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John Dewey as the Father of Reflection

John Dewey, as the originator of the term reflection, clearly described reflection around a hundred years ago in his books called How We Think (1910, 1933). Since then, the term reflection has prevailed in several research fields including education. He located reflection at the center of teaching and learning, stating:

Reflective thinking, in distinction from other operations to which we apply the name of thought, involves (1) a state of doubt, hesitation, perplexity, mental difficulty, in which thinking originates, and (2) an act of searching, hunting, inquiring, to find material that will resolve the doubt, settle and dispose of the perplexity. (Dewey, 1933, p. 12)
In other words, according to Dewey‟s definition, reflection is the deliberate and active thought of people about their actions to figure out solutions to the problems.

Upon feeling doubt, conflict or hesitation about an action, people question each condition that takes place in this process to reach the roots of these feelings, and this process is defined as reflection. Thus, reflection is not a shallow and superficial concept; instead it is intense thinking about an action.

In order to understand Dewey‟s concept of reflective thinking, Rodgers (2002) summarized and listed four key criteria of reflection stated by Dewey. The first one, reflection as a meaning making process, states that according to Dewey, experience is gathered from the interaction of people with the whole world and environment as long as life and learning goes on. The second one, reflection as a rigorous way of thinking, expects reflective practitioners to go beyond accepting beliefs; instead it requires active thinking and questioning of a belief. The third criterion is called reflection in community. According to Rodgers (2002) “Dewey knew that merely to think without ever having to express what one thought is an incomplete act” (2002, p. 856). Therefore, what has been experienced should be shared in order to deepen and enrich its meaning with others‟ comments and ideas. The fourth criterion is reflection as a set of attitudes, which requires the integration of whole-heartedness, directness, open-mindedness, responsibility and readiness in a reflective practitioner. These attitudes have complementary and constructive features:
…one must remain engaged in the experience as it is happening, in an undistracted way, so that data can be gathered through observation (whole- heartedness and directness). One must also remain open-minded, entertaining many interpretations of his or her experience so that one does not limit one‟s understanding the actions that flow from it. Finally, one must accept that a shift in understanding an experience may call for an entire shift in outlook.

And responsibility demands that action-practice- line up with outlook - theory. (Rodgers, 2002, p. 864)

As a philosopher, Dewey defined the term reflection by constructing its key factors related to the content of reflective practice. He went beyond the importance of experience and emphasized the importance of questioning, mulling over, and evaluating people‟s actions within their environment.