Reflection & Reflective Writing

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OutlineOutline

1. What is reflection?2. Why is it important?3. When might you use this skill?4. 7 stages of a good reflection (Gibbs, 1988)

(including examples of appropriate language)

5. Helpful tips: Dos and Don’ts

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What is Reflection?

Definitions “looking back on an experience and making sense of it to identify what to doin the future” (Drew and Bingham, 2001:221)

“the process of looking back [describing] over pastevents; analysing how you have learned and developedas a person and your feelings about this; and reevaluating your experience on the basis of yourthoughts.”

(McMillan and Weyers, 2006: 42)© HBS CASE, 2014

About ReflectionSchön (1987) suggests if you ‘reflect on action’ (make sense of something afterwards), you are more likely to ‘reflect in action’(what to do next time when in the situation).

“It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalisations or concepts can be generated. And it is generalisations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively”(Gibbs, 1988: 9).

It helps:• Content – what is being learned• Style – how you learn• Priorities – setting academic and personal priorities• Application – how you can use what you have learned

• in the future • in other contexts © HBS CASE, 2014

Why is Reflection important?It helps you to identify what you can improve for

yourself as a learner in order to improve your performance & learning, by identifying what you do well, identifying problems and considering what you need to improve (i.e. SWOT)

It is personal development: a positive exercise helps you identify what you are good at and can build on so to improve and succeed. It helps you understand that others may perceive things differently, and consider why this is...

Employers require ‘reflective practitioners’.© HBS CASE, 2014

Reflection - helps you become an effective reflective practitioner:

Relevant to:

• A task, e.g. report writing, group work & presentations

• Personal development as a professional, to students’ employability skills as consultants & problem solvers in business

• Nature of the work in business/consultancy• Career interviews & appraisals

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‘Good’ things often come out of ‘bad’

• Try to analyse, appraise, evaluate constantly

• Learn from your challenges

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How to reflect: theory of experiential learning, according to Kolb (1984).

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Gibbs’ 7 steps for deeper reflection

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Source (Gibbs, 1988:47)

Tips for effective reflection• Keep a log or blog to regularly to record the progress • In reflective writing it is common to use the first person – ‘I’,

‘we’, ‘our’, ‘us’• Use correct tenses – when reflecting on action, use past

tense; talking about future plan should use future tense• Be specific – choose one small aspect at a time to reflect and

focus on, e.g. time management; team co-ordination• Be critically evaluative - reflection is analysis and evaluation

of your own/ your group’s experience, and not a description • Do not transfer blame – your reflection should aim at

improvement, so focus on your own role and what you should have done and how it could be improved.

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Gibbs’ (1988) 7 stages of deeper reflectionSTAGE REFLECTION CONTENTDescription: Describe your situation & report what happened. What are you going

to reflect on? Don't make judgements yet or try to draw conclusions.Feelings: Report how you felt: what were your feelings or reaction?Evaluation: Reflection on action: What was good/bad, useful or not, easy/difficult,

pleasant/unpleasant about the experience? Explain why, evaluate & make value judgements.

Analysis: Reflection on theories/teaching: What you read/been taught – can you make sense of the situation? Evaluate your practice; bring in ideas from outside experience to help you. What was really going on?

Conclusions (general):

Conclude in a general sense, from these experiences and the analyses you have undertaken.

Conclusions (specific):

Conclude your own specific, unique views, personal situation, your ways of working.

Personal action plans:

Action plan: What are you going to do differently in this type of situation next time? What steps are you going to take on the basis of what you have learnt? What are you trying to improve/achieve?

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Example (1) of an Introduction: Reflection on a Dissertation

Doing a dissertation was the first time experiencefor me, as I had never been involved in such asresearch project before. It has been ups and

downsin the journey of completing the dissertation, butoverall I felt it is a rewarding process and I havelearnt a lot out of it. This work is to reflect on theaspects I have learnt in the research journey.

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Example (2): Reflection on an issueReflect on specific aspect. Involve some description,

feeling, reflective evaluation & analysis

Firstly, I learnt the right way of communication is vital. I initially contacted my supervisor without any pre-communication. However, I realised face-to-face oral communication was difficult to me because at times I did not understand or I forgot the comments made by my supervisor. Therefore, I learnt to email my work to my supervisor beforehand so he could make annotated comments that I could later refer to in our face-to-face meetings. I felt that regular pre-communication via emails was effective and particularly helpful to me as a non-native English speaker. This might explain why in our dissertation module classes, tutors kept addressing the importance of managing relationship and communication with supervisors. © HBS CASE, 2014

Example (3): Reflection on issue 2Reflect on specific aspect, involves description, feeling, reflective evaluation & analysisSecondly, I would like to reflect on the importance of reading before the start of writing. When I first started the proposal, I was happy that I had an idea in mind and did not have to read to find a topic, because I felt reading was time-consuming and difficult for me to grasp the author’s opinion. However, when it came to writing, I realised there was not much literature in the topic areas so I had to discard the initial topic and start from scratch with a new research topic. That was not a pleasant experience and affected the overall progress of my dissertation. Then, I invested plenty of time reading around and decided on a topic that I can write a lot on. Reading accompanied me throughout the dissertation process. As a result, my reading skills were improved; also reading helped with the quality of my work. My experience of reading concurs to Zintz and Maggart (1989) who points out that reading is a good beginning and closely relates to students’ academic achievement. © HBS CASE, 2014

Conclusion with an Action Plan

To conclude, I have learnt a lot from doing the dissertationdespite the difficulties and challenges I have been through…

As I would like to be employed in marketing in the future, thisexperience helped me to understand the importance ofcommunication. I intend to further develop my oral and writtencommunication skills, to help maintain good relationships withcolleagues and managers at workplaces. Additionally, I willcontinue to read and research, e.g. competitors in the marketand their products and services, because I now appreciate theimportance of understanding current issues.

Example (4): Reflection Conclusion

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Example: ‘Career Action Plan & Self Reflection’

A reflection of your team work skills development •A reflection on the effectiveness of your personal contribution to the team and the task and your analysis of the role you played in effectiveness of your team in the achievement of the assignment objectives and requirements•A reflection on any feedback provided by your peers and how this may support or differ from your perceptions•Consideration of any changes you might make when working in a team for future activities in the light of your reflections and how this may assist you in your future employability © HBS CASE, 2014

Reflecting on your/group work – Step 1

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Description:

1.Describe what the group task was.

2.What was your role? / What was your personal contribution to the task, the team and the overall achievement?

… so as to state what you are going to reflect on.

Language for reflective writing - Step 1

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Time

•On Monday, ...

•In the morning, ...

•Before the class, ...

•After the meeting, ...

•At our first meeting on

01/11/2012

Sequence

•First, ...

•First of all, ...

•To begin with, ...

•Next, ...

•Then, ...

•After that, ...

•Finally, …

Action

•The first thing I did was ...

•We arranged a meeting ...

•I went ...

•I needed to ...

•I had to ...

Description: Describe what you did.

(Gillett, 2012)

Reflecting on your/group work – Step 2

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Feelings/Reactions

1.Report how you felt about the (individual/group) work overall? / How did you find the task?

2.How well did you/the group work to achieve the task?

3.How did you feel about your personal contribution to the (group) work?

Feelings: Describe how you felt.

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Language for reflective writing - Step 2

I felt (very) pleased with ...I was (really) delighted ...

I was quite satisfied.

It was not very nice.I did not (really) like ...

I was not (very) happy with ...

I did not like ...

I (really) hated ...I was (very) annoyed ...

I was (really) angry ...I was (extremely) irritated/exasperated/displeased/unhappy/angry.

+▲││││││││││▼-

On the one hand, ...On the other hand, ...(Gillett, 2012)

Reflecting on your/group work – Step 3 a

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Evaluation - Group

1.Did you enjoy the task (and working in a group)? Why/why not?

2.Was it difficult / easy? What were positive aspects or obstacles (of working in a group)?

3.How did you (& the group) address / overcome them?

4.What were the (group’s) strengths / weaknesses you identified? And how about your own?

Reflecting on your/group work – Step 3 b

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Evaluation - Yourself4.How would you evaluate your performance in the group? How could you have improved your performance?

5.How did the task add to your content knowledge / performance ability / skills?

6.What did you learn from others?

7.Any feedback from your peers? How did/could you use feedback from others?

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Evaluation:1. Evaluate what went well or not, and explain why?

Language for reflective writing - Step 3

We were / I was very pleased with ...

It was vital/ extremely relevant/excellent…It seemed very good because…

I was quite satisfied…

It was OK because...

We were not / I was not (really) satisfied…We were not / I was not (very) happy with ...

It was not very good…

I was (really) disappointed... It was (very) disappointing because…

It did not work because...

+▲│││││││││▼_

The problem was …

The trouble seemed to be ...

The point was ....

(Gillett, 2012)

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Evaluation:1.1 Evaluate what went well or not, and explain why?

Language for reflective writing - Step 3

I feel ...I am convinced that ...

The main reason appeared to be ...I believe that this was due to ...

This might have been caused by ...This was because ...

The reason was probably that ... That was seemed to cause ...

I would suggest ... The problem, I think, was the fact that ...

This may have been because ...It could have been ...

Perhaps it was because ...It is difficult to say, but I would guess ...

+▲│││││││││││▼-(Gillett, 2012)

© HBS CASE, 2014

Evaluation:Evaluate what went well or not, and explain why?

Language for reflective writing - Step 3

Because of that, ...For that reason, ...As a consequence, ...As a result, ...One effect of this was ...One result of this was ...One consequence of this was .On the other hand, ...Alternatively, it might have been due to ..Another reason could be ...However, this did not always work because… Besides that, ...Also, ...Another possible cause might be ... Plus that fact that, ... (Gillett, 2012)

Reflecting on your/group work – Step 4

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Analysis: Connect experience with theory and make sense of it

1.How does this link with theories on successful group work?

e.g. Belbin, R.M. (1981) Management teams: Why they succeed or fail. London: Heinemann. Benne, K. D. and Sheats, P. (1948) ‘Functional roles of group members’. Journal of Social Issues. 4. pp: 41-49.

Myers, K.C and Briggs, I.B. (1990) ‘Type Indicator’. Journal of Personality Assessment. 60. pp: 209-301.

Please find up to date references

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Analysis: 1. Connect experience with theory & make sense of it

Language for reflective writing - Step 4

Author X/Y

The manager

The membersStudent A

state(s)argue(s)believe(s)claim(s)point(s) outis/are of the opinionseem(s) to believe

that…

I have read

According to X,

(Gillett, 2012)

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But occasionally, it seems ...But actually, ...That is a good idea except when ...That may be so, but ...That is probably true, although ...I am not so sure about that, because...I think X’s suggestion is debatable ...

Analysis: 2. Evaluate the theory, compare with what you did & the conclusions you came to with what they did.

Language for reflective writing - Step 4

It/TheyHeSheThis

is/aremay beseem(s) to bewould seem to be

Relevant Useful ApplicableMistakenWrong.

I disagree with X when he

writesargues that …

Reflecting on your/group work – Step 5 & 6

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Conclusion:(general & specific)

1.Conclude the overall (group) work experience

2.Conclude about your own specific SWOT - What did you gain & learn from the experience?

3.Generalise and link to the future

Conclusions: 1. Evaluate your knowledge & practice on the basis of this.

Language for reflective writing - Step 5&6

In thinking back... On reflection, ... We / I should have ... It would have been better to ... We / I could have ...

2. Discuss what knowledge & skills you lack.

I can not ... I do not ... My --- is not good enough. I need to ....

It isgenerallywidely

acceptedarguedbelieved

that ....

Therefore,Thus,

On this basis,Given this,

weI

canmay

beconclude

deducethat..

.In conclusion,Finally

we/may sayit can/may be said

that ....

3. Conclude.

© HBS CASE, 2014(Gillett, 2012)

Reflecting on your/group work – Step 7

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Personal Action Plan

1.What would you do differently next time?

2.Would you change anything in your approach to your next team task? What and why?

Action Plans:Explain what you are going to do next and justify it.

Language for reflective writing - Step 7

I am going to ...I feel it is necessary for me

to ...I have decided to ...

I now intend to ...It is my intention to ...

I fully intend to ...I'm going to make sure I ...

I plan to ...

I should now ...I ought to ...

I am planning to ...I will make the effort to ...I will see if I can ...I shall do what I can to ...I am thinking of ...I might ...

I would prefer ...I would rather ...It would be better to ...

I will probably not ...

I am not keen on ...I would rather not ...© HBS CASE, 2014(Gillett, 2012)

Other useful phrases to use…I used this feedback toTaking responsibility has meant Unfortunately, at this point IThis is a priority because I know that I need to developBecause I had practiced Despite these setbacksI made the decision thatI learnt that Following this experienceThis happened because My skills were enhanced because This relates to my experience of…

This made me aware that I identified this as a strength and I realised (that because of this)This meant that I used the previous experience of The next time I shallEvidence from my diary showsI need to be more aware of my inter- personal skills because I need to be aware that I do not always This has changed because This was a significant milestone because

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Do ...• Keep a diary, journal, log or blog• Ask yourself reflective questions• Have a clear purpose and aim at improvement• Be honest, be positive, and be appropriate• Be specific about what you are reflecting on• Follow the correct style of writing (you can

reflect using ‘I’)• Use ‘The group work involved...’• Provide examples: practice linking to theory• Use CASE Guides, incl. Harvard Referencing © HBS CASE, 2014

Don’t ...• Be dishonest• Describe…critically evaluate: weigh up strengths &

weaknesses; benefits & cost; decisions & outcomes

• Transfer blame and make excuses; criticise others• Personalise, by naming people in your group• Include personal/private material• Include unnecessary examples; irrelevant or

repetitive material• Include material or content produced by others

(plagiarism)© HBS CASE, 2014

So Remember:• Demonstrate you have evaluated the theory and

applied it in relation to practice• Reach conclusions from these connections• Apply your learning to future practice

Check your Module Handbook for guidelines: learning outcomes; style; word count; gradingcriteria; recommended reading

Use CASE guides on Reflection; Harvard Referencing© HBS CASE, 2014

Reflection on module learning outcomesWhy? What were your aims and objectives?Have things changed since starting? In what way?

For what reason?What were you expecting?What did you expect from yourself?What lead you to form these expectations?What are the LOs for the module(s) so far?What skills development is linked to the

module(s)?How do these outcomes and skills correspond to

your own aims & goals?© HBS CASE, 2014

Start today ...Reflect on your learning by completing: My Study Skills Abilities and Priorities

Look at the findings & identify your strengths and weaknesses.

What are you going to do about your weaknesses?How can you turn them into strengths by the end of

this semester/year?

Try VARK Questionnaire to identify your learning style: http://www.vark-learn.com

© HBS CASE, 2014

ReferencesCottrell, S. (2003) Skills for Success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Drew, S. and Bingham, R. (2001) The Student Skills Guide. 2nd Edn. Aldershot: Gower.

Drucker, P.F. (n.d.) In ThinkExist.com Quotations (2008) Peter F. Drucker quotes. Available at: http://einstein/quotes/peter_f._drucker/ [Accessed: 19 September, 2008].

Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Oxford Polytechnic Further Education Unit.

Gillett, A. (2012) Reflective Writing. Available at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm [Accessed: 30 September, 2012].

Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiental Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Eaglewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Zintz, M. V. and Maggart, Z. R. (1989) The Reading Process: The Teacher & the Learner Dubuque: William C. Brown Publishers.

McMillan, K. and Weyers, J.D.B. (2006) Smarter Student's Study Guide: Skills and Strategies for Success at University. Harlow: Pearson

Schön, D. A. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.© HBS CASE, 2014