ABSTRACT
In contexts where the relevant information is available to cognition, reflective thinking is extremely valuable, serving as the driving force for development of increased expertise via metacognition, or "thinking about thinking". In addition, the idea of embodiment takes on a cultural significance, as learners strive to embody experts in their practice of skills, a concept that has been explored extensively from an ethnographic standpoint. The expert surgeon sees exactly what needs to be done in order to dissect the spermatic cord out from surrounding tissue and simply does it; his mental energy is left free to think about other abstractions, such as what type of mesh he plans to use for the repair of the patient's hernia. The expert violinist intuitively places his fingers on the instrument to produce tones, but consciously gives the music dynamic phrasing. The chapter addresses each of the issues for surgical teachers, as well as a potential pitfall, the expert blind spot.
