Reflective writing helps you look back at an experience or situation and offer your perspectives on it. This helps you consider why things occur, to evaluate situations and apply critical thinking and problem solving skills. It also helps you practice self analysis with the aim of learning from an experience.
Task Description ✏️
In this task, you are required to record your views, reactions, impressions, and critically evaluate these experiences, connecting this with theory(what you study at university) and practice(what you do in the workplace), and linking ideas with what you have learnt in your coursework. You are required to submit a journal entry each week.
Additional Information 📚
To help you complete this task successfully, the following resources are provided:
Marking Rubric — refer to this to understand how you will be assessed
Guide: Rubrics — use this to better understand how to interpret rubrics
Checklist: How to write a Reflective Journal — use this to help you complete the task
Example: Reflective Journal — review this to see a completed example of the task
Glossary — use this to interpret any words that you don’t understand
Checklist: How to write a Reflective Journal ✅
Tip: copy and paste this checklist into your Notes section, ticking off step as you go.
Step 1: Task Understanding
Read the Instructions and Checklist carefully using the Glossary
Read the Guide: Rubrics and then your Marking Rubric
Step 2: Reflective Thinking
Use this framework(adapted from Ryan & Ryan, 2012) to reflect on an experience:
Describe: describe what happened? Why is it relevant?
Respond: what did you observe? What critical moments or events occurred? How did it make you feel?
Evaluate: is there a connection between this and your discipline knowledge, professional experience, or own skills? Have you experienced this before? If so, were the conditions the same or different? Do you have the experience and knowledge to deal with it(please explain)?
Analyse: what are the important factors underlying this experience? Why are they important to your understanding? Is there any theory and literature that supports your reasoning? Are there any other perspectives?
Conclude: what general or specific conclusion can you draw?
Action: what next, or what will you do next time? Why would you do this?
Step 3: Reflective Writing
In reflective writing, it is important to remember:
It is about you, recording your views, reactions, and impressions, so use“I” and other personal pronouns. E.g. I conducted the class with my mentor… and I thought it went well.
When you use action verbs these usual express feelings and thoughts. E.g. Considered, thought, felt, wondered, learned, etc.
Use cautious and tentative words. E.g. May, perhaps, or might.
Tip: to avoid plagiarism, you must give credit if you use the work of others(seeReferencing in Manual)
Review Example: Reflective Journal
Step 4: Submit Final
Read the Marking Rubric again to check that you have met the criteria
Submit your Reflective Journal
Once graded review your feedback and incorporate into your next entry
Purpose 🎯
Task Description ✏️
Additional Information 📚
Checklist: How to write a Reflective Journal ✅
References