteristic of professional practice. Metacognition, in its most basic form, has been defined as thinking about thinking. The dictionary definitions of metacognition include "awareness or analysis of one's own learning or thinking processes" (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, 1996) and "thinking about one's own mental processes" (dictionary.reference.com). These three terms have more in common than they have differences. Refection is all about developing new insights through thinking about experiences (reading, action, or lectures) and their meanings. We learn from reflecting on our experiences both in the moment and retrospectively. When we think of reflection, we usually think of seeing things in a mirror, and that's what reflection is really about. When we look in a mirror (or other reflective surface), we see a reflection of ourselves and our surroundings but from a different perspective (reverse, cloudy, shimmering, in detail, or in context). We have the opportunity to study that reflection. Reflective learning is like holding our experiences up to a mirror and having the opportunity to study them from different perspectives. "Reflective practice helps us to explore what is just beyond the line of vision" (Freshwater, 2012, p. 16).Why is reflection so germane to our practice?

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