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Genre: A reflective essay reflects critically on personal experience and opinion in light of broader literature, theories or subject materials. As conventions and expectations may differ across contexts, always check with your lecturer for the specific conventions of the genre.
Context: This short reflective essay and reply was written in response to a weekly assessment task in an atypical development unit that required students to reflect on their own position in relation the following question :
Do Barbie Dolls affect girls' body image? If you had (or have) a young daughter, would you allow her to play with Barbie or Bratz dolls? Why or why not?
Response: Barbie Dolls and Body Image: Just Child’s Play? This title links to the topic of the writing and raises a question that implies a thesis .
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Reflective writing includes several different components: description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and future application. Reflective writers must weave their personal perspectives with evidence of deep, critical thought as they make connections between theory, practice, and learning. The steps below should help you find the appropriate balance among all these factors.
As with any writing situation, the first step in writing a reflective piece is to clarify the task. Reflective assignments can take many forms, so you need to understand exactly what your instructor is asking you to do. Some reflective assignments are short, just a paragraph or two of unpolished writing. Usually the purpose of these reflective pieces is to capture your immediate impressions or perceptions. For example, your instructor might ask you at the end of a class to write quickly about a concept from that day’s lesson. That type of reflection helps you and your instructor gauge your understanding of the concept.
Other reflections are academic essays that can range in length from several paragraphs to several pages. The purpose of these essays is to critically reflect on and support an original claim(s) about a larger experience, such as an event you attended, a project you worked on, or your writing development. These essays require polished writing that conforms to academic conventions, such as articulation of a claim and substantive revision. They might address a larger audience than you and your instructor, including, for example, your classmates, your family, a scholarship committee, etc. It’s important before you begin writing, that you can identify the assignment’s purpose, audience, intended message or content, and requirements.
As you generate ideas for your reflection, you might consider things like:
Researchers have developed several different frameworks or models for how reflective writing can be structured. For example, one method has you consider the “What?” “So what?” and “Now what?” of a situation in order to become more reflective. First, you assess what happened and describe the event, then you explain why it was significant, and then you use that information to inform your future practice. [1] [2] Similarly, the DIEP framework can help you consider how to organize your content when writing a reflective piece. Using this method, you describe what happened or what you did, interpret what it means, evaluate its value or impact, and plan steps for improving or changing for the future.
The DIEP model (Boud, Keogh & Walker,1985) organizes the reflection into four different components:
Remember, your goal is to make an interpretive or evaluative claim, or series of claims, that moves beyond obvious statements (such as, “I really enjoyed this project”) and demonstrates you have come to a deeper understanding of what you have learned and how you will use that learning.
In the example below, notice how the writer reflects on her initial ambitions and planning, the a-ha! moment, and then her decision to limit the scope of a project. She was assigned a multimodal (more than just writing) project, in which she made a video, and then reflected on the experience:
Keeping a central focus in mind applies to multimodal compositions as well as written essays. A prime example of this was in my remix. When storyboarding for the video, I wanted to appeal to all college students in general. Within my compressed time limit of three minutes, I had planned to showcase numerous large points. It was too much. I decided to limit the scope of the topic to emphasize how digitally “addicted” college students are, and that really changed the project in significant ways.
A single, unpolished draft may suffice for short, in-the-moment reflections, but you may be asked to produce a longer academic reflection essay, which will require significant drafting, revising, and editing. Whatever the length of the assignment, keep this reflective cycle in mind:
The following video, produced by the Hull University Skills Team, provides a great overview of reflective writing. Even if you aren’t assigned a specific reflection writing task in your classes, it’s a good idea to reflect anyway, as reflection results in better learning.
You can view the transcript for “Reflective Writing” here (opens in new window) .
Check your understanding of reflective writing and the things you learned in the video with these quick practice questions:
https://h5p.cwr.olemiss.edu/h5p/embed/60
Rubrics allow for quicker and more consistent marking. This can be extremely helpful in reflection, which can feel as if it needs to be assessed by instinct alone. A well-defined rubric will make marking of reflection systematic and support both you and the reflectors.
Rubric | A tool to help in assessing students’ work, which usually includes three essential features: evaluative criteria, quality definitions of the criteria at particular levels, and a scoring strategy (Dawson, 2007) |
Holistic rubric | For every grade level or mark, gives an overall description of competence, without a breakdown into individual criteria. |
Analytic rubric | For every grade level or mark, describes the level of competence for each assessment criterion. |
There are many general benefits from using a rubric, which extend beyond reflection. For facilitators a rubric can:
Moreover, students report that having a well-defined rubric available before they engage with an assessment makes it clearer what is expected of them. Other benefits can be:
While the usefulness of rubrics are widely accepted, there are some criticisms arguing that rubrics can fail to make the marking easier as students’ work does not fit onto the predefined categories and will have to be assessed holistically, rather than by a set of components. Moreover, it is argued that a piece of work is often more than the sum of its parts.
These are both fair criticisms. Sometimes you will receive reflections that are hard to mark against your criteria or are indeed better than your rubric would suggest. However, having a rubric will give you a place to start for these reflections.
If you find that your rubric consistently misses aspects this would suggest the criteria need updated.
When choosing your rubric, there are two general approaches: holistic and analytical.
For each level of performance highlighted in the rubrics, it can be helpful to provide an example of that level (for example a series of reflective sentences or an extract).
The holistic rubric gives a general description of the different performance levels, for example novice, apprentice, proficient, or distinguished.
The levels can take many different names, and you can choose as many levels as you find appropriate. It can be recommended to include the same number of levels as the number of grades available for students, for example a level for failing and a level for each passing grade.
The analytic rubric allows you to identify a reflector’s performance against each of your chosen and well-defined assessment criteria.
This can be helpful for you in the marking process and when giving feedback to the reflector as you can tell them exactly what areas they are performing well in and need to improve on.
You may consider giving a student a mark for each criterion and take an average of that for the overall mark. Alternatively, predefine a weight or a set of points available for each criterion and calculate the overall mark according to this. If the latter method is used, you should also make the weightings available to students at the same time as the rubric.
It is unlikely that the first rubric you make is going to capture everything you need, and you may find you need to update it. This is natural for rubrics in all areas, and especially around the area of reflection, which for many is new. Revisiting your rubric is particularly worth doing after the first time it is used.
When using your rubric you can ask yourself:
Rubrics that work well for you have a lot of value, but to ensure that you get an optimal rubric it is important that others using your rubric would give the same grade to the same reflection as you do – ensuring that your rubric has inter-rater reliability.
This is important for two reasons:
Moon’s (2004) four levels of reflective writing.
These four levels distinguish between four types of written accounts you might see a reflector produce.
In this case the three top levels might pass a reflective assignment, where descriptive writing would not.
Taken from Jennifer Moon’s book: A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning (2004)
Descriptive writing | This account is descriptive and it contains little reflection. It may tell a story but from one point of view at a time and generally one point at a time is made. Ideas tend to be linked by the sequence of the account / story rather than by meaning. The account describes what happened, sometimes mentioning past experiences, sometimes anticipating the future – but all in the context of an account of the event. There may be references to emotional reactions but they are not explored and not related to behaviour. The account may relate to ideas or external information, but these are not considered or questioned and the possible impact on behaviour or the meaning of events is not mentioned. There is little attempt to focus on particular issues. Most points are made with similar weight. The writing could hardly be deemed to be reflective at all. It could be a reasonably written account of an event that would serve as a basis on which reflection might start, though a good description that precedes reflective accounts will tend to be more focused and to signal points and issues for further reflection. |
Descriptive account with some reflection | This is a descriptive account that signals points for reflection while not actually showing much reflection. The basic account is descriptive in the manner of description above. There is little addition of ideas from outside the event, reference to alternative viewpoints or attitudes to others, comment and so on. However, the account is more than just a story. It is focused on the event as if there is a big question or there are questions to be asked and answered. Points on which reflection could occur are signalled. There is recognition of the worth of further exploring but it does not go very far. In other words, asking the questions makes it more than a descriptive account, but the lack of attempt to respond to the questions means that there is little actual analysis of the events. The questioning does begin to suggest a ‘standing back from the event’ in (usually) isolated areas of the account. The account may mention emotional reactions, or be influenced by emotion. Any influence may be noted, and possibly questioned. There is a sense of recognition that this is an incident from which learning can be gained, but the reflection does not go sufficiently deep to enable the learning to begin to occur. |
Reflective writing (level 1) | There is description but it is focused with particular aspects accentuated for reflective comment. There may be a sense that the material is being mulled around. It is no longer a straight-forward account of an event, but it is definitely reflective. There is evidence of external ideas or information and where this occurs, the material is subjected to reflection. The account shows some analysis and there is recognition of the worth of exploring motives or reasons for behaviour Where relevant, there is willingness to be critical of the action of self or others. There is likely to be some self-questioning and willingness also to recognise the overall effect of the event on self. In other words, there is some ‘standing back’ from the event. There is recognition of any emotional content, a questioning of its role and influence and an attempt to consider its significance in shaping the views presented. There may be recognition that things might look different from other perspectives that views can change with time or the emotional state. The existence of several alternative points of view may be acknowledged but not analysed. In other words, in a relatively limited way the account may recognise that frames of reference affect the manner in which we reflect at a given time but it does not deal with this in a way that links it effectively to issues about the quality of personal judgement. |
Reflective writing (level 2) | Description now only serves the process of reflection, covering the issues for reflection and noting their context. There is clear evidence of standing back from an event and there is mulling over and internal dialogue. The account shows deep reflection, and it incorporates a recognition that the frame of reference with which an event is viewed can change. A metacognitive stance is taken (i.e. critical awareness of one’s own processes of mental functioning – including reflection). The account probably recognises that events exist in a historical or social context that may be influential on a person’s reaction to them. In other words, multiple perspectives are noted. Self-questioning is evident (an ‘internal dialogue’ is set up at times) deliberating between different views of personal behaviour and that of others. The view and motives of others are taken into account and considered against those of the writer. There is recognition of the role of emotion in shaping the ideas and recognition of the manner in which different emotional influences can frame the account in different ways. There is recognition that prior experience, thoughts (own and other’s) interact with the production of current behaviour. There is observation that there is learning to be gained from the experience and points for learning are noted. There is recognition that the personal frame of reference can change according to the emotional state in which it is written, the acquisition of new information, the review of ideas and the effect of time passing. |
These four levels are different and highlight four alternative approaches to reflective journaling. While they are specifically developed for journal use, the levels will generalise to other types of written reflection.
The rubric is develop by Chabon and Lee-Wilkerson (2006) when evaluating reflective journals of students undertaking a graduate degree in communication sciences and disorders.
Level 1: Descriptive | Students demonstrate acquisition of new content from significant learning experiences. Journal entry provides evidence of gaining knowledge, making sense of new experiences, or making linkages between old and new information. | “I didn’t know that many of the traditions I believed were based in Anglo-American roots. I thought that all cultures viewed traditions similarly.” |
Level 2: Empathetic | Students demonstrate thoughts about or challenges to beliefs, values, and attitudes of self and others. Journal entry provides examples of self-projection into the experiences of other, sensitivity towards the values and beliefs of others, and/or tolerance for differences. | “I felt badly when I heard the derogatory terms used so freely when I visited the South.” |
Level 3: Analytic | Students demonstrate the application of learning to a broader context of personal and professional life. Journal entry provides evidence of student’s use of readings, observations, and discussions to examine, appraise, compare, contrast, plan for new actions or response, or propose remedies to use in and outside structured learning experiences. | “I was able to observe nursing staff interact with a patient whose first language was Tagalog and was diagnosed with altered mental status. The nurses employed many of the strategies that we have read about and discussed in class.” |
Level 4: Metacognitive | Students demonstrate examination of the learning process, showing what learning occurred, how learning occurred, and how newly acquired knowledge or learning altered existing knowledge. Journal entry provides examples of evaluation or revision of real and fictitious interactions. | “I found myself forming impressions about a child’s language abilities and made myself stop until I got additional information as suggested in class discussions.” |
Reflection evaluation for learners’ enhanced competencies tool (reflect) rubric.
This analytic rubric has been developed and empirically tested and improved by Wald et al. (2012). It was developed specifically for medical education, but can easily be used elsewhere. The rubric is designed using theoretical considerations from a range of thinkers around reflection as Moon, Schön, Boud and Mezirow.
This rubric has been used in empirical studies and a high inter-rater reliability has been established.
There are two components to the rubric. The standard rubric and an additional axis. The second axis should be used when a reflector reaches ‘Critical reflection’ and then distinguishes between two types of learning, which reflection can help surface.
Adding the additional axis can help you to differentiate between what kind of learning the student has obtained as well as reminding us that reflection does not need to always create new practice – becoming aware of why one’s practice works can be equally valuable.
Standard Rubric
Superficial descriptive writing approach (fact reporting, vague impressions) without reflection or introspection | Elaborated descriptive writing approach and impressions without reflection | Movement beyond reporting or descriptive writing to reflecting (i.e. attempting to understand, question, or analyse the event) | Exploration and critique of assumptions, values, beliefs, and/or biases, and the consequences of action (present and future) | |
Sense of writer being partially present | Sense of writer being partially present | Sense of writer being largely or fully present | Sense of writer being fully present | |
No description of the disorienting dilemma, conflict, challenge, or issue of concern | Absent or weak description of the disorienting dilemma, conflict, challenge, or issue of concern | Description of the disorienting dilemma, conflict, challenge, or issue of concern | Full description of the disorienting dilemma, conflict, challenge, or issue of concern that includes multiple perspectives, exploring alternative explanations, and challenging assumptions | |
Little or no recognition or attention to emotions | Recognition but no exploration or attention to emotions | Recognition, exploration, and attention to emotions | Recognition, exploration, attention to emotions, and gain of emotional insight | |
No analysis or meaning making | Little or unclear analysis or meaning making | Some analysis and meaning making | Comprehensive analysis and meaning making | |
Poorly addresses the assignment question and does not provide a compelling rationale for choosing an alternative | Partial or unclear addressing of assignment question; does not provide a compelling rationale for choosing an alternative | Clearly answers the assignment question or, if relevant, provides a compelling rationale for choosing an alternative | Clearly answers the assignment question or, if relevant provides a compelling rationale for choosing an alternative |
Axis II for critical reflection
Frames of reference or meaning structures are transformed. Requires critical reflection integration of new learning into one’s identity, informing future perceptions, emotions, attitudes, insights, meanings, and actions. Conveys a clear sense of a breakthrough. | Frames of reference or meaning structures are confirmed. Requires critical reflection. |
This rubric form Jones (n.d) gives another approach to marking reflection. Using five criteria it manages to capture a lot of what is relevant when marking reflection as well as giving clear qualities highlighted for each level of reflection.
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Language is unclear and confusing throughout. Concepts are either not discussed or are presented inaccurately. | There are frequent lapses in clarity and accuracy | Minor, infrequent lapses in clarity and accuracy. | The language is clear and expressive. The reader can create a mental picture of the situation being described. Abstract concepts are explained accurately. Explanation of concepts makes sense to an uninformed reader. | |
Most of the reflection is irrelevant to student and/or course learning goals. | Student makes attempts to demonstrate relevance, but the relevance is unclear to the reader. | The learning experience being reflected upon is relevant and meaningful to student and course learning goals. | The learning experience being reflected upon is relevant and meaningful to student and course learning goals. | |
Reflection does not move beyond description of the learning experience(s). | Student makes attempts at applying the learning experience to understanding of self, others, and/or course concepts but fails to demonstrate depth of analysis. | The reflection demonstrates student attempts to analyse the experience but analysis lacks depth. | The reflection moves beyond simple description of the experience to an analysis of how the experience contributed to student understanding of self, others, and/or course concepts. | |
No attempt to demonstrate connections to previous learning or experience. | There is little to no attempt to demonstrate connections between the learning experience and previous other personal and/or learning experiences. | The reflection demonstrates connections between the experience and material from other courses; past experience; and/or personal goals. | The reflection demonstrates connections between the experience and material from other courses; past experience; and/or personal goals. | |
Not attempt at self-criticism. | There is some attempt at self-criticism, but the self-reflection fails to demonstrate a new awareness of personal biases, etc. | The reflection demonstrates ability of the student to question their own biases, stereotypes, preconceptions. | The reflection demonstrates ability of the student to question their own biases, stereotypes, preconceptions, and/or assumptions and define new modes of thinking as a result. |
Chabon, S. and Lee-Wilkerson, D. (2006). Use of journal writing in the assessment of CSD students’ learning about diversity: A method worthy of reflection. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 27(3), 146-158.
Dawson, P. (2017) Assessment rubrics: towards clearer and more replicable design, research and practice. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(3), 347-360.
Jones, S. (n.d.) Using reflection for assessment . Office of Service Learning, IUPUI. (link to PDF on external site)
Moon J.A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and practice. Routledge.
Kohn, A. (2006). The trouble with rubrics. English Journal, 95(4).
Wald, H.S., Borkan, J.M., Scott Taylor, J., Anthony, D., and Reis, S.P. (2012) Fostering and evaluating reflective capacity in medical education: Developing the REFLECT rubric for assessing reflective writing. Academic Medicine, 87(1), 41-50.
(Last updated: 3 June 2024)
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“The overwhelming burden of writing my first ever reflective essay loomed over me as I sat as still as a statue, as my fingers nervously poised over the intimidating buttons on my laptop keyboard. Where would I begin? Where would I end? Nerve wracking thoughts filled my mind as I fretted over the seemingly impossible journey on which I was about to embark.”
Reflective essays may seem simple on the surface, but they can be a real stumbling block if you're not quite sure how to go about them. In simple terms, reflective essays constitute a critical examination of a life experience and, with the right guidance, they're not too challenging to put together. A reflective essay is similar to other essays in that it needs to be easily understood and well structured, but the content is more akin to something personal like a diary entry.
In this guide, we explore in detail how to write a great reflective essay , including what makes a good structure and some advice on the writing process. We’ve even thrown in an example reflective essay to inspire you too, making this the ultimate guide for anyone needing reflective essay help.
There are several types of reflective papers, each serving a unique purpose. Educational reflection papers focus on your learning experiences, such as a course or a lecture, and how they have impacted your understanding. Professional reflection papers often relate to work experiences, discussing what you have learned in a professional setting and how it has shaped your skills and perspectives. Personal reflection papers delve into personal experiences and their influence on your personal growth and development.
Each of these requires a slightly different approach, but all aim to provide insight into your thoughts and experiences, demonstrating your ability to analyse and learn from them. Understanding the specific requirements of each type can help you tailor your writing to effectively convey your reflections.
In a reflective essay, a writer primarily examines his or her life experiences, hence the term ‘reflective’. The purpose of writing a reflective essay is to provide a platform for the author to not only recount a particular life experience, but to also explore how he or she has changed or learned from those experiences. Reflective writing can be presented in various formats, but you’ll most often see it in a learning log format or diary entry. Diary entries in particular are used to convey how the author’s thoughts have developed and evolved over the course of a particular period.
The format of a reflective essay may change depending on the target audience. Reflective essays can be academic, or may feature more broadly as a part of a general piece of writing for a magazine, for instance. For class assignments, while the presentation format can vary, the purpose generally remains the same: tutors aim to inspire students to think deeply and critically about a particular learning experience or set of experiences. Here are some typical examples of reflective essay formats that you may have to write:
A type of reflective essay often used by tutors as a strategy for helping students to learn how to analyse their personal life experiences to promote emotional growth and development. The essay gives the student a better understanding of both themselves and their behaviours.
This kind of essay requires students to provide a summary of the literature, after which it is applied to the student’s own life experiences.
As you go about deciding on the content of your essay, you need to keep in mind that a reflective essay is highly personal and aimed at engaging the reader or target audience. And there’s much more to a reflective essay than just recounting a story. You need to be able to reflect (more on this later) on your experience by showing how it influenced your subsequent behaviours and how your life has been particularly changed as a result.
As a starting point, you might want to think about some important experiences in your life that have really impacted you, either positively, negatively, or both. Some typical reflection essay topics include: a real-life experience, an imagined experience, a special object or place, a person who had an influence on you, or something you have watched or read. If you are writing a reflective essay as part of an academic exercise, chances are your tutor will ask you to focus on a particular episode – such as a time when you had to make an important decision – and reflect on what the outcomes were. Note also, that the aftermath of the experience is especially important in a reflective essay; miss this out and you will simply be storytelling.
It sounds obvious, but the reflective process forms the core of writing this type of essay, so it’s important you get it right from the outset. You need to really think about how the personal experience you have chosen to focus on impacted or changed you. Use your memories and feelings of the experience to determine the implications for you on a personal level.
Once you’ve chosen the topic of your essay, it’s really important you study it thoroughly and spend a lot of time trying to think about it vividly. Write down everything you can remember about it, describing it as clearly and fully as you can. Keep your five senses in mind as you do this, and be sure to use adjectives to describe your experience. At this stage, you can simply make notes using short phrases, but you need to ensure that you’re recording your responses, perceptions, and your experience of the event(s).
Once you’ve successfully emptied the contents of your memory, you need to start reflecting. A great way to do this is to pick out some reflection questions which will help you think deeper about the impact and lasting effects of your experience. Here are some useful questions that you can consider:
These signpost questions should help kick-start your reflective process. Remember, asking yourself lots of questions is key to ensuring that you think deeply and critically about your experiences – a skill that is at the heart of writing a great reflective essay.
Consider using models of reflection (like the Gibbs or Kolb cycles) before, during, and after the learning process to ensure that you maintain a high standard of analysis. For example, before you really get stuck into the process, consider questions such as: what might happen (regarding the experience)? Are there any possible challenges to keep in mind? What knowledge is needed to be best prepared to approach the experience? Then, as you’re planning and writing, these questions may be useful: what is happening within the learning process? Is the process working out as expected? Am I dealing with the accompanying challenges successfully? Is there anything that needs to be done additionally to ensure that the learning process is successful? What am I learning from this? By adopting such a framework, you’ll be ensuring that you are keeping tabs on the reflective process that should underpin your work.
Here’s a very useful tip: although you may feel well prepared with all that time spent reflecting in your arsenal, do not, start writing your essay until you have worked out a comprehensive, well-rounded plan . Your writing will be so much more coherent, your ideas conveyed with structure and clarity, and your essay will likely achieve higher marks.
This is an especially important step when you’re tackling a reflective essay – there can be a tendency for people to get a little ‘lost’ or disorganised as they recount their life experiences in an erratic and often unsystematic manner as it is a topic so close to their hearts. But if you develop a thorough outline (this is the same as a ‘plan’) and ensure you stick to it like Christopher Columbus to a map, you should do just fine as you embark on the ultimate step of writing your essay. If you need further convincing on how important planning is, we’ve summarised the key benefits of creating a detailed essay outline below:
Now you’re familiar with the benefits of using an outline for your reflective essay, it is essential that you know how to craft one. It can be considerably different from other typical essay outlines, mostly because of the varying subjects. But what remains the same, is that you need to start your outline by drafting the introduction, body and conclusion. More on this below.
As is the case with all essays, your reflective essay must begin within an introduction that contains both a hook and a thesis statement. The point of having a ‘hook’ is to grab the attention of your audience or reader from the very beginning. You must portray the exciting aspects of your story in the initial paragraph so that you stand the best chances of holding your reader’s interest. Refer back to the opening quote of this article – did it grab your attention and encourage you to read more? The thesis statement is a brief summary of the focus of the essay, which in this case is a particular experience that influenced you significantly. Remember to give a quick overview of your experience – don’t give too much information away or you risk your reader becoming disinterested.
Next up is planning the body of your essay. This can be the hardest part of the entire paper; it’s easy to waffle and repeat yourself both in the plan and in the actual writing. Have you ever tried recounting a story to a friend only for them to tell you to ‘cut the long story short’? They key here is to put plenty of time and effort into planning the body, and you can draw on the following tips to help you do this well:
Try adopting a chronological approach. This means working through everything you want to touch upon as it happened in time. This kind of approach will ensure that your work is systematic and coherent. Keep in mind that a reflective essay doesn’t necessarily have to be linear, but working chronologically will prevent you from providing a haphazard recollection of your experience. Lay out the important elements of your experience in a timeline – this will then help you clearly see how to piece your narrative together.
Ensure the body of your reflective essay is well focused and contains appropriate critique and reflection. The body should not only summarise your experience, it should explore the impact that the experience has had on your life, as well as the lessons that you have learned as a result. The emphasis should generally be on reflection as opposed to summation. A reflective posture will not only provide readers with insight on your experience, it’ll highlight your personality and your ability to deal with or adapt to particular situations.
In the conclusion of your reflective essay, you should focus on bringing your piece together by providing a summary of both the points made throughout, and what you have learned as a result. Try to include a few points on why and how your attitudes and behaviours have been changed. Consider also how your character and skills have been affected, for example: what conclusions can be drawn about your problem-solving skills? What can be concluded about your approach to specific situations? What might you do differently in similar situations in the future? What steps have you taken to consolidate everything that you have learned from your experience? Keep in mind that your tutor will be looking out for evidence of reflection at a very high standard.
Congratulations – you now have the tools to create a thorough and accurate plan which should put you in good stead for the ultimate phase indeed of any essay, the writing process.
As with all written assignments, sitting down to put pen to paper (or more likely fingers to keyboard) can be daunting. But if you have put in the time and effort fleshing out a thorough plan, you should be well prepared, which will make the writing process as smooth as possible. The following points should also help ease the writing process:
Although a reflective piece of writing is focused on personal experience, it’s important you draw on other sources to demonstrate your understanding of your experience from a theoretical perspective. It’ll show a level of analysis – and a standard of reliability in what you’re claiming – if you’re also able to validate your work against other perspectives that you find. Think about possible sources, like newspapers, surveys, books and even journal articles. Generally, the additional sources you decide to include in your work are highly dependent on your field of study. Analysing a wide range of sources, will show that you have read widely on your subject area, that you have nuanced insight into the available literature on the subject of your essay, and that you have considered the broader implications of the literature for your essay. The incorporation of other sources into your essay also helps to show that you are aware of the multi-dimensional nature of both the learning and problem-solving process.
If you want some inspiration for writing, take a look at our example of a short reflective essay , which can serve as a useful starting point for you when you set out to write your own.
To recap, the key to writing a reflective essay is demonstrating what lessons you have taken away from your experiences, and why and how you have been shaped by these lessons.
The reflective thinking process begins with you – you must consciously make an effort to identify and examine your own thoughts in relation to a particular experience. Don’t hesitate to explore any prior knowledge or experience of the topic, which will help you identify why you have formed certain opinions on the subject. Remember that central to reflective essay writing is the examination of your attitudes, assumptions and values, so be upfront about how you feel. Reflective writing can be quite therapeutic, helping you identify and clarify your strengths and weaknesses, particularly in terms of any knowledge gaps that you may have. It’s a pretty good way of improving your critical thinking skills, too. It enables you to adopt an introspective posture in analysing your experiences and how you learn/make sense of them.
If you are still having difficulties with starting the writing process, why not try mind-mapping which will help you to structure your thinking and ideas, enabling you to produce a coherent piece. Creating a mind map will ensure that your argument is written in a very systematic way that will be easy for your tutor to follow. Here’s a recap of the contents of this article, which also serves as a way to create a mind map:
1. Identify the topic you will be writing on.
2. Note down any ideas that are related to the topic and if you want to, try drawing a diagram to link together any topics, theories, and ideas.
3. Allow your ideas to flow freely, knowing that you will always have time to edit your reflective essay .
4. Consider how your ideas are connected to each other, then begin the writing process.
And finally, keep in mind that although there are descriptive elements in a reflective essay, we can’t emphasise enough how crucial it is that your work is critical, analytical, and adopts a reflective posture in terms of your experience and the lessons you have learned from it.
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A journey of self-discovery through the written word.
In the realm of writing, reflection is a powerful tool that allows writers to delve deep into their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Reflective essays serve as a platform for introspection and self-discovery, enabling individuals to explore their innermost feelings and perspectives on a particular topic or event. Through the art of reflection, writers can examine their past actions, analyze their growth, and gain valuable insights that contribute to personal and professional development.
The process of writing a reflective essay involves more than just recounting events; it requires a thoughtful examination of one’s thoughts and feelings surrounding those events. By articulating their thoughts in a structured and coherent manner, writers can gain clarity, insight, and understanding of their experiences. This introspective exercise not only enhances self-awareness but also encourages critical thinking, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
As writers navigate the intricate terrain of reflection, they embark on a journey of self-exploration and self-expression. Through the written word, individuals can articulate their innermost thoughts, fears, joys, and struggles, creating a narrative that is both personal and universal. By sharing their reflections with others, writers foster dialogue, connection, and understanding, creating a unique space for empathy, growth, and solidarity.
Reflective writing is a form of writing that allows individuals to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It involves looking back on past events or situations and analyzing them to gain insight and understanding. Reflective writing is often used in academic settings to encourage students to think critically and reflect on their learning process.
When engaging in reflective writing, it is important to be honest and open about your experiences. You should consider how you felt at the time, what you learned from the experience, and how it has influenced your thinking or behavior. Reflective writing can help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your personal growth.
Reflective writing is a form of personal, introspective writing that explores and analyzes thoughts, experiences, and emotions. It involves looking back on a particular event or experience, reflecting on how it affected you, and considering what you’ve learned or gained from it. Reflective writing often involves a deep level of self-awareness and critical thinking.
Through reflective writing, individuals can gain insight into themselves, their actions, and their relationships. It can be a powerful tool for personal growth, self-discovery, and learning. Reflective writing can be therapeutic, helping individuals make sense of their experiences and emotions.
A reflective essay offers numerous benefits for writers and readers alike. Here are some key advantages of writing a reflective essay:
Overall, the act of writing a reflective essay can lead to increased self-awareness, personal growth, and improved communication skills.
Reflective writing allows for personal growth and development by providing a space for self-exploration and introspection. Through the process of reflecting on our experiences, thoughts, and emotions, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
By engaging in reflective writing, we can identify patterns in our behavior, uncover hidden motivations, and gain insights into our strengths and weaknesses. This self-awareness is essential for personal growth, as it enables us to make informed choices and take intentional action towards our goals.
Moreover, reflective writing encourages us to learn from our experiences and mistakes, fostering a growth mindset that embraces challenges and setbacks as opportunities for learning and development. It helps us develop resilience, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, all of which are crucial for personal growth and success.
In conclusion, personal growth and development are central to the practice of reflective writing, as it allows us to cultivate self-awareness, learn from our experiences, and navigate life’s challenges with wisdom and resilience.
Step 1: Select a Topic
Choose a topic that reflects on your personal experiences or emotions that you wish to explore and reflect upon.
Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas
Reflect on the topic and jot down key points, memories, and emotions that you want to include in your essay.
Step 3: Create an Outline
Organize your thoughts and ideas into an outline to structure your essay. Include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Step 4: Write the Introduction
Start with an engaging introduction that captures the reader’s attention and introduces the topic of your reflection.
Step 5: Develop the Body Paragraphs
Elaborate on the key points and experiences in the body paragraphs. Include concrete examples and details to support your reflections.
Step 6: Reflect on the Experience
Reflect on the significance of your experiences and emotions. Analyze how they have impacted you and what you have learned from them.
Step 7: Write the Conclusion
Summarize your reflections and insights in the conclusion. Reflect on how the experience has shaped your thoughts and actions.
Step 8: Revise and Edit
Review your reflective essay, revise for clarity and coherence, and edit for grammar and punctuation errors.
Step 9: Seek Feedback
Share your reflective essay with peers, instructors, or mentors for feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Step 10: Finalize Your Essay
Make final revisions based on feedback and polish your reflective essay for a compelling and insightful piece of writing.
When starting a reflective essay, the first step is to choose a topic that resonates with you and allows for introspection. Consider events, experiences, or emotions that have had a significant impact on you. Reflect on moments of growth, challenges overcome, or lessons learned.
Once you have selected a topic, start brainstorming to generate ideas for your essay. Jot down key points, memories, and thoughts related to your chosen topic. Consider how the experience made you feel, what you learned from it, and how it shaped your perspective.
Brainstorming allows you to explore different angles and details of your chosen topic, helping you to delve deeper into your reflections and craft a well-rounded essay that captures the essence of your thoughts and emotions.
When structuring a reflective essay, it is important to carefully outline the different components to ensure a clear and cohesive piece of writing. Here are some key elements to consider:
1. Introduction: Begin your essay with an engaging introduction that sets the stage for your reflection. Provide some context for the experience or event you will be reflecting on.
2. Body: The body of your essay should include detailed reflections on the experience. Share your thoughts, feelings, and insights on the situation, and provide examples to support your reflections.
3. Analysis: After sharing your reflections, take some time to analyze the experience. Consider what you have learned, how it has impacted you, and what changes it has brought about in your thinking or behavior.
4. Conclusion: Conclude your essay by summarizing your key reflections and insights. Reflect on the significance of the experience and any lessons you have learned. Leave the reader with a final thought or reflection.
By following these guidelines, you can create a structured and thought-provoking reflective essay that effectively communicates your reflections and insights.
Here are some examples of reflective essays:
These examples provide insight into the reflective essay process and can inspire you to explore your own experiences through writing.
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Teaching Commons > Teaching Guides > Feedback & Grading > Rubrics > Assessing Reflection
Assessing reflection or reflective processes can be particularly challenging. A few examples of this challenge are:
As there is not just one type of student in your classes/programs, there is not one answer to designing high quality assessment techniques for assessing reflection. You must design your reflection assignments as well as your assessments carefully considering your own context.
A few things to consider when you are designing your assessment strategies are:
Hatton and smith (1995).
Hatton and Smith described four progressive levels of reflection, with each increased level indicating more/better reflective processes.
Ash and Clayton describe a guided process for facilitating and assessing reflection. These researchers focus specifically on service learning, but their model could be applied to other types of learning experiences.
Element | Description |
---|---|
Mechanics | Consistently avoids typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. |
Connection to Experience | Makes clear the connection(s) between the experience and the dimension being discussed. |
Accuracy | Makes statements of fact that are accurate and supported with evidence; for academic articulated learning statements, accurately identifies, describes, and applies appropriate academic principle(s). |
Clarity | Consistently expands on and expresses ideas in alternative ways, provides examples/illustrations. |
Relevance | Describes learning that is relevant to the articulated learning statement category and keeps the discussion specific to the learning being articulated. |
Depth | Addresses the complexity of the problem; answers important question(s) that are raised; avoids over-simplifying when making connections. |
Breadth | Gives meaningful consideration to alternative points of view and interpretations. |
Logic | Demonstrates a line of reasoning that is logical, with conclusions or goals that follow clearly from it. |
Significance | Draws conclusions, sets goals that address a (the) major issue(s) raised by the experience. |
Contributor: C. Yarnoff, Writing Program, [email protected] . Posted: 2009
Comments: I distribute this list of grading criteria as students are revising their first assignment, a reflective essay. The handout is intended both to inform students of what I will be looking for in assessing their revisions and to reinforce the general suggestions I gave them in our conference about their first drafts.
Printable version (.doc)
An “A” paper:
• Has a well-focused main idea that is developed throughout the essay.
• Is logically organized so that readers follow the development of the main idea easily.
• Clearly explains the underlying premise and key points.
• Addresses major questions and counter-arguments that readers are likely to raise.
• Has well-focused paragraphs with clear topic sentences.
• Offers relevant quotes and paraphrases to support main points. Accurate source citations are provided.
• Has the relatively informal, personal style of a reflective essay.
• Has an introduction that engages the audience and establishes the paper’s focus.
• Has a conclusion that provokes readers to keep thinking about the main idea.
• Has sentences that are concise, direct, appropriately varied in structure, and mechanically correct.
A “B” paper has many of the same qualities as the “A” paper but one or more of the following problems:
• A key question or counter-argument that is not answered in sufficient detail.
• Insufficient support in a paragraph or two.
• Wordiness in several sentences.
A “C” paper has many of the same qualities as the “B” paper but one or more of the following problems:
• Several paragraphs have insufficient support and explanation.
• Introduction does not clearly establish the paper’s focus.
• Conclusion does not provoke readers to keep thinking about the main idea.
• A large number of sentences are wordy.
A “D” paper has some of the following problems:
• Organization is difficult to follow.
• Paragraphs lack focus.
• Audience questions and counter-arguments are not addressed.
• There is minimal support and explanation.
• Style is inconsistent.
• There are many wordy, grammatically incorrect sentences.
• There are many typographical errors.
An “F” paper fails to meet the basic requirements of the assignment. It has some or all of the following problems:
• Lacks a clear main point.
• Has no apparent organization.
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Reflective Writing Rubric. Demonstrate a conscious and thorough understanding of the writing prompt and the subject matter. This reflection can be used as an example for other students. Demonstrate a thoughtful understanding of the writing prompt and the subject matter. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the writing prompt and the subject matter.
Mostly effective framing and explication of quotation where necessary. Imprecise or ambiguous wording. Confusing sentence structure. Poorly chosen quotations, or ineffective framing and explication of quotations. Consistently imprecise or ambiguous wording, confusing sentence structure.
reflection can help to alleviate some of these tensions. The following rubric. 3. provides examples of some of the criteria one might use in assessing reflective writing, depending on the conditions one sets for the reflection: UNDEVELOPED DEVELOPING SKILLED DESCRIBING EXPERIENCE Student provides a description of the experience, observation,
2 Be mindful of length. Generally, five hundred to one thousand words is an appropriate length for a reflective essay. If it's a personal piece, it may be longer. You might be required to keep your essay within a general word count if it's an assignment or part of an application.
Reflective essay rubric. This is a grading rubric an instructor uses to assess students' work on this type of assignment. It is a sample rubric that needs to be edited to reflect the specifics of a particular assignment. Students can self-assess using the rubric as a checklist before submitting their assignment.
Write a reflective essay of your student‐teaching experience in Placement #1 and #2. b. The essay must be 2 ½ ‐ 3 ½ pages. ... To successfully complete this assignment, ensure that you adhere to criteria in the scoring rubric. This assignment must be completed by the end of student teaching in Placement #1 and Placement #2. ...
Reflective Writing Rubric Criteria Subject Quality Clarity Mechanics Exceeds Expectations Reflection thoroughly addresses the topic and/ or question posed in the prompt. Reflection is thoughtful, carefully written, and demonstrates significant depth of self-reflection on the topic. Reflection is clear, logical, and articulate. Reflection ...
Writing a reflective essay. When you are asked to write a reflective essay, you should closely examine both the question and the marking criteria. This will help you to understand what you are being asked to do. Once you have examined the question you should start to plan and develop your essay by considering the following:
The style and tone of your reflective essay should match the purpose of the overall assignment. This is a personal essay meant to showcase what you learned from the text, event, or experience that you are writing about. You can use the pronouns "I," "me," and "mine.". Describe the text, event, or experience fully, using plenty of ...
Reflective Writing Rubric Exemplary Proficient Developing Novice Course Content Professor to provide Professor to provide Professor to provide Professor to provide INTELLECTUAL SKILLS Self-Awareness Student questions own biases, stereotypes, preconceptions, and/or assumptions and defines new modes of thinking as a result. Student questions own
Structuring a Reflective Essay. While reflective essays vary depending upon topic and subject area, most share a basic overall structure. Unless you are told otherwise, then, your essay should include the following: Introduction - A brief outline of what your essay is about. Main Body - The main part of your essay will be a description of ...
The Criteria for a Good Reflective Essay. The convention of an academic reflective essay writing will vary slightly depending on your area of study. A good reflective essay will be written geared towards its intended audience. These are the general criteria that form the core of a well-written piece:
Reflective writing assignments can be in the form of a single paper, essays, portfolios, journals, diaries, or blogs. In some cases, your professor may include a reflective writing assignment as a way to obtain student feedback that helps improve the course, either in the moment or for when the class is taught again.
Use these 5 tips to write a thoughtful and insightful reflection paper. 1. Answer key questions. To write a reflection paper, you need to be able to observe your own thoughts and reactions to the material you've been given. A good way to start is by answering a series of key questions. For example:
Reflective essays. Genre: A reflective essay reflects critically on personal experience and opinion in light of broader literature, theories or subject materials. As conventions and expectations may differ across contexts, always check with your lecturer for the specific conventions of the genre. Context: This short reflective essay and reply was written in response to a weekly assessment task ...
Criteria. Superior (54-60 points) Sufficient (48-53 points) Minimal (1-47 points) Unacceptable (0 points) Depth of Reflection. (25% of TTL Points) ___/15. Response demonstrates an in-depth reflection on, and personalization of, the theories, concepts, and/or strategies presented in the course materials to date.
4th Step: Draft, Revise, Edit, Repeat. A single, unpolished draft may suffice for short, in-the-moment reflections, but you may be asked to produce a longer academic reflection essay, which will require significant drafting, revising, and editing. Whatever the length of the assignment, keep this reflective cycle in mind:
Assessment rubrics. Rubrics allow for quicker and more consistent marking. This can be extremely helpful in reflection, which can feel as if it needs to be assessed by instinct alone. A well-defined rubric will make marking of reflection systematic and support both you and the reflectors. Rubric.
Identify the topic you will be writing on. 2. Note down any ideas that are related to the topic and if you want to, try drawing a diagram to link together any topics, theories, and ideas. 3. Allow your ideas to flow freely, knowing that you will always have time to edit your reflective essay. 4.
Steps to Writing a Reflective Essay. Step 1: Select a Topic. Choose a topic that reflects on your personal experiences or emotions that you wish to explore and reflect upon. Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas. Reflect on the topic and jot down key points, memories, and emotions that you want to include in your essay.
Dialogic Reflection - reflection as a personal dialogue (questioning, considering alternatives). wonder, what if, perhaps…. Critical Reflection - takes into account context in which events occur, questions assumptions, considers alternatives, thinks about consequences of decisions/actions on others, and engages in reflective skepticism.
This rubric evaluates reflection papers on four criteria: 1. Depth of reflection on course materials, with exemplary papers providing insightful viewpoints and well-supported examples. 2. Inclusion of all required components and thorough addressing of questions. 3. Clear, concise, and well-organized writing with few errors. 4. Evidence of synthesizing ideas and insights from the course, along ...
Grading Criteria for a Reflective Essay. An "A" paper: • Has a well-focused main idea that is developed throughout the essay. • Is logically organized so that readers follow the development of the main idea easily. • Clearly explains the underlying premise and key points. • Addresses major questions and counter-arguments that ...