Reflective writing on current module.

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Reflective writing

What is reflective writing?

Reflection involves looking back and evaluating your actions,

in light of the relevant literature in your subject, with a view to

improving your practice, task or analysis.

Note: Concepts of ‘reflection’ may vary among disciplines but

you will usually be asked to write a reflective essay where

relatively complex (often practical) tasks are concerned.

The purpose of reflective writing is to interrogate your own

learning and demonstrate the ability to apply theory or

conceptual processes to your practice or task in a meaningful

way. Whether you’re training to be a health specialist, a

lawyer, a scientist, a business person, an engineer, a teacher,

a historian or any other professional, you will be expected to

be a reflective practitioner. This means questioning your

everyday practice and implementing new knowledge gained

through this reflection in your job/research/study.

Elements of a reflective essay

As with any essay, it is important that you consult your brief

for specific guidelines, but usually, a reflective essay:

 demonstrates your familiarity with relevant literature

 shows ability to think critically and evaluate the existing

sources

 makes connections between the literature and your

experience (practical tasks)

 reflects on your practice/experience and creates deeper

meaning

 understands how aspects of your practice are relevant to

the literature

 values your experience, shows how you learn from it and

makes recommendations for future action/practice

In this guide:

 Purpose of reflective writing

 Elements of a reflective essay

 Differences between a

standard undergraduate essay

and a reflective essay

 Tips for a great reflective

essay and examples

Your notes:

theory practice analysis

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issue identified

relevant literature

/theory

relevant practice/

experience

reflection on practice

vis-a-vis literature

The reflective cycle

A reflective cycle such as this one (compare with

Gibbs. 1988) can be used to develop each point or

in each paragraph: introduce the identified issue,

refer critically to theory/literature, provide

examples from practice, comment on the

relevance of the experience to the literature, and

show the implications, so you can move on to the

next point.

Note: Alternatively, you can begin with an example from

your practice and use the cycle to reflect on it and refer

back to the literature. Both approaches can be used in the

reflective essay, as appropriate.

Basic differences between a standard essay and a reflective essay

Standard essay Reflective essay

Subject A research problem-oriented analysis; an

often abstract and theoretical discussion

of a specific topic.

A less specified and often self-selected

discussion of your own practice/experience

with relation to the existing literature.

Evidence External. Uses primary sources and data

largely created by others.

Uses primary sources created by others

(documents, data, etc.) as well as yourself

(your own observations).

Voice An impersonal and objective discussion,

written in the third person.

Often asks for your own perspective; usually

written in the first person.

Knowledge Shows familiarity with the existing

scholarship on the subject.

Combines scholarship and your original

points derived from the task or experience.

Introduction Introduces concepts and outlines an

argument.

Introduces concepts and indicates how they

relate to own experience or learning.

Conclusion Relatively predictable. Draws the various

threads of the discussion together.

May focus on the personal learning points.

Often includes recommendations for future

practice.

Referencing Often a mix of primary and secondary

sources.

References to literature and own primary

sources (notes from practice).

Bibliography/ Reference List

Formatted in the style appropriate in your

subject.

Formatted in the style appropriate in your

subject.

Fig.: The reflective cycle (adopted from Burns and Sinfield)

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Good notes

Keep a journal and record interesting

things that happen in your practice/task –

they will become your database of

examples. Comment on them and try to

reflect as you go. This is your private

record and usually will not be assessed.

Topic

Think what topics/problems interest you

most in your subject and decide in what

ways they are relevant to your

practice/experience.

Style

Use the past tense when writing about

your experience (‘I felt’) and present

tense when referring to the literature

(‘Smith suggests’).

Tips for a great reflective essay

Literature

Consult your module reading list and

choose a combination of books and

journal articles that will allow you to get

familiar with the most recent and relevant

literature on the subject.

When reading literature, make notes on

the recurring themes and points of

disagreement. They will be very useful

when reviewing the existing theories.

Plan

Think strategically: plan your essay,

stagger your reading, schedule any

necessary meetings (with tutor, peers,

team members, librarian, etc.).

Be constructive

Your critical assessment of

practice/experience does not imply

focussing on the negatives. While

questioning your choices, try to stand

back, consider alternative viewpoints and

demonstrate how you can learn from the

experience, both good and bad.

Emotions

Recognise your emotions and feelings

with regard to the task/practice and

consider their role and influence. BUT:

refrain from venting your frustrations;

again, be constructive.

Go deep

Go beyond mere description and use the

critical thinking model to develop a

deeper analysis. Limit description to

elements that need reflective comment.

Journey

Keep an open mind about what you have

learned from your practice/experience.

Remember that not everything has to be

immediately ‘useful’. Try to demonstrate a

sense of journey – intellectual,

professional, personal – gained in the

experience.

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Example 1

The role of the community health team I was part of in this task was to offer the most

appropriate package of care for the patient after her release from the hospital. It was important

to ensure that the patient’s independence was maintained (Foster, 2014) while providing the

best support in terms of safety and nutrition (NHS England, 2015). I found the home visit

slightly uncomfortable as it was difficult for me to strike a balance between showing care and

not being too imposing. Instead of talking so much I could have focussed more on listening

and encouraging the patient to express her preferences. Next time I will try to be more

receptive to the patient’s wishes and concerns.

Example 2

The experience of working on producing a historical film has shaken my faith in history as an

objective and detached record of the past, in the most classic Rankean sense (Green and

Troup, 1999). Elements of subjectivity constantly challenged my commitment to telling the

‘truth’ and I spent a lot of time getting frustrated and writing angry rants in my journal. I felt like

we were ‘just playing’ and couldn’t appreciate the larger truths I was in fact discovering in the

process. Having read Rosenstone’s (1995) take on the role of film in history, however, I found

the exercise a really good way to understand how history is told. I wish I had approached the

task with a more open mind. This may have resulted in a much better film.

Examples of reflective writing:

And finally… Remember that the reflective essay is a unique piece of academic writing in that it

involves a level of self-disclosure. This allows you to personalise it and make it more interesting!

Reference list

Brockbank, A. and McGill, I. (1998) Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education. Philadelphia: Open University Press.

Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2008) Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to Success at University. (2 nd

ed.) London: Sage.

Moon, J. (2004) A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning: Theory and Practice. London and NY: Routledge Falmer.

Shön, D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner. London: Jossey-Bass.

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