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Reflectivewriting

This document provides guidance on how to write a reflection. It explains that reflection allows students to consider how their experiences shape their thinking. It outlines different types of reflections, such as experiential reflections and reading reflections. The document provides questions to guide reflective writing and emphasizes analyzing experiences in relation to course concepts. It stresses having a clear focus and connecting reflections to learning.

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MPuga Tiyaga
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41 views4 pages

Reflectivewriting

This document provides guidance on how to write a reflection. It explains that reflection allows students to consider how their experiences shape their thinking. It outlines different types of reflections, such as experiential reflections and reading reflections. The document provides questions to guide reflective writing and emphasizes analyzing experiences in relation to course concepts. It stresses having a clear focus and connecting reflections to learning.

Uploaded by

MPuga Tiyaga
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How do I . . . Write a Reflection?

Why reflective writing? become concrete and real to you when considered within your
own experiences, and reflection on your experiences allows
Reflection offers you the opportunity to consider how your you to make plans for improvement.
personal experiences and observations shape your thinking and
your acceptance of new ideas. Professors often ask students to Reading Reflection: To encourage thoughtful and balanced
write reading reflections. They do this to encourage you to assessment of readings, many interdisciplinary courses may ask
explore your own ideas about a text, to express your opinion you to submit a reading reflection. Often instructors will
rather than summarise the opinions of others. Reflective indicate to students what they expect of a reflection, but the
writing can help you to improve your analytical skills because general purpose is to elicit your informed opinions about
it requires you to express what you think, and more ideas presented in the text and to consider how they affect
significantly, how and why you think that way. In addition, your interpretation. Reading reflections offer an opportunity
reflective analysis asks you to acknowledge that your thoughts to recognize – and perhaps break down – your assumptions
are shaped by your assumptions and preconceived ideas; in which may be challenged by the text(s).
doing so, you can appreciate the ideas of others, notice how
their assumptions and preconceived ideas may have shaped Approaches: Reflective Inquiry
their thoughts, and perhaps recognize how your ideas support
or oppose what you read. You may wonder how your professors assess your reflective
writing. What are they looking for? How can my experiences
Types of Reflection or ideas be right or wrong? Your instructors expect you to
critically engage with concepts from your course by making
Experiential Reflection: Popular in professional programs, connections between your observations, experiences, and
like business, nursing, forensics and education, reflection is an opinions. They expect you to explain and analyse these
important part of making connections between theory and concepts from your own point of view, eliciting original ideas
practice. When you are asked to reflect upon experience in a and encouraging active interest in the course material.
placement, you do not only describe your experience, but you
evaluate it based on ideas from class. You can assess a theory It can be difficult to know where to begin when writing a
or approach based on your observations and practice and critical reflection. First, know that – like any other academic
evaluate your own knowledge and skills within your piece of writing – a reflection requires a narrow focus and
professional field. This opportunity to take the time to think strong analysis. The best approach for identifying a focus and
about your choices, your actions, your successes and your for reflective analysis is interrogation. The following offers
failures is best done within a specific framework, like course suggestions for your line of inquiry when developing a
themes or work placement objectives. Abstract concepts can reflective response.
Experiential Reflection Reading Reflection
It is best to discuss your experiences in a work placement or Critical reflection requires thoughtful and persistent inquiry.
practicum within the context of personal or organizational Although basic questions like “what is the thesis?” and “what
goals; doing so provides important insights and perspective for is the evidence?” are important to demonstrate your
your own growth in the profession. For reflective writing, it is understanding, you need to interrogate your own assumptions
important to balance reporting or descriptive writing with and knowledge to deepen your analysis and focus your
critical reflection and analysis. assessment of the text.

CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS: ASSESS THE TEXT(S):


 What is the main point? How is it developed?
1. Contextualize your reflection: What are your Identify the purpose, impact and/or theoretical
learning goals? What are the objectives of the framework of the text.
organization? How do these goals fit with the  What ideas stood out to me? Why? Were they
themes or concepts from the course? new or in opposition to existing scholarship?

2. Provide important information: What is the name DEVELOP YOUR IDEAS:


of the host organization? What is their mission?  What do I know about this topic? Where does my
Who do they serve? What was your role? What existing knowledge come from? What are the
did you do? observations or experiences that shape my
understanding?
3. Analytical Reflection: What did you learn from  Do I agree or disagree with this argument? Why?
this experience? About yourself? About working
in the field? About society? MAKE CONNECTIONS:
 How does this text reinforce my existing ideas or
4. Lessons from reflection: Did your experience fit assumptions? How does this text challenge my
with the goals or concepts of the course or existing ideas or assumptions?
organization? Why or why not? What are your  How does this text help me to better understand
lessons for the future? What was successful? this topic or explore this field of study/discipline?
Why? What would you do differently? Why?
How will you prepare for a future experience in
the field?
For example . . . As with all written assignments or reports, it is important to
have a clear focus for your writing. You do not need to discuss
Consider the purpose of reflection: to demonstrate your every experience or element of your placement. Pick a few
learning in the course. It is important to actively and directly that you can explore within the context of your learning. For
connect concepts from class to your personal or experiential reflective responses, identify the main arguments or important
reflection. The following example shows how a student’s elements of the text to develop a stronger analysis which
observations from a classroom can be analysed using a integrates relevant ideas from course materials.
theoretical concept and how the experience can help a student
to evaluate this concept. Furthermore, your writing must be organized. Introduce your
topic and the point you plan to make about your experience and
My observations from the classroom demonstrate that learning. Develop your point through body paragraph(s), and
conclude your paper by exploring the meaning you derive from
the hierarchical structure of Bloom’s Taxonomy is your reflection. You may find the questions listed above can
problematic, a concept also explored by Paul (1993). help you to develop an outline before you write your paper.

The students often combined activities like application You should maintain a formal tone, but it is acceptable to write
and synthesis or analysis and evaluation to build their in the first person and to use personal pronouns. Note,
however, that it is important that you maintain confidentiality
knowledge and comprehension of unfamiliar concepts. and anonymity of clients, patients or students from work or
This challenges my understanding of traditional volunteer placements by using pseudonyms and masking
identifying factors.
teaching methods where knowledge is the basis for
inquiry. Perhaps higher-order learning strategies like The value of reflection: Critical reflection is a meaningful
exercise which can require as much time and work as
inquiry and evaluation can also be the basis for traditional essays and reports because it asks students to
knowledge and comprehension, which are classified as be purposeful and engaged participants, readers,
and thinkers
lower-order skills in Bloom’s Taxonomy.

A note on mechanics
The Academic Skills Centre
www.trentu.ca/academicskills
[email protected]
705-748-1720

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