processes to be used, or the choices to be made. Reflection takes place using, among others,
science concepts as tools.
The activity cycle for new grade nine education.
Reflection plays an important role in learning according to activity theory. This holds for
practice as well as decisions made. Reflection can take the shape of planning a course of
action, justifying what one is planning to do or has done, and comparing two courses of action.
It should be noted that, according to a sociocultural approach, reflection does not happen in the
mind of an individual only. Rather, reflection takes place when people cooperate on a task. In
this, language is a tool that creates the possibility of thinking and organizing thought processes.
In the example by van Aalsvoort (2004b), reflection is geared to reasons put forward for the
choice of raw materials for the production of drinking water and, later, reflection looks back at
any problems associated with the purification process chosen.