Introduction

Russian nesting doll is lifted out and more possibilities emerge which may need discussion or resolution, but the key factor is that the developing practitioner took time to record the initial experience and then reflect upon it. Leeson defines reflective practice as 'the importance of thinking over one's actions, past and present and identifying the lessons learnt for future action' and further maintains that reflective practice 'should be a crucial aspect of professional work and life-long learning'. Models of reflective practice help practitioners to scaffold or structure their thinking; they provide opportunities to reflect, document and revisit practice, thoughts and responses. The spiral model may be hugely useful to the developing practitioner because it not only allows this same level of freedom to revise and revisit but also suggests that a mentor or critical friend can help the reflective practitioner to new levels of understanding.