Reflection

A great deal of your

time in science will be
spent thinking;
thinking about what people
have said,
what you have read,
what you have observed,
what you yourself are
thinking
and how your thinking has
changed.
Figure 1: The Thinking Process (adapted from Mezirow 1990,
Schon 1987, Brookfield 1987)

Reflection Is
a form of personal response to
experiences, situations, events or new
information.
a 'processing' phase where thinking and
learning take place.

Reflective Thinking
Before you can begin to assess the words
and ideas of others, you need to pause,
identify and examine your own thoughts.
Doing 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.

Reflective Thinking
It helps you to recognize 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.

Reflective Writing
Reflective writing is:
your response to experiences, opinions, events, new
information, thoughts and feeling
a way of thinking to explore your learning
an opportunity to gain self-knowledge
a chance to develop and reinforce writing skills
a way of making meaning out of what you study

Reflective writing is not a summary of class

activities

What Can I Write About?

Your perceptions of the class and the
content.
Your experiences, ideas and observations
and how they relate to the class or topic.
What you found confusing, inspiring,
difficult, interesting and why.
Questions you have.
Conclusions you have drawn.
How you learned.

What Can I Write About?

Alternative interpretations or different
perspectives on what you have read or done in
your class.
Comparisons and connections between what
you are learning and:
your prior knowledge and experience;
your prior assumptions and preconceptions;
what you know from other classes.

How new ideas challenge what you already

know.

Writing Style
You can be personal, hypothetical, critical
and creative. You can comment based on
your experience, integrating them with
academic evidence.
Reflective writing is an activity that
includes description (what, when, who)
and analysis (how, why, what if).

Writing Style
Descriptive (outlining what something is
or how something was done)
Explanatory (explaining why or how it is
like that)
Expressive (I think, I feel, I believe).
Use full sentences and complete
paragraphs.

Levels Of Reflection
Basic: A simple recall of events or a summary of

class. There is no discussion beyond description.

Developing: Some evidence of reflection,
occasional connection to prior knowledge or
current event.Uses primarily descriptive language.

Proficient: Demonstrates a stepping back

from events. There is consistent reflection showing

various connections and awareness of learning
process.

Exemplary: In addition demonstrates critical

reflection, an awareness that the same actions

and events may be seen in different contexts with
different explanations.

References
Brookfield, S 1987, Developing critical thinkers:
challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking
and acting, Open University Press, Milton Keynes.
Mezirow, J 1990, Fostering critical reflection in adulthood:
a guide to transformative and emancipatory learning,
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Schn, DA 1987, Educating the reflective practitioner,
Jossey-Bass. San Francisco.
Based on a guide prepared by The Learning Centre, The
University of New South Wales 2008. This guide may
be distributed or adapted for educational purposes.