Rationale for Assignment: One way we learn is from experiences—they let us absorb (through reading, hearing and feeling), they let us do the activity, and they let us interact and apply the knowledge we learn when we socialize. Dewey (1933) wrote that another way we learn is by reflecting on these experiences. When we reflect, we are linking what we had just experienced and promoting a mental framework which is more complex and interrelated. This reflection and thinking allow us to look for things that are different, having commonalities, and also those that are interrelated, hence achieving the goal of developing higher order thinking skills.
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Boston: D.C. Health.