Levels of Reflection

Levels of reflection
Are there different levels of reflection?
Roffey-Barentson and Malthouse (2009) introduce four ‘levels of reflective writing’ (pp 84-5). We have adapted them into a simplfied idea of three levels of reflection below:

Descriptive reflection
A starting point with some reasons or justifications for an event which has happened but which remains a description of or report on that event.

Dialogic Reflection
Stepping back from the description of the event itself to include possible reasons for why things happened and how they contributed to the event.

Critical reflection
Taking a more evaluative position where the event is considered from a range of perspectives or viewpoints and these are all used to help understand what happened and why it happened

Don Clark, in his excellent website, Performance, Learning, Leadership, & Knowledge, includes this piece on levels of reflection.

Surbeck, Han, and Moyer (1991) identified three levels of reflection:
Reacting - commenting on feelings towards the learning experience, such as reacting with a personal concern about an event.
Elaborating - comparing reactions with other experiences, such as referring to a general principle, a theory, or a moral or philosophical position.
Contemplating - focusing on constructive personal insights or on problems or difficulties, such as focusing on education issues, training methods, future goals, attitudes, ethical matters, or moral concerns. The nature of the stimulus or directions initially provided to the learners, as well as the feedback they receive after the initial reflection, will determine the extent to which they reach the contemplation level of reflection.
Source:
Surbek, E., Eunhye, P., & Moyer, J. (1991). Assessing reflective responses in journals. Education Leadership, March, 25-27.