Dr. Lim Chooi Ling / Dr.

Sow Chew Fei

Reflective Writing
It is NOTa:
conveyance of information, instruction or argument in a
report, essay or recipe
straight-forward description, though there may be descriptive
elements
straight-forward decision e.g. about whether something is
right or wrong, good or bad etc.
simple problem-solving (like recalling how to get to the
nearest station)
What is Reflective Writing?
First meaning of being reflective in Writing
examining yourself !
You might question and criticise yourself. You
might realise that you handled the situation well.
You may realise that certain experiences have
shaped you and made you into the person you are,
just as growing up changes the way your face looks
in the mirror.
The first meaning of reflection.
Looking back
Often events in our lives make much more sense
once they are over & we are older & wiser.
Perhaps when something happened to you it was a
really terrible experience, but now you realise that
you benefited from it in some way.
Events may be confusing when they happen, but
when you look back on them they may make more
sense.
The second meaning of reflection..
Reflection lies somewhere around notion of learning &
thinking
Reflective writing is thus more personal than other
kinds of academic writing
Critical reflection is a process of analyzing, questioning
and reframing an experience in order to make an
assessment of it for the purposes of learning and to
improve practice.
What is Reflective Writing?
A window through which the practitioner can view and
focus the self within the context of his/her own level of
experience in ways that enable him/her to confront,
understand and work towards resolving the contradictions
within his/her practice between what is desirable and actual
practice.
Johns C. Reflective practice: Revealing the (he) art of caring. Int J Nurs Pract.
2000;7: 237-24.
Critical Reflection
Descriptive describes WHAT you did . What is the
setting? What is going on? What is the background?
Analytical analyzes WHY you did it. It asks the
question: SO WHAT? So what do you see in the video?
What is the significance?
Reflective reflects on HOW it impacts student
learning. It asks the question: NOW WHAT? What
worked well ? What did not work and, looking back on
it, could have been different?
DESCRIPTIVE, ANALYTICAL AND REFLECTIVE WRITING
Rolfe et al (2001)
Gibbs Reflective Model (1988)
healthyservesone.wordpress.com
Reason of writing
personal diary
academic purposes
Who is going to see it
no-one
tutor who will mark it
a tutor who will not mark it
friends
Emotional state at the time of writing
a disturbing event
something you did well and enjoy in rethinking process
Factors influencing Reflective Writing
To develop new
understanding and
different perspectives
To develop critical
thinking problem
solving, reasoning in
considering opposing
viewpoints and an
attitude of enquiry
Writing can help order
our thoughts
To reflect on mistakes
and successes
To develop analytical
skills by breaking
down things
Why do Reflective Writing?
Step back from the incident and take an objective view
Incorporate processes of analysis and synthesis within your
writing.
Attempt to balance and evaluate all features of the experience or
event
Reflective learning works best when you think about what you are
doing before, during and after your learning experience.
It is therefore not only about recognizing something new but
seeing reality in a new way.
Be thoughtful in tone and convey a sense of the writers
personality & reveal the thought processes of the writer.
How do we do Reflective Writing?
Questions to ask
1. How was I feeling and what made me feel that way?
2. What was I trying to achieve?
3. Did I respond effectively?
4. What were the consequences of my actions?
5. How are others feeling? What made them feel that
way?
6. What factors influenced the way I was feeling,
thinking or responding?
7. What knowledge did or might have informed me?
8. To what extent did I act for the best and in tune with my
values?
9. How does this situation connect with previous
experiences?
10. How might I respond more effectively given this situation
again?
11. What would be the consequences of alternative actions?
12. How do I now feel about this experience?
13. Am I now more able to support myself and others better as
a consequence?
14. What have I learnt from this experience?
Questions to ask
1. Linking past, present and future experience
2. Integrating cognitive and emotional experience
3. Considering the experience from multiple perspectives
4. Reframing
1. I always have to provide a lecture summary on a handout because
this is what my colleagues tell me the students expect.
2. Reframe : The Department accedes to student pressure on lecture
handouts rather than making a pedagogical decision.
3. Reframe : Is a lecture handout ALWAYS a good thing?
5. Stating the lessons learned
6. Planning for future learning and behaviour
A Good Critical Reflection