Schön’s Reflection in Action vs. Reflection on Action: Difference

 

The Schön reflective model is a popular framework that promotes learning and professional growth with self-reflection as its base. Donald Schön put forward the reflective model which encourages us to learn from experience and then encouraged us to define and explain our actions and any decisions that resulted. The Schön reflective model can be found in practice education disciplines, including education, health, social work, and many other practice education disciplines.

In this blog we will discuss the two significant aspects of the Schön reflective model: Schön reflection in action and reflection on action, and what the difference between them is. 

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What is reflection-on-action?

Let’s begin with something that may feel more familiar to you: reflection-on-action. This type of reflection happens after the event has occurred. For example, you’ve just delivered a presentation, you just completed a practical lab, or you just submitted a challenging essay. After the fact, you reflect, review, and make sense of what happened.

Reflection on action is retrospective. You look back after the action has happened. This is when we find the time and space necessary to deliberately think, critically analyse and learn from a past experience. It is a conscious act of reflecting on and reviewing an experience by considering what it meant and what we want to change or learn to do differently.

Here are the key attributes of it:

After the event: This type of reflection happens very clearly after the action has occurred. Even if it is only moments later, as is sometimes the case after a teaching session, following a complex patient engagement on a clinical placement, or some phase of a group project, the act or action itself is completed or total, or the event is completed before reflection.

Considered and structured: This reflection is typically not spontaneous like a quick thought but rather purposeful and structured. This reflection might look like time spent with your diary, a debriefing meeting with colleagues or supervisors, or perhaps going through a formal process of review to break down an experience. 

Aims for understanding at deeper levels: The aims of this kind of analysis will be to explore more than just the surface. You are not solely recalling what happened; you are also asking, “Why?” Why did something go well or not? What contributed to both success and failure? And most importantly, what could you do differently in a similar situation next time to create better outcomes? 

Leads to learning for future actions: The information gained from this careful or retrospective analysis will ultimately inform your future behaviour and future planning. You’re essentially creating richer knowledge and better practices and making adjustments on the basis of lessons learnt, thereby achieving continuous improvement.

Examples of reflection on action:

A student considers their experience in the context of a group project where they were trying out different strategies to see what worked when it comes to teamwork.

A nursing student reflects on how they dealt with a patient case in a placement.

A business student looks back on a pitch presentation and reflects on how it might have been better.

These examples provide evidence of Schön's model of reflection and how it can facilitate growth in students by way of retrospection.

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Comprehending Reflection-in-Action

Next, let's go through Schon reflection-in-action, which might be slightly harder to connect with because it is a very fast-paced reflection. This is the specific moment when you are thinking on your feet, making almost reflexive changes while you are still in the activity. 

Schön's reflection-in-action is a real-time process that occurs during events or activities as they happen. Donald Schön (1983) refers to this type of reflection as "knowing-in-action" or "thinking on your feet", whereby practitioners deal with unexpected events and problems as they emerge, often without consciously breaking away from the flow of the activity itself.

Here are the major features of Schön's reflection-in-action:

During the activity: This type of reflection crystallises into action when a situation unfolds spontaneously and immediately while action is still taking place. It is about making sense of the situation as it is emerging and making quick alterations through processes of sense-making and new understandings created during the moment.

Immediate Adjustment: The essence of reflection-in-action is the capacity to immediately adapt one's approach or strategy. This immediate responsiveness helps practitioners shift their actions as a reaction to changing circumstances, especially so when those circumstances are unexpected. This acknowledges that practitioners have to be flexible and open in order to be effective even when circumstances surprise them.

Tacit knowledge: This type of reflection draws on intuition, past experience, and immediate evaluation rather than a cognitive, logical, step-by-step process of thought. It is an implicit knowing that informs an action without needing to articulate explicitly or hesitate to consider. 

Problem solving in the moment: Reflection-in-action allows practitioners to reframe problems, come up with solutions, and do it all at the moment of experiencing it. When something unexpected happens, reflection-in-action is able to creatively problem-solve on the spot in order to keep moving forward and/or deal with the problem.

Examples of reflection in action include:

1. A lecturer who realises about 15 minutes into a class that students appear confused and changes their teaching approach.

2. A sports coach who changes their plan of attack during a game based on how the other team is playing.

3. A nursing student who adjusts their patient care during the process of their task because new symptoms have appeared.

All of these represent very quick decisions that perfectly illustrate Schön's reflection in action in practical examples.

Key Differences and Relationship between Schön's reflection in action and reflection on action 

So, what is the actual difference between Schön's reflection in action and reflection on action? Both encompass some type of learning from experience; however, the timing, nature and purpose of this learning are what distinguish the two. Here is an explicit comparison to assist with distinguishing the two and a central aspect of Schön's reflective model:
 

Features	Reflection-in-Action	Reflection-on-Action
Timing	During the action	After the action
Nature	Spontaneous, intuitive, immediate adjustment	Deliberate, analytical, retrospective
Purpose	On-the-spot problem-solving, adaptation	Deeper learning, future planning, understanding
Consciousness	Often tacit, “knowing-in-action”	Explicit, conscious thought
Feedback Loop	Immediate, direct impact on current action	Delayed, informs future actions

It’s important to realise that these two forms of reflection are not separate practices; they are interrelated and mutually supportive components of Schön's reflective model.

Reflection-on-Action builds the knowledge base and develops the "knowing-in-action" that allows Schön reflection in action to be developed. The lessons learnt from thinking back on previous experiences (reflection-on-action) form part of your intuitive knowledge and skill that you draw on in the moment. 

The experiences gained through Schön's reflection in action provide rich sources for future reflection on action. The impromptu, quick adjustments made in the moment in a tough situation will make great case studies that you can reference back to later and review more critically and learn from again, deepening the lessons for future learning. 

Ultimately, they create an ongoing cycle of learning and adjustment, making you a better and more flexible practitioner, whether in a lecture hall or in your future workplace.

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Importance 

Who uses these reflectively? In fact, almost any type of professional practitioner, including: 

Health professionals: Doctors', nurses, and allied health staff use both to respond to a patient's changing needs in real time and to reflect and review a case later to aid quality care in the future. 

Teachers and educators: From altering a lesson in real time to evaluating their students' performances in order to make changes to their teaching, reflection is a key component in effective pedagogy. 

Managers and leaders: Use reflection to adapt to immediate challenges in their team and for post-project review to improve systems in the organisation. 

Artists and performers: It may be in the form of improvisation during performance or critical reflection on a completed piece of work; either way, you need to reflect in order to continue your creative development. 

And you, the university student! From adapting your essay writing practices based on feedback (reflection-on-action) to thinking on your feet and adapting your study practices on the day of an exam when things are going poorly (reflection-in-action). You will be using these reflective practices, and by undertaking these processes, you are

So how can you promote both forms of reflection in your own life and studies? 

Conclusion

We hope this guide helped clarify Schön's reflective model. Understanding the distinction between Schön's reflection in action and reflection on action will in turn support your development in real-time and subsequently. Reflective skill supports improved learning, decision-making, and prospective professions or careers.

Learning is an ongoing process, and so is reflection! If you require assistance in documenting and writing about your learning or applying the concepts in developing your assignments, UK assignment helper Locus Assignments can assist you. Our expert assignment writer in the UK provides everything from a breakdown of the theory to a polished written submission and coursework at every stage.