Reflective Language
Sometimes people can confuse reflective language with descriptive language. Being descriptive is just thinking about what happened and when it happened. Being reflective is thinking about why something happened, how this impacted you, and what could happen next. When you are being reflective it is okay to talk and write in the first person, after all, reflection is a very personal experience.
Look at these two examples, which is showing descriptive writing and which is showing reflective writing? Which of the two shows the greatest learning experience?
DESCRIPTIVE VS. REFLECTIVE WRITING
|
Example 1 The team work activity involved looking at Sustainable Development Goals. My team were investigating the Sustainable Development Goal 'Education'. We researched our country and presented on it. The presentation was good and we worked together well as a team. |
|
Example 2 The activity helped me gain greater understanding of how there is still a lot of education inequality - especially for girls. While I found researching the topic interesting, it took me a lot of time to find sources and I really struggled to find up to date statistics. Looking back, it may have been a good idea to ask my teacher for some guidance with this. In the future I will try to be more confident with seeking help when I need it. |
Don't be Afraid to Share Mistakes
We are all learners and that means that we all make mistakes. Treat mistakes like learning opportunities - they can form a really strong focus for reflective work.
In hindsight...
I could/ should have...
Looking back...
I have always...
I thought...
I felt....
The .... was...
I believed ...
I feel...
I think...
This has helped me to ...
I have a new perspective on...
I am now...
Thinking about this now...
I have learned...
My next steps ...
Looking forward...
In the future...
I will...
I hope...
I would like to...
I think that I will...
I wonder...
Reflective Writing by Williams et al has a very short but extremely helpful chapter on reflective writing with many prompts and examples. Try borrowing it from the library!