User:Ninii.711/Reflective writing

Background[edit]

When writing reflectively, a writer attempts to convey their own thought process. Therefore, reflective writing is one of the more personal styles of writing as the writer is clearly inserted into the work. This style of writing invites both the reader and the writer to introspect and examine their own thoughts and beliefs, and gives the writer and the reader a closer, less distant relationship.

Reflective writing tends to consist of description, or explaining the event and its context; interpretation, or how the experience challenged existing opinions; and outcome, or how the experience contributed to personal or professional development.

Most reflective writing is written in first person, as it speaks to the writer's personal experience, but often it is supplemented with third person in academic works as the writer must support their perspective with outside evidence.

Reflective writing is usually a style that must be learned and practiced. Most novice writers are not reflective initially, and must progress from imitative writing to their own style of genuine, critical reflection.

Kathleen Blake Yancey notes that reflection "is the dialectical process by which we develop and achieve, first, specific goals for learning; second, strategies for reaching those goals; and third, means of determining whether or not we have met those goals or other goals."

The concepts of reflection and reflective writing are social constructs prevalent in academic literature, and in different contexts their meanings have different interpretations.

Add] Proper reflective writing is heavily influenced by metacognition. Metacognition allows for better self reflection and allows the writer to take the material beyond the literal meaning. In fact, reflective writing can be seen as a metacognitive genre that heavily influences literacy narrative assignments due to the increased reflective thinking it applies on students. Students are able to consciously and unconsciously analyze their experiences and interactions through this assessment tool.

Reflective writing in academia[edit]

Reflective writing helps students to develop a better understanding of their goals. Reflective writing is regularly used in academic settings, as it helps students think about how they think. [ADD] as students are able to think beyond the scope of the literal meaning of their writing or thinking.

In other words, it is a form of metacognition. It is frequently assigned to postsecondary students, and is particularly useful to students and practitioners in composition, education and health-related fields as it helps them reflect on their practice. Typical academic reflective writings include portfolios, summaries, and journals. Reflective writing is not limited in academic writing because it often takes many different forms. Sometimes it is used in stand-alone assessment tasks, and other times it is incorporated into other tasks such as essays.

[Add] Reflective writing in education systems aids in adapting  students “knowledge in waiting” into“knowledge- in practice” which encourages students to analyze previous professional experiences when applying these to future situations. This type of analytical skill is advantageous for students pursuing professions that have reoccuring unpredictable situations and allows students to be better prepared for the workplace.

Evidence shows that reflective writing is a good way to increase empathy in medical students. Another study showed that students who were assigned reflective writing during a camp developed greater self-awareness, had a better understanding of their goals, and were better able to recognize their personal development.

[Add] It is also found that students who partake in critical reflective assignments use it as a way to let out their pent up emotions, making critical reflection a way to seek cathartic relief.

Reflective writing is useful to improve collaboration, as it makes writers aware of how they sound when they voice their thoughts and opinions to others. Additionally, it is an important part of the reflective learning cycle, which includes planning, acting, observing, and reflecting.

Students can be hesitant to write reflectively as it requires them to not just consider but actively cite things they typically would hide or ignore in academic writing, like their anxieties and shortcomings.

Reflective writing in academic settings is sometimes criticized, as concerns exist regarding its effectiveness. Reflective writing assignments are often weighed low in a course's grade calculations, and among a crowded workload, students can see them as an afterthought. It has also been argued that reflective writing assignments are only assigned as "busy work", as they are low maintenance and relatively easy to grade. Additionally, because students know they will be graded on their reflection, it might be written in an inauthentic way.

Nonetheless, reflective writing is becoming increasingly important in education, as reflecting on completed work helps students see room for improvement.

[Add] Benefits of Reflective Writing

There are many benefits to reflective writing. A few being, increased self-awareness about personal writing techniques, improved critical analysis, ability to examine and understand social, cultural, and political issues that involve language.

Within professions, reflective writing can be used as a therapeutic form of expression, especially useful in stress filled professions.

Within a classroom setting, the addition of reflective writing assignments can help improve intellectual thinking by introducing assignments that encourage a deeper relationship between the individual and their writing. Introduction of reflective assignments in classroom settings further aids in student retention of information being discussed in the classroom.