Reflective Writing in SLT

WHAT IS EFFECTIVE REFLECTIVE WRITING?

• Reports concisely and clearly a learning experience

DESCRIPTIVE

• Explains how the experience (including both successes and failures) contributed to your learning

• Identifies objectives for consolidating your learning and filling any gaps you have become aware of

ANALYTICAL

• Makes connections between this learning experience and the ‘bigger picture’ of your professional development

• Explores tensions or contradictions in applying principles in practical contexts

DEEPER

CRITICAL

• describing (telling the story) of experiences – without analysis

• wallowing in (or avoiding) self-criticism

• making claims about learning etc which are not supported by evidence

• clumsily applying ‘rules’ (e.g. impersonality) from other kinds of writing

COMMON WEAKNESSES IN REFLECTIVE WRITING

REFLECTIVE WRITING IN SLT PRACTICE

You need to include a reflection on your learning in each ‘range of practice’ page in myPortfolio (speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing and multimodal communication)

Each of your six reflections will consist of a few paragraphs summarising what you’ve learnt, how you’ve learnt it, and what you need to learn in relation to the particular range of practice

You’ll need to refer to the most relevant learning experiences in Year 3 of the course, focusing on placements but supplementing this experience with references to relevant lectures, reading, assignments and observations

• Write a range of practice at the top of a page

• Review the competencies you had already begun to develop in this range of practice in Y2

• What limitations / gaps had you identified in your Y2 reflections?

• Looking back, can you see any other limitations / gaps in your Y2 competencies which you hadn’t identified at the time?

• What objectives had you set for Y3?

• How had you planned to achieve them?

WRITING TIPS

• Note down two or three key things you learnt about this range of practice and how you learnt them

• Was this learning in line with your expectations / objectives for Y3?

• Note down a few key problems, gaps, or difficulties you have experienced in this range of practice: What caused them? How did they affect you? What did you do about them? Did that work?

WRITING TIPS

Review the seven CBOS Units and add various codes (3.1; 4.2 etc) to some of the key things you’ve learnt and the problems you’ve had in this range of practice

Highlight the CBOS Units in which you still have gaps in relation to this range of practice

Look ahead at Y4 and note down any opportunities to consolidate CBOS Units you have begun to develop and to fill in some of your gaps

Think about some other things you could do independently to develop in this range of practice in (or before) Y4

Structure your reflection around three to four paragraphs - for example:

1) An overview of your competencies, limitations and objectives going into Y3

At the beginning of this year, my competencies in relation to Adult Language were limited to theoretical knowledge deriving from the tests and case studies completed during the Neurogenic Speech Disorders papers and observations from my Year 2 placement at Waitakere DHB. I had begun, therefore, to develop competencies in CBOS Units 1 to 4, but needed to consolidate all of these areas and also to begin to take on more professional responsibilities (CBOS Unit 5), particularly in a team and/or community-based context (CBOS Unit 6).

example

2) A summary of one or two learning experiences (including a focus on some personal difficulty / challenge) that have contributed to specific (coded) CBOS competencies in this range of practice

My main competency development in Adult Language in 2014 was through my placement at Whanau Care in Manurewa. Under supervision, I was responsible for assessment, analysis and interpretation, planning and implementation of interventions for two clients with apraxia of speech and Wernicke’s aphasia (CBOS 1 – 4). As one of the clients was a Maori woman, I reviewed my notes on culturally safe practices and also familiarised myself with the policies of the agency (CBOS 5.1).

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During the placement, I became more comfortable in introducing myself in Te Reo and saying a karakia, initially with my supervisor, but on subsequent visits, by myself and with an occupational therapist and family members (CBOS 4.1; 6.1; 6.2; 6.3). I successfully used a picture-word matching task with the client, based on suggestions in Smith and Jones (2004), selecting functionally and culturally relevant items. The client made significant progress through this task and her husband commented on the positive impact this had had on her mood and on the family’s engagement with the therapy. I also extended my communication competencies, through providing both oral and written reports to the whanau and to the agency.

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3) A ‘bigger picture’ insight – e.g. how this learning links to your overall professional development or understanding of SLT in a NZ/Aotearoa context

My supervisor’s reports on my performance were positive. I also became more efficient in the technical and formal aspects of SLT practice. However, I realise that I am still extremely limited in my range of resource and therapy options. This restricts my ability to provide client-centred practice, since I am unable to select from a wide range of possibilities those which best suit the client’s needs, goals and circumstances in the way I have observed my supervisor do.

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4) Specific learning objectives for this range of practice in Y4, together with how you plan to achieve them

Therefore, I have asked and been given permission to visit the agency for two or three days in December in order to familiarise myself with resources for speech and language therapy with adults in home or community settings, including especially those which address specific cultural needs of the clients.

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