Reflective Writing

As the diagram suggests, a reflection paper is your identification of the main themes of the readings integrated with your classroom experience and how both affect your thinking and practice.

Reflective Practice “….those intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to new understandings and appreciations”. (Boud et al., 1985)

Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Reflective Writing: role and functions • To maximise the effectiveness of experiential learning • To evaluate one’s practice • To promote critical thinking • To facilitate the integration of theory with practice • To generate theory • To evaluate a learning activity • To demonstrate that learning has taken place

A reflection paper is… Your chance to add your thoughts and analysis to what you have read and experienced. Meant to illustrate your understanding of the material and how it affects your ideas and possible practice in future.

Reflective writing: description • What were the significant background factors to this experience? • Describe the experience – Sequence of events – Actions – Observations • What essential factors contributed to the experience?

Begin by… Begin by jotting down some of the reading material and class experiences that stand out in your mind. Decide why they stand out to you. It may be helpful to use the restorative questions to generate some of your thoughts and feelings about the course experience.

Elaborate on Ideas Precise, vivid language will help you convey the lesson about life you want to explain. After you write a rough draft of your whole essay, set it aside for a while before you go back to revise it. Taking a fresh look will help you see problems that you may have overlooked.

Reflective Writing: analysis ‘Breaking it down’ What did I do well / not so well? What did others do well? Did it go as expected? Why / why not? What theory / research helps me understand the experience?

Analyze by… Using the first person singular (“I”), relate the readings and classes to your previous knowledge and experience. Consider if and how what you have read and learned changes your thinking and might affect your practice in both personal and professional situations. Review the readings and class notes to be sure you’ve included all the relevant information you can and made all the connections you can.

Reflective Writing: evaluation What was good about the experience for me? What was bad about the experience for me?

Reflective Writing: new perspectives • What have I learnt from this experience? • How has this experience affected my thinking?

Reflective Writing: integration • How does what has been learned by the experience relate to theories and concepts already held? • What research is indicated and what relevance may this have?

Reflective Writing: action plan How should I change my practice Behaviour Standards, Procedures? What suggestions for changes can I make for myself? What constraints may exist? Review changes and their effects!

In conclusion Personal action plans What will you do differently for future leadership development? What techniques, theories, or suggestions will you apply in your life?

Tips Give your reflection paper structure with an opening paragraph, main body, and conclusion. The opening paragraph may be brief but should offer some overall statement of your perspective based on what you’ve learned (e.g., Before I read the articles for YC/ED 501, I had never considered that I was an authoritative supervisor, that is, someone who gives my staff firm direction but little support.). Then describe which readings or class experiences affected your thinking and why. You could disagree with some of the readings or ideas. The conclusion of your reflection may also be brief (e.g., I realize that I must learn how to be more supportive to get the best from my staff.). Or it could be uncertain (e.g., I don’t agree with everything I learned but I am going to consider using some of the practices in future to see if they change my office environment.). Include in-text references and a reference page for any materials you cite using APA citation formatting.

Tips continued… Avoid Clichés - Make sure that none of your terms or phrases are clichés, expressions that were once fresh and powerful but have since been overused. Possessives and Plurals – As you revise, be sure that you have formed plurals and possessives correctly Avoid Contractions – spell it all out!