Reflective assignments
At university, you might be asked to write a reflection for an assessment task or it may be part of a larger assignment.
Why practise reflective writing?
Reflective writing is becoming an increasingly important aspect of learning because it improves:
- self-awareness, an element of emotional intelligence
- your critical thinking skills
- helps you become a more effective practitioner in your field.
Reflective writing assignments come in a number of different forms such as:
- A learning journal documenting your reflections on unit materials
- A portfolio analysing your experiences on a workplace practicum
- A summary outlining your personal reaction to an issue
- A peer review critiquing and providing feedback on another student’s work or
- Self-assessment analysing and evaluating your own work or skills.
Reflective writing is different from most other types of academic writing as it is based on personal reflection rather than research.
Personal reflection means:
- thinking deeply about your responses to experiences, situations, events or new information and
- analysing them in order in order to gain a better understanding and learn from them.
There are several different models which can be used to guide reflective writing. You may be asked to use a particular model or you may be able to choose one.
Generally speaking, all models contain a:
- Description (which sets the scene so to speak)
- Interpretation and evaluation (this is where you analyse the situation and draw conclusions)
- Outcomes (what was the result or what happened as a consequence)
- Plans for the future (explain what you learnt and what you will do in the future)
Other examples of commonly used models reflective writing models include:
- Gibbs Reflective Cycle
- DIEP model.
For more information, see the Reflective Assignment TipSheet
In reflective writing you should:
- Adopt a more informal and personal tone but respect the usual conventions of academic writing;
- Avoid colloquial expressions or slang;
- Use the first person (I, my) to describe experiences, make observations, and state your opinion or feelings; and
- Use the language of reflection
References
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