Reflection Question

Reflective essay outline

Reflection

o A reflective essay should formally present personal or professional reflection on a topic.

It may be preceded by brainstorming, list-making or deep thought. Professionals might

refer to past reviews or other documentation of their recent performance. Reflective

writing on more personal topics might require you to look over photographs or journal

entries.

Organization

 The reflective essay should follow the format of introduction, body and

conclusion. In contrast to most formal academic essays, instructors encourage

describing the past experience or development in question in chronological

order. This means the best starting point is a description of the period before

the event or period being described. Descriptions of your expectations or

perspectives are particularly effective.

Transformation

 The body of a reflective essay should describe the transformative

experience that is the topic of the essay. It might describe in detail a

new setting or frame of mind that appeared during this process. To

create continuity with the introduction, this section often compares

how an actual experience compared with one's expectations of it. This

section should be balanced, covering the negative and positive aspects,

as well as the challenges and joys of an experience. Professional

reflective essays focus more strongly on what was learned through an

experience.

Evaluation

 A conclusion evaluates the experience, often in quantitative terms. It

again reflects on the transformation that occurred but this time in more

general, sweeping terms to give an aerial perspective of the

development or experience. It might also include regrets or surprises

confronted along the way. Most important, this section should impart to

the reader the feelings, opinions and status of the person who has

experienced the events covered in the essay. The writer should

emphasize the transformation that occurred and conclude with an

affirmation of the new perspective reached through the experience.