As part of your self-development and learning, you will be expected to be reflective.It allows the mind to tackle a range of problems and situations.
Being reflective, in our everyday lives is something we do without thinking, such as, learning from your mistakes or errors.
It just happens and we don’t normally follow a structured formula.
However, engaging in a more structured way of reflecting can enhance your learning and problem solving abilities.
This enables you to process and adapt, become resilient, in your ways of thinking and learning.
Reflection can guide you in structuring your thoughts on everyday situations, your lectures,
your classroom experiences and interactions with others, your assignments,
and your research, in fact, every aspect of your personal, academic and professional life.
Key elements of Reflection
‘Standing back’ – stepping away allows a better view or perspective and can bring greater Clarity.
Reflection can help at any stage with, planning, carrying out and reviewing activities.
Experiences – analysis using your experiences or actions ‘to make sense’ or ‘find meaning’.
Repetition - reviewing your experience to gain a broad view and ensure that no aspects have been missed.
Honesty – it can be difficult to admit or acknowledge things during the normal course of events.
'Weighing up' an experience by taking everything into account ratherthat than focusing only on the obvious factors.
Reflection involves being impartial, or balanced in judgment.
Understanding - gaining deeper learning, understanding, and insight about an experience that cannot be just ‘taught’.
Making judgments – involves drawing conclusions to enable moving on, making changing or developing a new approach.
Reflection and Learning
Asking yourself these questions about an event or experience, for example after, a group presentation,
a peer assessment, class discussion, an essay, a difficult day etc.
- How did it go? How do I feel about it?
- What went well or OK? Why?
- What was not so good? Why?
- How could this have been done differently?
- What should I change or work on for next time?
- What would be the first step to making that change?
Benefits
- Help you to stand back from and acknowledge your feelings about an event or experience
- Help you to identify what went well and focus on positive in addition to the negative aspects
- Help you to develop a problem solving approach rather than avoiding difficulties.
- Help you provide a structure to assist you to record, review, evaluate and plan for your learning and development,
e.g. help you to reflect when you get feedback from an essay. How can you change or develop your approach.
Keeping a reflective journal or e-portfolio
For assessment – you may be asked to complete a reflective journal of your learning journey, or work placement,
or other tasks, which will inform an essay or be part of an assignment. If your journal is assessed your tutor
and your module handbook will inform you of the requirements.
Please make sure you are clear about the content and format your tutors expect in your journal. For more information on reflective journals & e-portfolios see section Present my information e-portfolios
For yourself – a private reflective journal is useful in helping you to clarify your thoughts and feelings,
and to help you work out dealing with difficulties. This is to assist you in your personal learning journey and development.
Further reading: Williams, K., Woolliams, M. and Spiro, J. (2020) Reflective writing. 2nd edn. London: Red Globe Press.