How to write a Reflective Account.

Reflective Writing
What is reflective learning?

Reflective learning is a learned process that requires time and practice. It is also an active process: involving thinking through issues yourself, asking questions and seeking out relevant information to aid your understanding. Reflective learning works best when you think about what you are doing before, during and after your learning experience. Reflective learning is therefore not only about recognising something new (new learning), it is also about seeing reality in a new way. Reflection is an important skill to develop, and requires you to think about how you personally are relating to what is happening on your course, during your assignment, or in your placement. The following diagram illustrates the process of reflective learning.
Developing reflective skills will help you gain a more honest perspective of yourself which, in turn, means clearer identification of your academic strengths and of those areas that require a little more work.
* Analysis of experiences enables further learning
* Critical thinking is encouraged so academic writing is improved
* Independent learning is facilitated
* Recognition of mistakes enhances professional competence
There is a clear distinction between writing an essay and a reflective account. The points mentioned below are indicative of why the dramatherapy course asks for a reflective account and not an essay. Through a reflective account you will be able to recognize what affects your learning and performance and thus how to progress. This involves two main processes:
Reflection in Action = recognizing when something new is happening which may cause a surprise. Components of this reflection may comprise:
* Recognition of the surprise
* Review of a problem
* Seeking extra information from tutor/literature/colleagues
* Re-appraisal of previous solutions
Reflection on Action = thinking about something that has happened in the past and reviewing the way in which you dealt with it. This could lead to self promotion and self understanding.
When writing an academic essay, you are expected to refer to theories, concepts and recognized authors to substantiate the views you express. A reflective piece of work about you should include evidence to justify the statements that you make.
The benefits of developing your skills in reflective learning

Reflective learners are more likely to develop a deeper understanding of their subject and to achieve higher grades as a result. Reflective learners tend to:

* Be motivated, know what they are trying to achieve and why

* Be pro-active in extending their understanding of new topics and subjects

* Use their existing knowledge to help them to develop their understanding of new ideas

* Understand new concepts by relating them to their previous experiences

* Understand that additional research and reading widely will improve their understanding

* Develop their learning and thinking by building on the critical evaluation of their previous learning experiences

* Be self-aware, able to identify, explain and address their own strengths and weaknesses

Stages of the reflective process
* Focus: recall an event/incident/encounter that you witnessed or were involved in and which has left you feeling worried, confused, upset or unsettled. This could be major or minor.
* Awareness: accurately describe the context, sequence of events and outcome. Describe negative feelings that you experienced in relation to the incident.
* Critical Analysis: examine both your positive & negative feelings especially those that you know are stopping you thinking in a rational and clear way. What happened and why did it happen? Should you have challenged /intervened and what difference might this have made? How did the situation affect you and how did you affect the situation? Was there an exercise of power relations?
* Interpretation: develop a new perspective on the situation. This may involve new values/attitudes or a different way of thinking about something.
* Innovation: devise other options to deal with similar future incidents.
* Commitment: take action to change something
4 R’S
* Reaction (affective domain, to feel). As you re-examine the evidence, how do you feel about the account? Could there be other perspectives?
* Relevance (cognitive domain, to think). How is the evidence meaningful to your understanding of what really happened? What have you learned from this experience? What changes might you make based on this experience?
* Responsibility (psychomotor domain, to do). How will the knowledge gained from this experience be used in the future? Give examples of possible applications in other areas of your learning .
* Research (how can you support your learning). Look at other authors, books, journals, websites and so on that allow you to support your learning.
Reflective journals/ Content of your learning journal

A learning journal should focus on your own personal responses, reactions and reflections to new ideas or new ways of thinking about a subject that have been introduced to you through:

* Lectures, seminars and workshops

* Research and reading including any visual research: e.g. television, film etc

* Conversations and discussions with other students or tutors

* Significant experiences that have happened in the work place, on placements or field trips

*The reflective diary or journal is for you so write about what YOU want

* Your feelings about learning experiences
* Lecturers, other students, employers, mentors
* Ambitions and progress
* Challenges to your learning
* Challenges at work
* Your decision making
* The decision making of others
* Situations where you learn the most
* Situations where you learn the least
* Linking theory to practice
* Worries and hopes
Reflective assignments/ What should you write about?

The most important thing is to make time for your writing – regularly set aside some time to think, and then write down your thoughts. Read the assignment briefing carefully and ensure that you know how and where marks will be allocated. In general, you should follow the same rules that you normally do to produce an academic essay. For example, structurally, there should still be an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. Try to focus on using the journal to help you to communicate:
* What you think about issues raised on your course/ placement etc

* Any flashes of inspiration you have had

* What you understand so far

* What you find puzzling, difficult or contradictory

* How you can reach a better understanding of the above

* What do you need to know more about, and how can you go about finding out more?

* What resources have helped you to understand and/or been interesting to use?

* How do you feel about the way you have approached the issue/topic so far?

* What new knowledge, skills or understanding have you gained during the process of writing your learning journal?

* You will be used to writing in the third person but in reflective writing the first person is preferred
* Practise writing in the first person but do not allow your work to become ‘chatty’
* Express your feelings in a clear, well thought out way
* Learn to write the analysis of your experiences in an articulate way that relates, where appropriate, to theory
Further Reading

* Webb,C. 1992 The Use of the First Person in Academic Writing: objectivity, language & gatekeeping Journal of Advanced Nursing 17(6) pp747-752
* Critical incidents: reflective practice for health care professional. Dinton: Quay.
* Moon, Jennifer., 1999. Learning Journals: a handbook for academics, students and professional development. London: Kogan Page.

* More guidance on reflection and critical thinking is available in the three titles by Stella Cottrell:
o Critical thinking skills o Skills for success o Study skills handbook

* You can also search for ‘reflective learning’ in the keyword search on the library catalogue for additional relevant titles.

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