Perils, pitfalls and possibilities: introducing reflective practice effectively in legal education

A number of factors militate against easily and systematically introducing reflective practice in the law school environment. This article is intended for legal educators who wish to develop the multi-faceted reflective capacity of their students. A significant barrier is failing to adequately operationalise the term ?reflective practice? to build a common language, appreciation and respect for its power to support professional learning ? both instrumental and transformative. To overcome this, I rely on a theoretical framework for reflective practice that includes five domains of reflection that ultimately support praxis. Cultivating reflective capacity in each domain produces unique learning outcomes that cumulatively build actionable professional knowledge and expertise, and support professional formation. Poorly introduced ?reflective practice pedagogy? may have adverse consequences, preventing the student from appreciating the generative impact reflective practice has on professional learning and nurturing the capacity for lifelong learning. To overcome this danger, I explore 10 perils legal educators may wish to avoid when introducing reflective practice. The first is not being sufficiently clear about your intent and the pedagogical purpose. The second is not choosing a reflective method or task that is ?fit for purpose?. To better calibrate pedagogical approaches, I provide a sampling of the myriad opportunities for enabling reflection in each domain. I briefly explore eight other perils and the possibilities for overcoming them.