Module 5: Reflection Strategies

Objectives for this Module:

• Distinguish between reflective writing and other types of writing
• Identify strategies one can use to provide structure to reflection

Essential Questions:

1. How is reflective writing different than other types of writing?
2. What are some strategies used for reflective writing?

We reflect every day, at work, at home or out in the world. We all have an inner voice that tells us when things did not go well during a particular situation. As a result, we always ruminate on the situation and think about all of the things we could have done or said differently. While this is a part of daily life, reflective practice, as we have learned, is intentional (Sewell, 2017). Therefore, we may benefit from putting some structure to the process, so that our thoughts will not wander. The prior modules included several different reflective models and frameworks. One can use these, coupled with the strategies in this module to reflect on work or life events. Some strategies covered in this module include reflective journals, free writes, the reflection in action exercise based on Driscoll’s (2007) model, and Brookfield’s (1997) Critical Incident Questionnaire.

Reflective writing shows evidence of one’s reflective thinking. With regard to academic or workplace situations, reflective writing usually entails one looking back on an event or process (something that happened), analyzing the event by thinking in detail about what happened and from different perspectives, evidence of reflective thinking. We all think reflectively every day; however, rarely do we engage in a structured process designed to improve our practice. Writing down our thoughts in a systematic manner may help with that.

Reflective journals. Reflective journals are good for when we want to write about a positive or negative event or perhaps something that happened at work.   One might journal about events to: speculate why an event happened to interpret the situation, decide if and how actions or views of the situation might need to change over time, to determine if the situation and actions align with one’s values, to get thoughts down on paper to help relieve stress or pressure, or to share thoughts and ideas with others (How to How to Write a Reflective Journal with Tips and Examples, 2018). One can easily integrate one of the frameworks introduced in earlier modules when keeping a reflective journal. Many individuals keep reflective journals on a regular basis, to monitor how they change and grow over time. 

Examples:

• How have you grown professionally in the past year?
• When was the last time you felt affirmed at work; why did you feel that way?
• What work accomplishment are you proud of and why? Adapted from How to How to Write a Reflective Journal with Tips and Examples, 2018.

Free write. Peter Elbow introduced the free writing strategy in 1973 (as cited in Grunwald, 2010). The process is similar to brainstorming ideas, but one records thoughts in sentence and paragraph form without stopping. It is designed to keep the flow of thoughts moving in efforts to remember all aspects of an event. It is also good for students who want to get their thoughts down on paper without worry of grammar and punctuation. Thus, it helps us produce written language. This process usually goes on for 15-20 minutes or until the individual finishes the thought process. Writing is continuous; one writes down all thoughts on the topic. The thoughts can be judged later. When free writing, one does not worry about grammar and punctuation (Grunwald, 2010).

What, So what, Now what? One can also apply Driscoll’s (2007) “What” model to engage in reflective writing.  As noted in Module 3, there are three main steps to this process:

What? (Describe the event).

So What? (Analyze the event).

Now what? (Proposed actions).

This model can be applied to both personal and professional events.

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Critical incidents. Critical incidents are often recorded in a formal manner when they occur in professional or emergency settings. However, they can also offer an opportunity for reflection. McAteer, Hallett and Murtagh (2010) noted that a critical incident is an event that causes one to question or challenge assumptions and think differently. They offered some prompts to help reflect on a topic:

1. What happened? Where did it happened? When did it happen? Give a brief summary of the event.
2. What aspects of the incident make it “critical”? What were your immediate thoughts and feelings?
3. What are your thoughts and feelings now?
4. What has changed about your thinking or developed in your thought processes?
5. What have your learned about professional practice based on this event?
6. How might your practice change in the future as a result of this incident?

As noted, this reflective writing exercise is a bit different than other frameworks or strategies mentioned in other modules. It aligns with Mezirow’s work on transformational learning in that this “critical incident” can a situation that fundamentally changes the way one looks at the nature of the event and practice. However, others such as Monash University (2018) view critical incidents as situations that have particular significance for an individual, that raise questions, or make one question values and assumption. Examples presented by Monash University include classroom situations such as a project that went particularly well, or an assignment that one found particularly challenging. Workplace examples include a situation which presented a communication problem, something that made one feel inadequate, an interaction with a coworker that made a significant impression, or perhaps a time when one felt confronted. These situations can be analyzed using the six questions outlined above. However, there are other sample questions one can access on searching “critical incidents.”

            Critical incident questionnaire. Brookfield (1997) outlined a critical incident questionnaire that faculty, trainers, or leaders can use in learning situations in the professional setting. These questions are:

1. At what time in class/training/the meeting did you feel most engaged with what was happening?
2. What action did the trainer, faculty, leader, colleague take that you found affirming or helpful?
3. What action did anyone take during the training/class or meeting that you found challenging, puzzling, or confusing?
4. What about the class/training/meeting surprised you the most?

These questions can be modified to glean information from employees, students, or participants to determine their thoughts during a meeting, class or training session.

            Reflective writing can offer a more personal approach to recording one’s thoughts during a routine or critical event. The benefit is that it can allow one to get thoughts down on paper. Many individuals find writing as a type of stress relief. It also allows us to have an account of the event for future reference or to share with others to glean their thoughts as we attempt to improve our professional practice or personal lives.

Review Questions

1. Describe how you might use reflective writing in practice.
2. Give an example of a critical incident that you encountered in practice. How might you have used the cue questions in this module to process that incident?
3. Modify Brookfield’s questions in the Critical Incident Questionnaire for a situation wherein you might be training employees in the work setting or for a class you might be teaching.
4. What are the benefits of free writing?
5. Discuss a situation where use of a reflection journal might help you.

References

Brookfield, S.D. (1999). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco, CA.: Jossey-Bass.

Driscoll, J. (ed). (2007). Practicing clinical supervision: a reflective approach for healthcare professionals. Edinburgh: Belliere Tindall.

How to How to Write a Reflective Journal with Tips and Examples (2018). Penzu. Retrieved from https://penzu.com/how-to-write-a-reflective-journal

McAteer, M., Hallett and F. Murtagh, L. (2010) Achieving your master’s in teaching and learning. Exeter: Learning Matters. Available from: http://lib.myilibrary.com?ID=272528.

Grunwald, E. (2010). The writing process: Free writing. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Global Studies and Languages. Retrieved from https://writingprocess.mit.edu/process/step-1-generate-ideas/instructions/freewriting

Monash University (2018). Reflective writing and critical incidents. Retrieved from https://www.monash.edu/rlo/assignment-samples/medicine-nursing-and-health-sciences/reflective-writing-and-critical-incidents

Sewell, C. (June 2017). Reflective practice workshop. Office of Scholarly Communication. University of Cambridge. www.osc.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved from https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/265159/MEM_ReflectivePracticeHandout_V4_20170616.pdf?sequence=1