Two studies of reflection in clinical teaching in medicine were found (Pinsky and Irby 1997; Pinsky et al. 1998). The authors surveyed 48 distinguished clinical teachers in medicine regarding the role of reflecting on instructional success in their professional development as teachers. They identified three phases of reflection: anticipatory reflection, which used past experience for planning teaching activities; reflection-in-action, which involved maintaining flexibility during teaching; and, reflection-on-action, which involved thoughtful analysis of the experience. Anticipatory reflection was most frequently described (86% of comments) and involved learning from and incorporating previous experience into the teaching plan. The authors described the process of these successful teachers as an ongoing, iterative process.
