Student Learning Development

Reflective writing
Student Learning Development

Workshop outline

What is reflective writing?

Why reflect?

Problems in reflecting

Forms of reflective writing

Student Learning Development

Introduction
What is reflective writing?

Have you undertaken reflective writing before?

What reflective writing activities have you

undertaken?

Have you got any thoughts on reflective writing?

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What is reflective writing?

Reflective writing involves

‘consideration of the larger
context, the meaning, and the
implications of an experience or
action’ (Branch and Paranjape,
2002, cited in Monash
University, 2013).
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Reflective writing
Reflective writing is Reflective writing is not
 Your response to experiences,  Just conveying information, instruction
opinions, events or new information or argument
 Your response to thoughts and feelings  Pure description (though there may be
descriptive elements)
 A way of exploring your learning
 Straightforward decision or judgement
 An opportunity to gain self-awareness (for example, about whether something
 A way to achieve clarity and better is right or wrong, good or bad)
understanding of what you are learning  Simple problem-solving
 A chance to develop writing skills  A standard university essay
 A way of making meaning out of what
you study
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Definition
A style of writing which may be private or public

A way to explore and clarify our response to ideas,

opinions, situations or challenges

An opportunity to examine links between theory and

practice

A way of learning through reflecting on our experiences

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Aim
Reflective activity allows us to learn about ourselves
and equips us with the tools to enable us to move
forward in a positive way.

By engaging in reflection on a regular basis, we

continue to learn and develop as we study or work.
For this reason, it is important to view reflection as a continual,
ongoing process rather than as an occasional activity.
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How is it similar to core academic writing?

It requires research and development

Depending on the task, it should focus on the question
and answer the question
It involves critical thinking and analysis
The writing should be organised into paragraphs with
accurate sentence structure, etc.
It requires a formal style
The discussion should be clear and coherent
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How is it different to core academic writing?

It is usually used in specific ‘genres’ such as critical

incidents, journals, etc.
It connects with personal feelings and behaviour
It includes observation and evaluation
It may be quite descriptive and informal
The use of the 1st person is appropriate
It tends to link theory to practice
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Steps to reflect
Before you go into a new learning/work environment:

• Step one: Tell the story of what you might experience in as much detail as you
can. Make sure you note anything that you are confident about as well as
anything you might find difficult.

• Step two: Try to identify the main themes. Look holistically at what you have
written. Think about everyone involved.

• Step three: Consider the factors that might influence your behaviour and
experiences. Include your feelings, beliefs and assumptions as well as any
factual information you have been given.

• Step four: Link your thoughts to your previous experiences. What happened the
last time you went into a new learning/work environment. How might the new
experience reflect these previous experiences? Is it likely to be similar or
different and why? How are you going to prepare for this new experience?
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Gibbs’ model of reflection

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1. General statement about the topic

INTRODUCTIO
2. Definitions/context
N (generally 3. Specific statement
10% of the word 4. Purpose of the essay/ thesis statement. For example: It is the purpose of this essay to
count) explore...

Firstly, before looking at…, it is important to take an overview of…

1. Topic sentence
2. Examples to support claims (with referencing)
MAIN BODY 3. Contrasting sentence(s)—however, in contrast, nevertheless
4. Concluding sentence—in sum, to sum up, in brief, in other words, in short

Referencing:
Jones (2002) argues that…
Smith (2006, p. 26) states that ‘…’

To conclude, in conclusion,
CONCLUSI
ON(generally 1. Recall the issues raised in the introduction
10% of the
2. Summarise the main points of the essay
word count)
3. Come to a clear conclusion without introducing any new topics or ideas
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Reflection and critical thinking

At university, a considerable amount of your time will
be spent thinking and reflecting about what other people
have said, interesting facts that you have learned and
how your thinking has changed.

The thinking process seems to involve two aspects:

reflective thinking and critical thinking. They are not
separate processes. On the contrary, they are closely
connected (The Learning Centre, 2010).
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Reflection and critical thinking

Critical Justify actions - solve problems - Critical
Thinking deeper meanings - changes Thinking

Assumptions - Attitudes –
values - beliefs

Revisit
experiences

Reflective YO Reflective
Thinking U Thinking

The Thinking Process

(adapted from: The Learning Centre, 2010)
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Why reflect?
‘We reflect in order to learn
something, or we learn as a result
of reflecting’ (Moon, 2006).
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Reasons
To learn from our experience through reflection
To consider and explore feelings, reactions, responses in more depth
To explore situations from different perspectives
To gain skills to move forward and make progress both personally
and professionally
To explore gaps in our knowledge
To look at how we can adapt to situations
To look at relationship between theory and practice
To develop further self-awareness
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Problems
in reflecting
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Concerns
Unsure of writing style
Uncertain about the requirements of the task
Concerned over use of appropriate language
Feeling uncomfortable expressing thoughts
Not able to think of ideas, events or issues
Not able to accept strengths or weaknesses
Not willing to discuss ideas with others
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Forms of
reflective writing
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Forms of reflective writing

They may be structured or
unstructured:

Diary

Log book

Study or work journal

Assignment
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Example 1
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Example 1
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Example 2
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Language for Reflective Writing

The benefits of reflection Your opinions, views and goals

Articulating/revising/re-evaluating my opinions gave me the

 This situation allowed/enabled me to
opportunity to
• explore my approach to… •examine/explore…
• reflect on my… •enhance my practice/ability by…
 Reflecting upon the incident… •develop/work towards/re-evaluate my goals…
 Reflection has provided me with the opportunity to… •function autonomously/as an individual…
•become an active/independent learner…
•plan realistic career/educational/personal goals
Your knowledge and skills
Professional development
 Considering the situation from different perspectives allowed me
to/provided me with… It led me to question…
It helped me to
 This provided/equipped me with a new way of approaching…
•gain a sense of ownership of my professional development
 I have begun to •extend/enhance/develop my professional knowledge
• recognise my strengths as well as my weaknesses •develop/enhance my self-awareness/self-esteem
• recognise/identify my knowledge and skills •increase my confidence…
• build upon my… •interact with/and gain insights from my peers/colleagues…
• enhance my…
 I now feel more confident about
• integrating new ideas with present knowledge
• presenting my view/opinion
• articulating my feelings
 I can now
• appreciate the significance of my experience
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Exercise 1
Moon (2006) suggests using free writing activities to get your
ideas flowing. If you find it difficult to get started with
reflective writing, try thinking of a topic and write continuously
about it for five minutes. Suggestions for topics could include
why you chose this course and how you think it will help you
to develop in the future.

It is likely that once you begin writing, you will surprise yourself
at how much you do.

Spend five minutes free writing topics such as: Learning,

Professional development, Health, Inter-professional work.
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Exercise 2
Make a list of three things which you have learned
about yourself from the following:

your course/ your job

a particular experience, such as preparing an

essay, giving a presentation etc.
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Exercise 3

Choose an incident or event on placement/at

university/at work

Get started by describing what happened. Then

begin to try to reflect on the events following the
stages in Gibbs’ model: Feelings, Evaluation,
Analysis, Conclusion and Action Plan

Make notes for each stage

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References
Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning
Methods. London: Further Education Unit.

Monash University (2013) Language and Learning Online: What is

reflective Writing? Available at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/medicine/reflective/1.xml
(accessed: 4 June 2013).

Moon, J. (2006) Learning Journals: a Handbook for Reflective Practice and

Professional Development. Oxon: Routledge.

The learning Centre (2010) Reflective writing. Available at:

http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/reflective.pdf (accessed: 4 June 2013).