A central theme in conversations about teacher education is the importance of encouraging student teachers to be reflective. Such conversations are often hampered by a confusion about the concept, not because of a lack of definitional clarity, but more because a lack of appreciation for the contexts in which reflection takes place. In recognising the importance of contextualising reflection, this paper suggests the concept of discourse community may be useful in recognising the social construction of reflection. In particular, three discourse communities are identified and described.

Key words: discourse communities, reflection, reflective teaching, teacher education