Prepare for Success

Reflective writing

Agenda• Lecture coverage:– What is reflective writing?– Example of reflective writing– Possible Structure

Reflective Writing (DCQE, n.d)• 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 or object).

2. Analyzing the event or idea (thinking in depth and from different perspectives, and trying to explain, often with reference to a model or theory from your subject).

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

What is reflective writing not?• Just conveying information, instruction or

argument• Pure description, though there may be

descriptive elements• Straight forward decision or judgment• A summary of course notes• A standard university essay (The Learning

Centre, 2008)

Why are we asked to do this type of assignment• To make connections• To examine your learning processes• To clarify what you are learning• To reflect on mistakes and successes• To become an active and aware learner• To become an reflective practitioner once you

graduate and begin your professional life (The Learning Centre, 2008)

Example of basic reflective writing• Specific tasks were shared out amongst members of my team.

Initially, however, the tasks were not seen as equally difficult by all team members. Cooperation between group members was at risk because of this perception of unfairness. Social interdependence theory recognizes a type of group interaction called ‘positive interdependence’, meaning cooperation (Johnson & Johnson, 1993, cited by Maughan & Webb, 2001), and many studies have demonstrated that “cooperative learning experiences encourage higher achievement” (Maughan & Webb, 2001). Ultimately, our group achieved a successful outcome, but to improve the process, we perhaps needed a chairperson to help encourage cooperation when tasks were being shared out. In future group work, on the course and at work, I would probably suggest this.

Possible Structure • Reflective thinking – especially if done in discussion with

others – can be very ‘free’ and unstructured and still be very useful.

• Even reflective writing can be unstructured, for example when it is done in a personal diary.

• The example of basic reflective writing on the previous page can be broken down into three parts: description, interpretation and outcome.

1. Description2. Interpretation3. Outcome

1. Description• What happened? • What is being examined?

Specific tasks were shared out amongst members of my team.Initially, however, the tasks were not seen as equally difficult by all team members.

2. Interpretation• What is most important / interesting / useful / relevant

about the object, event or idea? • How can it be explained e.g. with theory? • How is it similar to and different from others?Cooperation between group members was at risk because of this perception of unfairness. Social interdependence theory recognizes a type of group interaction called ‘positive interdependence’, meaning cooperation (Johnson & Johnson, 1993, cited by Maughan & Webb, 2001), and many studies have demonstrated that “cooperative learning experiences encourage higher achievement” (Maughan & Webb, 2001).

3. Outcome• What have I learned from this?• What does this mean for my future?

Ultimately, our group achieved a successful outcome, but to improve our achievement, we perhaps needed a chairperson to help encourage cooperation when tasks were being shared out. In future group work (on the course and at work), I would probably suggest this.

Gibbs’ model of reflection

1. Description•Need to explain what happened. •Some background information, such as where you were working at the time (being careful not to identify individual people or places). •Tell the reader who was involved and describe the incident itself •Don’t discussing your feelings yet – just the facts are required at this stage.

2. Feelings•Discuss your feelings and thoughts about the incident in this section. •How did you feel at the time?•What about afterwards? •What did you think at the time? •What did you think about the incident afterwards?•Can discuss your emotions honestly in this section, but make sure to remember at all times that this is an academic piece of writing. •Be careful not to be offensive

3. Evaluation•Looking at how well things went.•How did you react to the situation, and how did other people react? •What was good and what was bad about the experience? •If you are writing about a difficult incident, did you feel that the situation was resolved afterwards? Why / why not? You will probably need some theory and the work of other authors in this section.

4. Analysis•Will look in greater depth at what might have helped or hindered the situation •How or why the incident came about in the first place. •Importantly, you will need to bring theory and other authors’ work in here. •NOTE: The most common reason why students get poor marks for reflective assignments is that they don’t bring the theory and experience together in this section.

5. Conclusion•Think about whether you could have done anything else during the incident•What you have learned from it. Could you have responded in a different way? •If you are talking about a positive experience, will you do the same again to ensure a positive outcome, or is there anything you could change to improve things even further? •If the incident was negative, how could you have avoided it happening or how can you make sure it doesn’t happen again?

6. Action plan•Sums up anything you need to do in order to improve things for next time. •Do you perhaps need to learn about something or attend some training? •Could you ask your tutor or placement supervisor for some advice? •What can you do which means that, if the situation arises again, you will be better equipped to cope with it?

Key points to keep in mind• 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 (DCQE, n.d).

Key points to keep in mind (1)• It is normally necessary to select just the most

significant parts of the event or idea on which you’re reflecting.

• It is often useful to ‘reflect forward’ to the future as well as ‘reflecting back’ on the past (DCQE, n.d).

References• Cooper, P.T. (2001) Managing situations at work.

London: Rufus Publications.• Daynes, J. and Farris, M.M. (2003) The Manager-

Employee Relationship. Oxford: Oxfordian Books Ltd.

• Department Curriculum and Quality Enhancement (DCQE) University of Portsmouth (n.d), Reflective writing: a basic introduction

• Greene, F. (2006) Teacher Trainees: The Truth. York: Education Press.

• The Learning Centre, The University of New South Wales (2008) Reflective Writing [online] Available from: www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/reflect.html (Accessed on 4th Nov 2010)

• Maughan, C., & Webb, J. (2001). Small group learning and assessment. Retrieved August 01, 2007, from the Higher Education Academy website: www.ukcle.ac.uk/resources/temp/assessment.html

• Parbold, L. (1998) ‘Feedback from newly-qualified adult education teachers’, Journal of Teacher Training, 12(3), pp 23-38.

• Thomas, F.G. (2003) Dealing with difficult employees – a manager’s guide. Glasgow: Meriddan Ltd.