ART (Analogical Reflection Tool): using analogies to promote reflection in science education

There are two basic categories of reflection, according to where the learner reflects on. In self-reflection, the learner reflects on her/his own actions, while in comparative reflection the learner reflects on others’ actions. We propose an alternative reflection type, as a subcategory of the comparative reflection, the analogical reflection. In analogical reflection, students reflect on analogies, collating their actions with the analog’s (analogical model) functions. During the collation, students are asked to correlate the source with the target. We designed a software tool that supports analogical reflection and is called ART (Analogical Reflection Tool). The ART is a scaffolding tool that assists students while reflecting analogically.