Edith Cowan University Centre for Learning and Teaching Helpsheet REFLECTIVE WRITING What is reflective writing? Reflective writing involves reflecting on experienc- es, situations and new knowledge. It requires you to draw on current understandings and synthesise learning to date to demonstrate a deep, critical understanding of your knowledge. You must link your old knowledge with new knowledge and highlight any areas where your thinking has changed. Why write reflectively? Reflective writing assignments often look for you to demonstrate experiential learning; that is, learning from experience. This may involve one or a number of tasks: revising and synthesising learning to date; connecting theory with practice; demonstration of awareness of own assump- tions and preconceptions relevant to learning topics; planning future actions in response to learning; highlighting/demonstrating how your thinking has changed as a result of learning topics; examination of the process used in a learning task; and/or reflecting on areas of strength and weakness. Methods of Reflective Writing There are many different approaches to reflective writing. A few of the more commonly used meth- ods are outlined on the next pages. How do I write reflectively? Reflective writing uses first-person form with de- scriptive, explanatory and expressive language. Use full sentences (not notes) and complete, flowing paragraphs. Avoid the use of colloquial- isms, slang and idiomatic language. Write about your own: perceptions experiences/ideas/observations questions leading to conclusions learning processes used problems encountered/solved comparisons/connections speculations/hypotheses What kinds of assignments involve reflective writing? You may be asked specifically to complete a re- flective writing task or it may be an included ex- pectation inside another task. Tasks that commonly involve reflective writ- ing include: Journals (discussion boards, weekly learning diaries); Reflective notes (such as those used in Law assignments); Peer reviews; and Self-assessments. Academic Skills Centre Email: [email protected] Web: www.ecu.edu.au/fbllearning 1 Edith Cowan University Centre for Learning and Teaching Helpsheet REFLECTIVE WRITING: DIEP Describe objectively what you learned from the event/experience: What did you see, read and hear during the event? Interpret the events/experience that you described: What is your personal reaction to the event/experience? How did you feel as a result? Did you make any connections with your learning from other topics/units? Have you gained new insights, developed a hypothesis or come to a conclusion as a result of the experience? Could this learning have any implications for your personal/professional life in the future? Evaluate the learning you described and the processes that lead to this: What is your personal opinion about the value of the event/experience and the subsequent knowledge gained? Plan how the learning that you described can be useful to you in the future: Explain how the learning experiences and insights described above might be of use to you in the future. Con- sider future learning, life and career. Example: DIEP reflective writing The field notes consisted of jotted notes and mental triggers (personal notes that would re- mind me of specific things when it came to writing the notes up). I took some direct observa- tional notes recording what I saw where this was relevant to the research questions and, as I was aiming to get a sense of the culture and working environment, I also made researcher inference notes. I found that the notetaking process itself ensured I listened carefully and decoded infor- mation. Not all the information I recorded was relevant, but noting what I found informative contributed to my ability to form an overview on re-reading. However, the reliability of jotted notes alone can be questionable. For example, the notes were not a direct transcription of what the subjects said but consisted of pertinent or interesting information. Rarely did I have time to transcribe a direct quotation, so relied on my own fairly rapid para- phrasing, which risks changing the meaning. Some technical information was difficult to note down accurately. A tape recorder would have been a better, more accurate method. However, one student brought a tape recorder and was asked to switch it off by a participant who was uneasy about her comments being directly recorded. It seems that subjects feel differently about be- ing recorded or photographed (as opposed to observers taking notes), so specific consent should be sought before using these technologies. Adapted from: https://student.unsw.edu.au/examples-reflective-writing Describe Interpret Evaluate Plan Academic Skills Centre Email: [email protected] Web: www.ecu.edu.au/fbllearning 2 Edith Cowan University Centre for Learning and Teaching Helpsheet REFLECTIVE WRITING: What? So what? Now what? What? Briefly describe the events/experience in an objective manner What did you do? How long did you spend doing it? Where did events take place? So what? Explain the sequence of events and interpret the importance of the events. What did you learn from the experience? How are these events related to others you have experienced? What conclusions have you reached as a result of the events? Did these events change your current thinking in any way or reaffirm any current understandings? Why do you think events unfolded as they did? Now what? Plan how these events can be useful to you in future. Where can you apply this learning in various aspects (personal and professional) of your life? Example: What? So what? Now what? reflective writing One problem I encountered in working in my group was that we argued about the pur- pose of the meetings. Every time we had a meeting we all had different ideas about what we should be doing. It took a lot of time at each meeting to decide what we needed to do that day and what we needed to do for the next meeting. Some members thought it was a big waste of time discussing the transactions because all we needed to do was get them right and hand them in. One member became quite cross, for example when I insisted that everyone had to be sure about where a figure came from. We found it useful to structure the meetings as this developed a more professional atmosphere. When we finally formalised the purpose of the meetings and got agreement about what we would achieve, we were able to communicate more freely and get the transactions written. In future group work assignments, be they at uni or out in workforce, I will advocate for a structured approach to group meetings. Adapted from: http://emedia.rmit.edu.au/learninglab/content/reflective-journal-sample-example What? So what? Now what? Academic Skills Centre Email: [email protected] Web: www.ecu.edu.au/fbllearning 3 Edith Cowan University Centre for Learning and Teaching Helpsheet REFLECTIVE WRITING: 4R’s Report Describe or retell the key events. What are the main things that happened? Relate Make links between your current understandings and what you have learnt as a result of your experiences. What did I learn? How has my understanding been enriched as a result of this experience? Reason Explore and analyse how your experiences as a result of this event compare with the theory you have been learning. Are there any questions raised as a result? What does the theory say are the answers to these questions? Are there alternative perspectives? Reconstruct Based upon your experiences and in relation to the theory you have read, consider changes/improvements that could be made in the future. How might you do things differently next time? How can this experience guide you in the future both personally and professionally? Example: 4R’s 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 unfair- ness. Social interdependence theory recognises 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 learn- ing 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. Sourced from: (Maughan, C. & Webb, J. 2001) Report Relate Reason Reconstruct Academic Skills Centre Email: [email protected] Web: www.ecu.edu.au/fbllearning 4 Edith Cowan University Centre for Learning and Teaching Helpsheet REFLECTIVE WRITING References Dwyer, J. (2013). Communication for business and the professions: Starategies and skills (5th ed.). Frenchs Forest: Pearson Australia. Harris, K-L., Krause, K., Gleeson, D., Peat, M., Taylor, C. & Garnett, R. (2007). Enhancing Assessment in the Bio- logical Sciences: Ideas and resources for university educators. Retrieved from http://www.bioassess.edu.au/ assessment-types/portfolios-and-reflective-journals Maughan, C., & Webb, J. (2001). Small group learning and assessment. Retrieved from http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/ re- sources/temp/assessment.html Moon, J. (2005). Guide for Busy Academics No.4: Learning through reflection. York, United Kingdom: The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ search/resource Example of a reflective paragraph. (2014). Retrieved from http://emedia.rmit.edu.au/learninglab/content/reflective- journal-sample-example Examples of reflective writing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://student.unsw.edu.au/examples-reflective-writing Reflective Writing. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/write/reflectivewriting.jsp Reflective Writing. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources/ reflective-writing Reflective Writing. (2014). Retrieved from https://student.unsw.edu.au/reflective-writing Reflective Writing: DIEP. (2010). Retrieved from https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/2_assessmenttasks/ assess_pdf/ Reflective%20journal.pdf Academic Skills Centre Email: [email protected] Web: www.ecu.edu.au/fbllearning 5