Becoming a reflective practitioner: Growing in the habit of reflection

I have been teaching SRE for 23 years now — and I love it. This year, I went into my first class feeling confident. Maybe a little too confident. After all, I have been doing this for so many years! But after two somewhat chaotic lessons, I realised I needed to stop, take a step back, and think differently about what was happening in my classroom.

For the rest of the year, I have intentionally leaned into reflective practice — taking time after each lesson to pause, pray, and consider what was going on beneath the surface. And I noticed a real difference. I moved from being reactive to my students and their behaviour, to being proactive — anticipating patterns, thinking ahead, and responding with greater calm and purpose.

That simple shift — from reacting to reflecting — has been transformative.

Reflective practice is not just a professional tool. For the Christian teacher or ministry leader, it is a discipline — one that helps us listen to God, learn from experience, and grow in wisdom.

What Is Reflective Practice? 

 At its heart, reflective practice is the disciplined habit of thinking carefully about our experiences, attitudes, and actions in order to learn, grow, adapt, and change. It involves pausing to notice what has taken place, naming our responses, and considering what these moments reveal about ourselves and others.

Educational philosopher John Dewey[1] described reflection as “active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends.” In simple terms, we do not learn from experience — we learn through reflecting on experience.

Author and researcher Peter Lucas[2] describes reflection as a “systematic enquiry into one’s own practice to improve that practice and deepen one’s understanding of it.”

For Christians, reflective practice is a deliberate attentiveness — a habit of creating space to notice God’s presence and purposes at work in the everyday rhythms of life and ministry.

Reflection therefore requires both discipline and humility — a willingness to examine what we do, why we do it, and how it aligns with our convictions and values.

It calls us to be curious and teachable, seeing both our successes and our struggles as opportunities for grace and growth. Reflective practice turns ordinary experience into a context for learning and a pathway toward faithful service.

Biblical Foundations for Reflection 

The practice of reflection is deeply woven into the fabric of the Christian life. Scripture consistently invites God’s people to pause, consider, and remember. From Israel’s call to “remember the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 8:18) to Paul’s encouragement to “examine yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5), reflection is not an optional extra but part of faithful obedience.

James 1:22–25 reminds us that true reflection involves both attention and action. To look intently into God’s word and then respond in obedience is the essence of a reflective life shaped by the gospel. Reflection is not simply about analysis or awareness, but about transformation — allowing what we have heard to shape what we do.

For the Christian, reflective practice is a discipline that integrates theology with everyday life. It invites us to slow down, notice, and interpret our experiences in light of God’s word. Through this discipline, we learn to see ourselves, our students, and our contexts more clearly — not through our own lens, but through the lens of the gospel.

Why Reflective Practice Matters 

Both teaching and ministry are highly relational — full of interactions that can inspire, frustrate, challenge, encourage and stretch us. Reflection helps us make sense of those moments, rather than simply reacting to them. 

For the Christian teacher or ministry leader, reflective practice: 

·        Integrates faith and practice. It helps us see how our theology shapes what we do — and how what we do reveals what we truly believe. 

·        Cultivates humility and resilience. Reflection helps us see our blind spots and learn from mistakes. 

·        Encourages adaptability. Ministry and teaching contexts are always changing. Reflection keeps us responsive rather than rigid. 

·        Deepens discipleship. Reflection reminds us of that professional growth and spiritual growth go hand in hand. 

Graham O’Brien[3] argues that reflection should be seen as a lifelong discipline, not just a professional exercise. When it becomes part of our identity and rhythm, it fosters transformation — not just improvement. Intentional reflection, especially when practised in community, builds Christ-centred resilience and sustainable ministry. 

Cultivating Rhythms of Reflection 

So how can we make reflection a regular part of life and ministry, not just something we do when things go wrong?

Here are a few simple ways to cultivate reflective habits:

1. Pause Daily

Take five minutes at the end of each day or lesson to ask three simple questions:

·       What happened?

·       What was I feeling?

·       What might God be teaching me through this?

2. Reflect in Community

Reflection is not only an individual habit but also a shared practice. We grow in understanding and wisdom when we reflect alongside others who share our faith and work or serve in similar contexts.

At Youthworks College, reflective practice is intentionally embedded into the rhythm of learning and ministry formation. Each week, students meet in pastoral supervision groups — small, guided spaces for prayerful reflection on life and ministry. Using frameworks such as Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, students speak honestly about challenges, explore emotional and spiritual responses, and learn together from experience.

This regular, guided reflection helps students connect theology with practice and experience with insight. It is one of the key attributes of a Youthworks College graduate — that they will be able to:

Reflect critically on life and ministry as a lifelong learner.

For Christian teachers and ministry leaders, the same principle applies. Reflection flourishes in community. Our insights deepen when we listen to the perspectives of colleagues, mentors, and peers who help us see what we might otherwise overlook. Through shared reflection, what began as private thought becomes collective learning.

3. Seek Guided Reflection

A mentor, pastoral or professional supervisor can help you notice what you might miss. O’Brien notes that skilled facilitation enables reflection to move beyond surface-level evaluation into genuine transformation.

In the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, pastoral supervision will become a requirement for many church workers from 2026 — recognising the value of supported, reflective practice in sustaining faithful ministry.

4. Write It Down

Keep a reflective journal — handwritten or digital. Writing crystallises thinking and helps track growth over time. You might use Gibbs’ Cycle or Terry Borton’s simple “What? So what? Now what?” as a scaffold.

5. Pray as You Reflect

Turn reflection into conversation with God. Ask, “Lord, what are you showing me here?” Prayer brings perspective — reminding us that we are not simply evaluating our practice, but listening for God’s voice, noticing his grace at work, and seeking his wisdom for the next faithful step.

A Lifelong Discipline 

Reflective practice is not about achieving perfection; it is about participating in God’s ongoing work of transformation. 

As we reflect in action, on action — and for action — we grow in wisdom, humility, and Christlikeness. 

Whether you are teaching in a classroom, leading in ministry to young people, or shepherding others through life’s complexities, may reflection become part of your rhythm — a way of noticing grace, learning deeply, and becoming more like Jesus.

[1] John Dewey. (1933). How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. Boston: D.C. Heath.

[2] Peter Lucas. (1991). Reflection, New Practices, and the Need for Flexibility in Supervising Student Teachers. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 15(2), 84–93.

[3] O’Brien, G.J. (2018). Reimagining Reflective Practice as Lifelong Learning for Professional Development Within Christian Ministry. In: Luetz, J., Dowden, T., Norsworthy, B. (eds) Reimagining Christian Education. Springer, Singapore.