Professional Documents
Culture Documents
write reflectively?
What
personal response experiences situations events new information processing phase thinking making meaning better understanding No correct answer Only questions to explore learning clarity gain self knowledge writing skills develop reinforce NOT convery information, instruction or argument pure decription , though there may be descriptive elemets sraightforward decision or judgement (whether something is good or bad) simple problem solving a summary of course notes a standard university essay
Why
Make connections develop + clarify prior knowledge Intergrate new knowledge with previous knowledge between what + how + why you are doing it theory and practice what you already know and what you are learning examine learning process Not only WHAT you have learnt but HOW Identify questions you have Reflect mistakes avoid repeating success reuse active + aware learner use as a skill for working life
When
As required
Where
Anywhere
How
Read on for notes
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Figure 1 shows that the reflective thinking process starts with you. Before you can begin to assess the words and ideas of others, you need to pause, identify and examine your own thoughts. This involves revisiting your prior experience and knowledge of the topic you are exploring. It also involves considering how and why you think the way you do. The examination of your beliefs, values, attitudes and assumptions forms the foundation of your understanding. Reflective thinking demands that you recognise that you bring valuable knowledge to every experience. It helps you therefore to recognise and clarify the important connections between what you already know and what you are learning. It is a way of helping you to become an active, aware and critical learner.
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Use full sentences and complete paragraphs You can usually use personal pronouns like I, my or we Keep colloquial/ informal or slang language to a minimum (eg, kid, bloke, stuff)
(All information taken from the website of University of New South Wales)
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Getting Started
Clarify your task
Reflective writing assignments can take many forms, so check the guidelines in your course outline before you begin. Clarify any questions or uncertainties with your lecturer or tutor.
Think of an interaction, event or episode you experienced that can be connected to the topic Describe what happened What was your role? What feelings and perceptions surrounded the experience? How would you explain the situation to someone else? What might this experience mean in the context of your course? What other perspectives, theories or concepts could be applied to the situation?
2. Draw related ideas on branches that radiate from the central topic. When you get a new idea, start a new branch from the centre. Include any ideas, topics, authors, theories, experiences associated with your topic. 3. Map quickly, without pausing, to maintain a flow of ideas. Associate freely and do not self-edit; at this stage anything and everything is OK. 4. Circle the key points or ideas. Look at each item and consider how it relates to others, and to the topic as a whole. 5. Map the relationships between the ideas or key points using lines, arrows, colours. Use words or phrases to link them.
The field notes were written by hand on lined paper. They consisted of jotted notes and mental triggers (personal notes that would remind me of specific things when it came to writing the notes up). I took some direct observational 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 [1] [2]. [3] I found the notetaking process itself helpful, as it ensured that I listened carefully and decoded information. 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 paraphrasing, which risks changing the meaning. Some technical information was difficult to note down accurately [3]. 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 seemes that subjects feel differently about being recorded or photographed (as opposed to observers taking notes), so specific consent should be sought before using these technologies [4].
1. Description/ explanation of method. 2. Includes discipline-specific language 3. Critical evaluation of method 4. Conclusion and recommendation based on the writers experience
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1. Addresses the assignment question 2. Reflects on direct experiences 3. Direct reference to the course activity. 4.The style is relatively informal, yet still uses full sentences. 6. Relating what was learnt.