Reflective Writing
Being reflective So far, in looking at using thoughts, feelings, details, descriptions and dialogue, we have been concentrating on the basic skills of Personal Writing. However this task is called Personal Reflective Writing. To be able to pass, you need to write reflectively. This is something that only mature and insightful writers are able to do. This means two things at once.
Something to think about.. If you stand in front of a mirror you can examine yourself pretty thoroughly by looking at your reflection. Every spot and blemish will be visible, but you’ll also be able to see all your good features and everything that you like about yourself.
The first meaning of reflection That’s the first meaning of being reflective in Writing — examining yourself. You might question and criticise yourself. On the other hand you might realise that you handled the situation well. You may realise that certain experiences have shaped you and made you into the person you are, just as growing up changes the way your face looks in the mirror.
Something to think about.. Now think of the rear view mirror in a car. The driver can keep his or her eyes on the road ahead, while using the mirror to see what is happening behind.
The second meaning of reflection That’s the second meaning of reflection: looking back. Often events in our lives make much more sense once they are over and we are older and wiser. Perhaps when something happened to you it was a really terrible experience, but now you realise that you benefited from it in some way. Events may be confusing when they happen, but when you look back on them they may make more sense.
Below is a list of reflective phrases. Any of these phrases can be used to begin a reflective sentence or a reflective paragraph. In fact if you use one of them, whatever you write in the rest of the paragraph will definitely be reflective. Looking back… On reflection… With hindsight.. In retrospect… Nowadays I feel/think/believe… If I could do this again... If this happened now… I learned… I realise... I understand… I should have… I could have... I wish I had… Because of this I am… Since this happened I… When I think back on this… Thinking about it now I feel… At the time I... but now I It was a... thing to do because… I could have... I wish this had never happened because… Now that I’ve been through this… I grew through this experience because… This made me think about... This experience shaped me by… I’m glad this happened because...
What next? Now that you have read the stories once, you are going to analyse them in more detail. The easiest way to do this is to have a photocopy of each story in front of you. You’ll also need pens, pencils or highlighters in three different colours. You may wish to work with a partner to do the following things as you read the stories again:
WRITING YOUR PERSONAL REFLECTIVE PIECE
TASK - Now try this… Take a new sheet of paper. At the top write the task you have chosen. Then divide the rest of the page into 4 squares with headings as shown on the next page.
Now… Then use the four squares to plan what you want to put in to your piece of work. Key words, phrases or bullet points will do fine. It’s probably easiest if you start with the top left box, where you slot in the rough outline of the story that you’re telling. Then go on and fill in the other boxes.
The basic story StartMiddleEnd Thoughts and feelings Details and description Reflection Your title goes here
FINALLY… If you’ve chosen Personal Reflective Writing it’s now time to write your piece. In class, but under exam conditions and with only your one-page plan to help you, sit down and write your piece. This should take you around an hour to do. When you’ve written it, look at the very end of this chapter to find out what to do next.
What do I need? A successful piece of reflective writing will have the following: Structure Content Expression Technical Accuracy
Structure: Structure takes account of audience, purpose and genre. Content is sequenced and organised in ways which are mainly effective.
Content: Content is relevant for purpose and audience. There is some complexity of thought and sustained development of ideas.
Expression: Expression establishes a style and tone which communicates a strong point of view through the: Competent use of techniques relevant to genre. Appropriate choice of words. Sentence structure.
Technical Accuracy: Technical Accuracy: Spelling, grammar and punctuation are consistently accurate. The piece of writing should be at least 250 words long.
The main requirements of the reflective essay are that it will: aim to interest or give pleasure, rather than simply convey information concern itself with, usually, a single idea, insight, or experience be thoughtful in tone and convey a sense of the writer’s personality reveal the thought processes of the writer. The reflective essay is not simply an account of an experience.
Rubric Structure/Content (organized in a way that enhances reader’s understanding) 5pt Expressiveness (use of style/tone/diction to clearly communicate the experience) 5pt Technical Accuracy (free of grammar/ convention errors) 5pt TOTAL15pt