English Section, School of Management and Languages

NEWSLETTER DATE THE REFLECTIVE LOG AND CRITICAL

SELF REFLECTION
Pre-Sessional English
As part of your assess-
ment for this Programme
you will be asked to sub-
mit a Reflective statement
for your Portfolio and also
for your Project (if you are
studying for 12 weeks).
This document gives you
more information on what
a reflective statement is
and why it is an essential
component in the assess-
ment for this programme.
A great deal of your time
at university will be spent
thinking; thinking about
what people have said,
what you have read, what
you yourself are thinking
and how your thinking
has changed. It is gener-
ally believed that the
thinking process involves
two aspects: reflective
thinking and critical think-
ing. They are not sepa-
rate processes; rather,
they are closely con-
nected.
Reflection is a form of
personal response to ex-
periences, situations,
events or new informa-
tion. It is a processing
phase where thinking and
learning take place.
There is neither a right
nor a wrong way of reflec-
tive thinking, there are
just questions to explore.
The reflective thinking
process starts with you.
Before you can begin to
assess the words and
ideas of others, you need
to pause and identify and
examine your own
thoughts. This involves
revisiting your prior ex-
perience and knowledge
of the topic you are ex-
ploring. 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 al-
ready know and what you
are learning. It is a way of
helping you to become an
active, aware and inde-
pendent learner.
Your Reflective Statements
CONTENTS
1.1 Why are we being asked to write reflective statements?
1.2 What is reflective writing?
1.3 How do I write a reflective statement?
1.4 Suggestions for writing your reflective statements.
1.5 Assessing your Reflective statements
1.6 Submitting your Reflective statements
PAGE 2 PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH
1.1 WHY ARE WE BEING ASKED TO WRITE REFLECTIVE STATEMENTS?
To make connections
What you learn at university builds on your prior knowledge, whether it is formal (e.g. educa-
tion) or informal (e.g. gained through experience). Reflective writing helps you develop and
clarify the connections between what you already know and what you are learning, between
theory and practice and between what you are doing and how and why you do it.
To examine your learning processes
Reflective writing encourages you to consider and comment on your learning experiencesnot
only WHAT youve learned, but HOW you did so.
To clarify what you are learning
Reflecting helps you to clarify what you have studied, integrate new knowledge with previous
knowledge, and identify the questions you still have and what you have yet to learn.
To reflect on mistakes and successes
Reflecting on mistakes can help you avoid repeating them. At the same time, reflecting on your
discoveries helps identify successful principles to use again.
To become an Active, Aware and Adventurous learner a Triple A rating for your learning.
To become a reflective practitioner once you graduate and begin your professional life
1.2 WHAT IS REFLECTIVE WRITING?
Reflective Writing is ...
your response to experiences, opinions, events or new information
your response to thoughts and feelings
a way of thinking to explore your learning
an opportunity to gain self-knowledge
a way to achieve clarity and better understanding of what you are learning
a chance to develop and reinforce writing skills
a way of making meaning out of what you study
Reflective writing is not ...
just conveying information, instruction or argument
only description, though there may be descriptive elements
simple decision or judgement (e.g. about whether something is right or wrong, good or bad)
simple problem-solving
a summary of course notes
a standard university essay
1.3 HOW DO I WRITE A REFLECTIVE STATEMENT?
In your reflective statement you can write about:
Experiences, ideas and observations you have had, and how they relate to your learning
What you found confusing, inspiring, difficult, interesting and why.
Questions you have and conclusions you have drawn.
Problems you have solved (or not solved but come to understand better).
Alternative interpretations or different perspectives on what you have read or learned.
Comparisons and connections between what your are learning and:
i. your prior knowledge and experience;
ii. your prior assumptions and preconceptions;
iii. what you know from other courses or disciplines.
How new ideas challenge what you already know.
What you need to explore next in terms of thoughts and actions.
PAGE 3 THE REFLECTIVE LOG AND CRITICAL SELF REFLECTION
1.4 SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING YOUR REFLECTIVE STATEMENTS?
Think of an interaction or situation you experienced when you reached a new understanding.
Describe what happened:
What was the interaction or situation ?
What were you trying to do? What were the aims?
Were you clear before you began what would count as success?
How successfully did you achieve your aims? How do you know?
How did you feel during the interaction or situation ? Were you, for example, nervous, re-
laxed, confident, unsure, worried?
What skills or experiences which you had acquired previously did you bring to the situation?
What would you do differently next time?
What kind of support do you need to ensure that sitautions such as this work better in future?
1.5 ASSESSING YOUR REFLECTIVE STATEMENTS.
The reflective statements will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Narrating
This concerns the clarity with which you describe the experience in question and the extent to
which the description motivates and leads to the subsequent analysis, evaluation and goal
setting stages.
Analysing
This relates to the extent to which you can identify connections with your previous knowledge
and experience and with the learning outcomes of the programme.
Evaluating
This relates to your ability to explain the quality of your experience, give insights into how
learning has taken place and state reasons for any judgements made.
Setting Goals
This involves you in identifying practical steps for improvements in areas discussed in evalua-
tion. You will be able to specify short and long term goals which are clearly stated.
1.6 SUBMITTING YOUR REFLECTIVE STATEMENTS
You will submit your reflective statements at the same time as your Portfolio and Project assign-
ments. You should attach a paper copy to the other submissions to hand to your tutor. You do NOT
NEED to submit your reflective statements to Turnitin in Vision.