mop

Reflective writing MGMT861: ASSESSMENT 3

2020

Cycle of continuous development

Reflection and reflective practice: Why is it important?

 As a key component of many professional courses reflective learning is claimed to improve both depth and relevance of learning for individuals (Moon, 2004).

 People consciously reflect in order to understand events in their lives and as a consequence hopefully add and enhance meaning. Reflection plays a critical role in work-based learning (Helyer, 2015).

 Reflection and reflective practice are regarded by many as essential components of professional practice (Bradbury et al. 2010).

 A distinguishing feature of expert practitioners in a profession is their ability to reflect on their practice when dealing with unusual or particularly complex cases (Schön, 1983).

Reflective thinking and Critical Thinking

The Thinking Process (adapted from Mezirow, 1990; Schon, 1987; Brookfield, 1987)

The thinking process involves two

closely connected processes:

reflective thinking and critical

thinking.

Reflective thinking and critical thinking

A great deal of time at university is spent

thinking; thinking about what people have said,

what you have read, what you yourself are

thinking and how your thinking has changed. It

is generally believed that the thinking process

involves two aspects: reflective thinking and

critical thinking. They are not separate

processes; rather, they are closely connected

(Brookfield 1987).

Reflection is:

a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new information.

a 'processing' phase where thinking and learning take place.

Reflective

writing: What is it?

your response to experiences, opinions, events or new information

your response to thoughts and feelings

a way of thinking to explore your learning

an opportunity to gain self-knowledge

a way to achieve clarity and better understanding of what you are learning

a chance to develop and reinforce writing skills

a way of making meaning out of what you study

Reflective writing: What is it?

The three-stage model

Reflective writing is evidence of reflective thinking. In an academic context reflective thinking usually involves:

1. Looking back at something (often an event i.e. something that happened, but it could also be an idea).

2. Analysing the event (thinking in depth about it from different perspectives, and trying to explain, often with reference to a model or theory from the discipline).

3. Thinking carefully about what the event or idea means for you and your ongoing process as a learner, and/or professional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7faxtIY7pQQ

Reflective writing is therefore more personal

than other kinds of academic writing.

We all think reflectively in everyday life,

but perhaps not at the same depth

as is expected in good reflective writing

at university level.

Reflective writing: What it is not

 just conveying information, instruction or argument

 pure description, though there may be descriptive elements

 straightforward decision or judgement (e.g. about whether something is right or wrong, good or bad)

 simple problem-solving

 a summary of course notes

 a standard university essay

Critically reflective writing vs the academic essay

Critically reflective writing is NOT LIKE academic essay writing because it:

 Uses the first person

 Considers the self as an object of inquiry

 Incorporates experience as a form of evidence

Critically reflective writing is LIKE academic essay writing because it:

 Includes secondary source material

 Uses formal English

 Includes vocabulary and expressions that are specific to the discipline i.e. HRM

 Follows academic citation and reference guidelines e.g. APA 6th

A three-step model for reflective

writing

Step 1: Description – What happened? Provide details

Step 2: Interpretation (analysis)

 What is most important/interesting/useful/relevant?

 How can it be explained? e.g. with theory and academic content

 How is it similar and different from others?

Step 3: Outcome

 What have I learnt?

 How did I learn it?

 How might this affect my future behaviour?

Reflection

on team experience

Teamwork is an increasingly important part of organisational practice

Reflecting on a recent team experience and analysing it using theories and models will help you to be a more effective team member another time

Assessment

3

You are to write an essay in which you critically reflect on your personal learning during a recent team experience in a business team, v oluntary group, or sports organisation.

Length: 1000 words

Weighting: 20%

Content: applying the three steps in the reflective

writing model

1. Describe team experience:

o Briefly but in enough detail to communicate the context.

o Include detail about size of team, purpose, team process.

Content: applying the three steps in the reflective

writing model

2. Analyse your experience in the team:

o Discuss team processes and why you think the team functioned in that way

(causes) and what the consequences

are/were.

o In your analysis draw on theories and

concepts of teamwork such as: *roles,

stages, norms, cohesiveness, leadership,

communication, conflict management, goals, values, personality.

*Depending on the team experience you are describing, some aspects will be more

relevant than others, but you will need to

discuss at least THREE in-depth.

Content: applying the three steps in the reflective

writing model

3. Reflect

o on your own contribution to the team, to its success or lack of success, and your readiness

to lead or effectively contribute to the team.

O on what you have learned and what you

will do, or have done differently, in future

teams as a result of this team experience.

Format:

 Use formal academic writing, and an

essay structure including an introduction

and conclusion.

 Include specific examples from your team

experience to illustrate your discussion.

 You need to include a range of supporting

evidence:

 A minimum of THREE peer-reviewed

academic articles.

 Theories and models from the textbook

referenced from source.

Writing style

 As it concerns your thoughts, reflective writing is mostly subjective.

Therefore in addition to being reflective and logical, you can be personal, hypothetical, critical and creative. You can comment

based on your experience, rather than limiting yourself to academic evidence.

 Reflective writing is an activity that includes description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). It is an explorative tool often resulting in more questions than answers.

It's all about

YOU

A reflective task may allow you to use

different modes of writing and language:

• descriptive (outlining what something is or how something was done)

• explanatory (explaining why or how it is like that)

• expressive (I think, I feel, I believe, I wonder)

Use full sentences and complete paragraphs

You can use personal pronouns like 'I', 'my' or

'we'

Keep colloquial language to a minimum

(e.g., kid, bloke, stuff)

Final key points:

 Reflection is an exploration and an explanation of events – not just a description of them

 Genuinely reflective writing often involves ‘revealing’ anxieties, errors, and weaknesses, as well as strengths and successes. This is fine (in fact it’s often essential), as long as you show some understanding of possible causes and explain how you plan to improve.

 It is often useful to ‘reflect forward’ to the future as well as ‘reflecting back’ to the past.