John Dewey's approach to education in 1933 was revolutionary for his time as he espoused that student learned through a 'firsthand' approach which involved developing their problem solving and reflective skills. While the educator became a facilitator encouraging students to think about what they are doing involving them in reflective practice (Dewey, 1933).
While Dewey’s concept was intended for face-to-face classes integrating critical reflection online was extended by Garrisons community of inquiry model (COL). The model proposed a Venn diagram of three overlapping “presences” – cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence to adapt the critical inquiry process to online pedagogy.