Hatton and Smith (1995) defined 4 levels of reflection

1. Descriptive
   • description of events or literature, no comments or analysis included
   • not considered reflective at all
2. Descriptive Reflective
   • Some level of deeper consideration
   • limited attempt to analyse based on personal judgement or literature 
3. Dialogic
   • Includes a ‘stepping back’ from the events and actions
   • Involves a sense of ‘mulling over’ events, a dialogue with yourself and an exploration of your role in events and actions
   • Evaluation of your judgements
   • Consideration of possible alternatives for explaining your actions and hypothesising about them.
   • Links together different factors and perspectives.
4. Critical
   • Includes the views and motives of others
   • Considers them in comparison with your own.
   • Recognises that things can change with new information
   • Reviews ideas and the effect of time passing
   • Shows evidence that you are aware that actions and events may be affected by multiple perspectives
   • Shows awareness of the influence of multiple and socio–political contexts
   • “Writing about your thinking about your thinking”
   • Recognise and acknowledge the assumptions you bring to an issue
   • Question your own beliefs and values
   • Step back and think about the issue from a distance
   • Occurs over time allowing deeper thought to emerge