Date/ Time: 08 April 2020 / 11.30a.m.- 1.30p.m.

Lecture Notes

Reflection is a person’s thinking aimed at analyzing oneself (self-analysis) – personal states, actions, and
past events. Reflection, in a simplified definition, is “a conversation with oneself.” The word reflection
comes from the Latin reflectio – to bend back. Both Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries define reflection as
serious thinking and consideration about something. A reflective essay is a paper written from a personal
point of view, but still keeping the formal tone and academic essay structure.

What Is a Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay is a written work about something that happened to you, or an experience in which you
were part of the event that occurred. You will need to share the story in sufficient detail about what you did
and how you felt about it. Your opinion and conclusions should be directly related to what you told at the
beginning of your essay.

A reflective essay is a kind of creative work and involves more personal thoughts and expressions. Self-
awareness is the key to writing a good reflective essay.

Before writing a reflective essay:

Step 1. Analyze the assignment. Note function words and keywords.

Step 2. Identify the experience or event.  Reflection is not about what happens in your head, but about
depicting the process within the chosen angle.

Step 3. Take notes. Write down important points to consider, your feelings and thoughts, and questions
that need answers. Don’t forget to write down some evidence that you can use further to support your
thoughts: quotations (for lectures, articles, books, etc.) and specific parts of experience (for practice).

Step 4. Determine who your reader is. Of course, the first thought will be about the lecturer who has
assigned you this assignment.

Step 5. Plan your time. List all activities that you did during the preparation of the stageplay....before,
during and after.

A good choice is to take notes about your emotions and thoughts.

6. Create an outline. Creating a reflective essay outline will allow you to structure all your thoughts in a
certain order. Collect all information that arises in your mind and determine the points that stand out.

The structure of a reflective essay will depend on the topic, the purpose of the essay, and the model you
choose to use. A properly structured essay will help you clearly present the necessary moments and
address certain points.

 Describe the significance of the experience that you have received during practice in the
introduction.
 Pinpoint personal moments that have arisen after the experience.
 Identify personal intentions and link this experience with previous experiences.
 Recognize your own beliefs and values.
 Think about future options and ways to improve your everyday life or professional skills.

IPGKI/UPI/TSL1064 Drama in English/Dr.V.Kana

Your essay should contain the below:

1. Introduction
1.1. Attention grabber
1.2. Quick overview of the stageplay
1.3. Thesis statement

2. Body paragraph I
2.1. A detailed description of the event, person, or place

3. Body paragraph II
3.1. Description of feelings and thoughts when it happened

4. Body paragraph III

4.1. Evaluation and analysis of your experience.

5. Conclusion
5.1. Overview of the event
5.2. Summary about lessons learned

Your outline may be different, the only thing you should keep in mind is chronological structure.

While writing a reflective essay:

Step 1. Introduction. Every introduction to reflective essay writing should start with an attention grabber
that will boost interest in your topic. The introduction is a small overview to the topic. The reflective essay
thesis statement will be about places, events, thoughts, experiences, or people that will be described
further in the body paragraph.

Step 2. Body paragraph. For your reflective writing, it should focus on the event, your reflection about this
event, and the description of lessons learned.

The first body paragraph will be a description of the scene and the event. Make sure that you have
answered questions like “Who?” “What?” “Where?” “When?” and “Why?” Include in your essay images,
sounds, and other descriptions of your experience. If you are describing an event, follow the chronological
sequence and try not to jump from one time to another.

Note: The final sentence of each paragraph summarizes and restates the idea introduced at the start of the
paragraph.

In the second part you need to point out the main issues you have identified in relation to the experience. If
these points can be related to literature (theory), insert quotations and cite sources.

The third part will be about your personal reflections about the event. This is the aim of your essay – to
show the lessons that you have learned, as well as insights and ideas that have evolved after experiencing
the event.

Step 3. Conclusion. The conclusion for reflective essay should complete your writing. It should be
convincing, because it is the result of your reasoning

It is a reflective statement if you:

IPGKI/UPI/TSL1064 Drama in English/Dr.V.Kana

  Describe how staging the play relates to your future profession.
 State how the learning activity increased and improved your skills, knowledge, and attributes.
 Describe further learning that you need to cover along with new learned skills.
 Identify how your staging of the play will change (or has already changed) due to the new skills and
knowledge.

Example of reflective essay

I was involved in the staging of Macbeth by William Shakespeare on..........................................................
and it was a great experience.

The presentation of the drama was for our ................................................................................................

I played the role of........................................................................................
I was the ......................................................................................................

The presentation of the play was indeed most helpful because...................................................................

I learnt to be organised and punctual with my duties.

As I was the............................., my tasks were...............................................I was.......................................

Though I had many other courseworks, I managed to................................................and it was an eye-

opener........................................................................................................

Before the stageplay, we had to....................................................................................

It was difficult...................................................................but i gained experience on hw to manage people.
I learned the skill of ..............................................................................................................
It was not easy at first but....................................................................................................

During the stageplay, I realised that......................................................................................

Now I can............................................................................................................................
I believe.............................................................................................................................
All the exposure has changed me ................................................................................

 I was surprised…
 The lesson gave me for life…
 I wanted…

IPGKI/UPI/TSL1064 Drama in English/Dr.V.Kana

Many people consider writing fairly easy, mainly because they have never done any serious writing
themselves. Unlike arithmetic and the sciences, writing is an art and while others are busy stating facts and
manipulating numbers, writing is actually a display of creativity. The writer is often required to come up with
new ideas every time they write in order to capture the readers’ attention.

As a writer, a great level of creativity is needed. A writer is expected to come up with a new idea either in
form of a fresh plot, an original or unique style of writing or an entirely different way of presenting their ideas
if they want to score highly or have a successful career.

Another challenge writers experience is difficulty in self-expression. It is not surprising that one can have an
idea and fail to find the correct words to put it down on paper. Suppose one is writing about an emotional
experience, for instance. It may be difficult or even impossible to bring out the intensity of feelings so that
the reader can feel them too, or explain the impact that they had on the character who felt them. Few
writers can find the right words to explain a phenomenon so vividly that the reader can actually visualize the
occurrences.

The use of language to bring out ones thoughts is not easy. This especially applies to those who are writing
using any other language other than their first. It takes time for one to be fluent in a language that was not
learned and used since childhood. It is no wonder that those who are writing using their second language
rarely become as proficient as those using their first. Writing requires absolute mastery and proficiency in
the language which the writer is using in order for them to use the correct grammar and at the same time
find the most appropriate words and phrases to bring out their thoughts. Without mastery of the language, it
can be difficult for the writer to achieve their intended objective.

There are other minor problems that writers face, like a lack of confidence. This is where the writer is not
sure whether the article or story will appear as it is intended to. There is the fear of being unable to express
oneself efficiently. There are also those writers who write for leisure. They experience the fear that the
piece of literature may not be as interesting as they think it is, and may not captivate the reader. However,
with the right focus and motivation it is possible to rise above these challenges and be successful in writing.

IPGKI/UPI/TSL1064 Drama in English/Dr.V.Kana