Reflecting involves identifying key concepts from an experience and analyzing the relationships between them. This can involve building a theory from observations in order to connect actions to outcomes and predict future interactions of a similar nature.
Reflection translates experience into knowledge through the process of active thought to discover connections between something which we do (our actions) and the consequences which result. Dewey sees systematic reflection as a way of thinking in steps to define a situation, identify a problem, inquire, reason through what happened, test hypotheses and evaluate implications. During reflection we construct and extract personal meaning by connecting concepts to visual associations (images and objects) we have made in our past learning experiences. Reflection involves self-explanation to analyze and explain behaviour.
Deep reflection allows one to access the knowledge of the inner being by contemplating on one’s subjective experiences to identify universal truths and laws.
Reflection is a higher order category and contain sub-categories of thinking procedures such as analysis, logic, reasoning, and critical thinking.