Clearly this is an important element in the education of a practitioner. Well, yes it does matter, and no you can't, and no it isn't necessarily someone else's job. A student who uses theoretical processes integrated with practice is inevitably moving his or her practice forward. For this student, faced with the demands of practice and finding answers through theorising, the relevance of theory is undisputed. Theory taught in isolation from practice means the two tend to exist in parallel, without ever connecting.
Reflection allows theory to enrich skills.
These follow from the above. Theorising as an individual has its limits, especially when applied to practice. To practice as a professional is to engage in a form of social communication dependent upon theorising. Students studying practical courses are preparing to become professionals. Surely a course of professional education ought to produce students who are fully equipped to behave like a professional by the end of it.