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Key Points
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What is reflective writing?
Reflective writing is about thinking deeply, being honest, and showing growth. It challenges you to examine your beliefs, connect your worldview to what you are studying and share how your views have changed or remained the same. You may be asked to reflect on:
How do I plan it?
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Start with a brainstorm using the mind map below. |
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Description: What was the experience? A class, a reading, an interview or event? |
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Feelings: What were you thinking and feeling before and after?
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Evaluation: What worked / did not work well. |
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Analysis: Why? Connect to theory.
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Conclusion: What did you learn?
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Action Plan: What next? How can you improve?
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Adapted from: Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
How do I structure it?
Reflective follows the same structure as all academic writing. Paragraphs have one main idea that is clearly introduced and that are supported with theory and in-text citations. The only difference is that you also discuss some of your own experience and beliefs and connect these to what you have been studying. For example, a reflective essay will have an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. Reflective writing can also be used in case studies, journals, discussion forum posts and presentations. There are many ways you could structure a paragraph this is one way.
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Reflection on developing professional networks Developing professional networks during my internship was an eye-opening experience. Initially, I felt hesitant to approach colleagues, as I was unsure of the appropriate way to initiate conversations. According to Ibarra and Hunter (2007), effective networking involves not only making connections but also understanding others' perspectives to create mutual value. Reflecting on this, I realized that stepping out of my comfort zone was essential. By attending team meetings and asking questions about colleagues’ roles, I gained insights into their expertise and improved my communication skills. This experience highlighted the importance of deliberate actions to build professional networks, a process that Cross et al. (2001) describe as integral to career development. Moving forward, I plan to sustain these relationships by staying in touch through platforms like LinkedIn, as maintaining networks is crucial for long-term professional growth.
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First sentence clearly states the topic sentence. Reflects on personal experience. Student integrates the theory to their personal insights.
Student reflects and evaluates lesson learned from their experience, links to the literature. Student discusses future application. |
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Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle Stage |
Sentence Stems |
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1. Description: What happened? |
The experience I am reflecting on is … During this event, I was involved in … The main events were … The task I was working on involved … At the time, I was responsible for … This situation is similar to (theory/concept), which describes … |
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2. Feelings: What were you thinking and feeling? |
I felt … when this happened because … My initial reaction was … I was surprised by … At the time, I thought … Looking back, I realize my feelings about this were influenced by … According to (Author/Concept), such feelings often occur in situations where … |
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3. Evaluation: What was good and bad about the experience? |
One positive aspect of the experience was … What worked well was … A challenging aspect of the experience was … I found it difficult when … The most rewarding part of this experience was … This outcome aligns (or contrasts) with (theory/literature), which suggests that |
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4. Analysis: What sense can you make of the situation? |
This experience helped me understand that … A key issue that arose was … I can relate this to the theory of X which suggests that … This links to the concept of …, as described by (Author). This situation taught me that … because … This reflects (theory/literature), which highlights … |
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5. Conclusion: What else could you have done? |
Looking back, I realize I could have … This experience showed me the importance of … I now see that a better approach would have been to … One thing I have learned is that … This reflection has made me aware of … Based on (Author/Concept), I could have addressed this situation by |
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6. Action Plan: If it arose again, what would you do? |
If I were in this situation again, I would … To improve in the future, I will … Next time, I plan to … This experience has motivated me to develop my skills in … Moving forward, I aim to … Future actions will incorporate (theory/literature), which emphasizes … |
