reflection paper polishing due in 12 hours!

Personal Reflection Paper

Reflection: Serious thought or consideration; a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation.

This personal reflection paper gives you the opportunity to analyze, reflect on and write

about your experiences and learning that you have gained through working with your team on

assignments and activities ranging from the scavenger hunt and ELC activities, to the team case

project and the peer evaluation process. You may also want to review and incorporate those

personal assessments (i.e. VIA Character, Big 5, Conflict Handling Styles, etc.) you have

completed over the course of the semester that are relevant to your exploration, analysis and

reflection.

Reflective writing involves the analytical process of describing a situation, action,

thought or feeling and communicating the meaning of that situation in one’s life. Many

reflective writers keep in mind questions, such as "What did I notice?", "How has this changed

me?" or "What might I have done differently?” It is not only descriptive. You should reflect on

meaning usually using frameworks and concepts (i.e. from our course), what went well or didn’t

go well, what you learned or still need to learn, and the influence or impact on your own life or

experience.

You will be assessed based on thoughtful, convincing, insightful, and exploratory writing

and reflection, a strong connection between the experience and the learning or insights gained,

and the use of specific detail and narrative accounts that convey an understanding of the

experience supported by course material and personal assessment results. You may organize

your essay in a way that makes sense to you but be mindful of providing your reader (i.e. your

Professor) with sufficient detail, explanation and support to convey your analysis and reflection.

You are also expected to create an action plan with 1-2 clear SMART goals that identify how

you will apply what you’ve learned to make future team engagements successful.

The self-reflection paper should be 4-6 typed pages, double-spaced using 12-point font

and 1-inch margins. The papers will be graded according to the Personal Reflection Grading

Rubric (next page) which contains specific instructions about the assignment. This assignment

will be explained further in class.

Here are some questions that might help get you started. These are intended to “prime the

pump” to get you thinking. You are not expected - nor encouraged - to simply address these

questions. Your essay should be more of a narrative of your experience, reflection and learning.

 How did you approach the teamwork in the course? Do you think your teammates shared your approach or attitude? Why or why not?

 What have you learned from your team experience that you would not have learned otherwise? What did other team members learn from you that they probably would

not have learned otherwise?

 What was your experience of giving and getting feedback, both formally (i.e. peer evaluations, class worksheets) and informally (i.e. in meetings, in class)?

 What interpersonal skills did you practice and develop during the team activities?

 What changes would you make to your own behavior that would have improved everyone’s learning?

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PERSONAL REFLECTION GRADING RUBRIC

Criteria Superior Sufficient Minimal Reflection &

Application

Ability to integrate

learning into real-world

experiences over the

course of the team

activities

 Individual role and contribution as a

team member

 Working with team  The peer evaluation

process

Ability to proficiently

demonstrate reflection

and deep thinking of

acquired knowledge

and concepts, and

integrate them into

team experiences from

wide range of

perspectives (e.g.

different contexts,

frameworks, concepts,

cultures, strengths,

personalities, etc.);

Insightful and critical

thinking skills

demonstrated in the

writing that makes

clear connections

between experiences

and relevant course

material.

Showing satisfactory

ability to relate acquired

knowledge to previous

experiences;

demonstrating attempt to

analyze the issues from a

number of different

perspectives and includes

some connection between

experience and course

material.

Identifies some general ideas

or issues from outside

experiences related to the

assessments.

Describes events/experiences

rather than analyzes their

meaning to personal

development and the team

process.

Action Plans to Close

Gaps

Develops concrete

plans which are

SMART to reach their

intended

developmental goals.

Provides developmental

goals which identify the

need for improvement but

which are weak or lacking

in specific steps for

implementation.

Expressed action plans lack

depth or specificity resulting

in ambiguous or unattainable

objectives. Assertions

without support or

explanation.

Presentation

 Articulation or organization of ideas

and perspectives

 Grammar, Spelling and Mechanics

Writing is well-

focused; arguments or

perspectives are

precisely defined and

explained; coherent

flow in developing an

insightful idea(s)

demonstrated.

Mastery of grammar,

spelling, mechanics.

Arguments or perspectives

are clearly stated;

organized flow in writing

but not deep enough to be

very insightful.

Errors in grammar,

spelling, mechanics

distract or interfere with

understanding.

Arguments or perspectives

are vaguely mentioned; the

writing lacked an organized

flow and the ideas were hard

to follow.

Errors in grammar, spelling,

mechanics prevent effective

communication