Reflective writing definition12/25/2023 ![]() ![]() That is, explain what you think the quote means and provide a little summary for context. When introducing this focal point, make sure you fully explain it. In reflective writing, you are usually asked to share your experiences in relation to something–a perspective in a text, learning about writing, the first-year experience, a summer internship, etc. Fully explain the quote or focus of each point. If this is a more creative assignment, you might even include some sensory descriptions to make the moment more of an experience for readers. When writing about a moment, try to place readers there with you–help readers to understand what happened, who was involved, where it happened, why it happened, and what the results were. However, it’s usually more effective to select a very specific moment in time and try to accurately describe what happened, who was involved, and how it made you feel and react. It’s hard to not want to recap our entire childhood or the full summer before something happened for context when sharing a personal story. ![]() For example, in this quote from my last essay.” Focus on a small moment from your experiences. Specifically, in my last essay, I was able to provide a fully developed explanation of Author A’s argument and purpose for the essay as well as their materials and methods (that is, how they made the argument). However, after learning about Harris’ concept of capturing a writer’s “project,” I believe I have become better at really explaining a text as a whole. For example, you might reflect, “At the beginning of the semester, unsure of how to summarize a text well, I was just describing the main the idea of the text. Instead, try to name exactly what you learned about writing or exactly how your experiences are related to the quote. Some examples of statements that are too vague and meaningless include, “I learned a lot about writing this semester.” Or, “I feel like my experiences are exactly as Author B says in this quote.” Neither of these statements tells us much–they are a bit devoid of content. It’s really easy to see reflective writing as more informal or casual, and thus, as requiring less attention to details however, strong reflective writing is very precise and specific. ![]() When reflecting on learning or growth, that might mean locating evidence (quotes) from your previous papers that showcase growth. Yes–we recommend using evidence in reflective writing! When connecting personal experiences to the readings, that means selecting quotes from the readings and then coming up with specific moments in your life that relate to those quotes. Below are some broad writing tips that can help not only your reflective writing to be stronger, but also the reflective inquiry to be more meaningful.Ĭollect relevant evidence before you start writing. However, often reflective writing is not taught as an explicit writing skill and can be problematically treated as a less rigorous form of writing. Moreso, reflection can lead to more informed understandings of our own experiences and course content in ways that may make that knowledge more useful in future classes and practice. These are assignments, as Kara Taczak notes, that offer opportunities to solidify knowledge about our experiences and how they might relate to others’ experiences and existing research. You may be asked to reflect on your learning, your writing, your personal experiences in relation to a theory or text, or your personal experiences in an internship or other type of experience in relation to course readings. Reflective writing assignments are common across the university. ![]() Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies Kara Taczak, “Reflection is Critical for Writers’ Development” (78) The combination of cognition and metacognition, accessed through reflection, helps writers begin assessing themselves as writers, recognizing and building on their prior knowledge about writing.” It allows writers to recognize what they are doing in that particular moment (cognition), as well as to consider why they made the rhetorical choices they did (metacognition). “Reflection is a mode of inquiry: a deliberate way of systematically recalling writing experiences to reframe the current writing situation. ![]()
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