STUDY SKILLS - REFLECTIVE THINKING AND WRITING
This information is taken from:
McWillan and Weyers (2013): 1: Key concepts and processes, 3: Reflective thinking and 4: 18 Writing about refection.
Williams, K., Wooliams, M. and Spiro, J. (2012). 11: Linking theory and practice.
Reflective journals which are being assessed must be focused within an academic context. The journal should reflect on the research process and stages of learning for the critical research paper. How does academic research connect with studio practice and personal experience?
McWillan and Weyers (2013): 1: Key concepts and processes, 3: Reflective thinking and 4: 18 Writing about refection.
Williams, K., Wooliams, M. and Spiro, J. (2012). 11: Linking theory and practice.
Reflective journals which are being assessed must be focused within an academic context. The journal should reflect on the research process and stages of learning for the critical research paper. How does academic research connect with studio practice and personal experience?
1. WHAT IS REFLECTION?
The term reflection generally refers to the process where an individual evaluates an event or experience to arrive at a deeper understanding of the incident(s) and surrounding issues. ...
Reflective thinking is ....
Reflective thinking is not ...
Reflection as any everyday activity
A familiar experience will be the informal 'end of day review' that many people carry out before going to sleep ...
Academic reflection
Many university lecturers regard reflective writing as evidence of reflective and critical thinking. In assessed reflective writing, they will expect you to be self-aware, analytical and able to situate your thoughts in the relevant academic and professional context. ... (McWillan and Weyers, 2013, pp.7-8).
2. GIBB'S REFLECTIVE CYCLE
Description - record significant learning situations and events.
Feelings - record your reactions to these situations and events.
Evaluation - consider the positive and negative aspects of the experience.
Analysis - consider how the learning processes within academic research compare to the learning processes within studio practice.
Conclusion - summarise what you have learned and how you might respond in future. (McMillan and Weyers, 2013, pp.33-34).
3. REFLECTIVE WRITING
The difference between reflective writing and other types of academic writing
Questions to aid reflection during Gibb's reflective cycle (THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOU TO REFLECT, YOU DO NOT NEED TO ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS, ONLY WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE RELEVANT).
Description
Feelings
Evaluation
Analysis
Conclusion
4. REMEMBER!
One of the learning outcomes for the reflective journal is:
To show understanding of the relationship between academic research and studio practice.
This means that you need to consider how academic research connects with studio practice and personal experience.
The purpose of writing about what you have read is not simply to show ... that you have done the required reading ... The purpose is to show that you can see the link between theories, ideas and approaches you read about, and their relevance to your personal experience. To do this you need first to understand the content, and then to reflect on the implications for you and your practice. ...
it can be tempting to keep you discussion of your reading separate from your reflections on your experience ... Instead try making the conscious effort to reflect on the link between your experience and the theory, policies or studies you are reading. (Williams, Woolliams and Spiro, 2012, pp.56-57).
The term reflection generally refers to the process where an individual evaluates an event or experience to arrive at a deeper understanding of the incident(s) and surrounding issues. ...
Reflective thinking is ....
- Personal, belonging to you as an individual
- Authentic, being a genuine image of your private thoughts
- Empowering, leading to new positions and actions
Reflective thinking is not ...
- Self-indulgent, and a means of promoting your ego
- Dishonest, presenting a false picture of your feelings
- Imitative, being copied from others ...
Reflection as any everyday activity
A familiar experience will be the informal 'end of day review' that many people carry out before going to sleep ...
- What happened today?
- How did I react to events?
- What were the consequences?
- Could my responses have been improved?
- How should I move on from my position? ...
Academic reflection
Many university lecturers regard reflective writing as evidence of reflective and critical thinking. In assessed reflective writing, they will expect you to be self-aware, analytical and able to situate your thoughts in the relevant academic and professional context. ... (McWillan and Weyers, 2013, pp.7-8).
2. GIBB'S REFLECTIVE CYCLE
Description - record significant learning situations and events.
Feelings - record your reactions to these situations and events.
Evaluation - consider the positive and negative aspects of the experience.
Analysis - consider how the learning processes within academic research compare to the learning processes within studio practice.
Conclusion - summarise what you have learned and how you might respond in future. (McMillan and Weyers, 2013, pp.33-34).
3. REFLECTIVE WRITING
The difference between reflective writing and other types of academic writing
- personal emphasis
- part of a thinking process, rather than the outcome of thinking (McMillan and Weyers, 2013, p.225).
Questions to aid reflection during Gibb's reflective cycle (THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOU TO REFLECT, YOU DO NOT NEED TO ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS, ONLY WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE RELEVANT).
Description
- What were the details of the situation I was presented with?
- What was my role?
- What happened? ...
- What did I do, and what did others do?
- What were the outcomes or consequences?
Feelings
- How did I feel personally?
- What did I find that was unexpected/interesting/inspiring/deflating/confusing/valuable about the episode, and why?
- Why did I respond to events in the way that I did?
- Did I feel my actions were appropriate? ...
Evaluation
- What was positive and what was negative about the episode?
- What personal strengths and weaknesses were revealed by the episode?
- What did I learn?
- How has the episode changed my way of thinking?
Analysis
- How can I explain what happened?
- What theory or research is relevant to this situation ... ? (CONSIDER THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND YOUR STUDIO WORK)
- How does this relate to other relevant experiences?
- How could I have improved in my role?
- What alternate actions could have been taken, and what would be the predicted consequences? ...
Conclusion
- What did I learn from the experience?
- How might I respond in future? (McMillan and Weyers, 2013, p.230).
4. REMEMBER!
One of the learning outcomes for the reflective journal is:
To show understanding of the relationship between academic research and studio practice.
This means that you need to consider how academic research connects with studio practice and personal experience.
The purpose of writing about what you have read is not simply to show ... that you have done the required reading ... The purpose is to show that you can see the link between theories, ideas and approaches you read about, and their relevance to your personal experience. To do this you need first to understand the content, and then to reflect on the implications for you and your practice. ...
it can be tempting to keep you discussion of your reading separate from your reflections on your experience ... Instead try making the conscious effort to reflect on the link between your experience and the theory, policies or studies you are reading. (Williams, Woolliams and Spiro, 2012, pp.56-57).
REFERENCE
McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013) How to improve your critical thinking and reflective skills. Harlow: Pearson.
Williams, K., Wooliams, M. and Spiro, J. (2012) Reflective writing. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013) How to improve your critical thinking and reflective skills. Harlow: Pearson.
Williams, K., Wooliams, M. and Spiro, J. (2012) Reflective writing. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
