05. Seeing Reflection: Visualising Reflective Practice in Art & Design Education

Published by: Creative Pedagogy

Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Year: 2026

Author: Dr Lesley Raven. Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Fashion Institute.

Corresponding Author: l.raven@mmu.ac.uk

Art schools must prepare graduates for work in the rapidly shifting creative industries (McDonald et al., 2024), where reflective capabilities are increasingly recognised as a future skill (Lee-Smith, 2019). Yet reflection in Art & Design (A&D) is complex: rooted in tacit, embodied and iterative forms of knowing (James, 2007; Polanyi, 1967; Raven, 2025). Reflective practice has historically been framed as critical inquiry (Dewey, 1933) and as thinking-through-making in studio practice (Schön, 1983). Despite adoption in regulated professions (e.g. HCPC, 2021), its role in creative practice remains contested (CIISA, 2023).