Narcissus in peril: weighing the risks of unthinking practice and excellent practice against the cognitive and emotional load of reflection

Reflection is presented in constructivist pedagogical circles – and thus in many areas of legal education – as A Good Thing. Reflection allows for more sophisticated conceptual integration, to engage with threshold concepts in the discipline and to take a critical stance. Reflection provides an opportunity to focus on process, to build self-regulatory and metacognitive awareness and skills. Reflection allows the learner to recognise her progress into expertise and to acknowledge the hurdles overcome so far.