Critical Thinking and Reflective Practices (EDU406)
Assignment 1 (Fall 2019)
Total Marks: 20
Lecture No. 1-12 (Topic 1-72)
Instructions:
 Late assignments will not be accepted.
 If the file is corrupt or problematic, it will be marked zero.
 Plagiarism will never be tolerated. Plagiarism occurs when a student uses work done by someone else as if it was his or her own;
however, taking the ideas from different sources and expressing them in your own words will be encouraged.
 No assignment will be accepted via e-mail.

The solution file should be in Word document format; the font colour should be preferably black and font size should be 12 Times
New Roman.
Synopsis and context of assignment
This assessment aims to develop your critical thinking skills and reflection skills, comprising two components: knowledge of reflective practice and
a critical disposition. This reflective essay of 800-1000 words aims to assess your critical disposition by using a range of critical skills to reflect
upon a critical incident. This incident is one that has significance for you as a particular individual, leading to a shift in your understanding of
teaching and learning or towards an aspect of education. It could be a single lesson, or a semester of teaching, for example. That is, it may have led
you questioning an aspect of your beliefs, values, attitude or behaviour as a teacher/ reflective practitioner.
The focus of event MUST be on building student-teacher relationships.
Reflective Essay
Task: Reflect about your developing critical disposition towards building student-teacher relationships by using critical skills in an essay. Essay
shall consist of following three parts:
 Background/Description (recollect, comprehend, apply)
 Reflection/ Interpretation (analyze, evaluate)
 Outcomes (justify, synthesize)
1
Reflective Essay Criteria Sheet and Rubric
Criterion
Reflect about your
developing critical
disposition towards
teaching by using
critical skills in an
essay:
 background
(recollect,
comprehend, apply)
 reflection (analyse,
evaluate)
 outcomes (justify,
synthesise)
High Distinction
Distinction
Average
Below Average
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a background that
comprised:
 a detailed and
thorough description
of what you
recollected about the
incident, including
when and where it
took place (7 marks)
 a perceptive
explanation of why it
was significant (had
meaning) for you,
that included
applying the
important relevant
aspects of the
incident to your
disposition towards
teaching (8 marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a background that
comprised:
 a detailed description
of what you
recollected about the
incident, including
when and where it
took place (6 marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a background that
comprised:
 a partly detailed
description of what
you recollected about
the incident,
including when and
where it took place
(5 marks)
 an explanation of
why it was significant
(had meaning) for
you, that included
applying some of the
important relevant
aspects of the
incident to your
disposition towards
teaching (6 marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a background that
comprised:
 an outline of what
you recollected as the
order of events in the
incident, including
when and where it
took place (4 marks)
 a comprehensive
explanation of why it
was significant (had
meaning) for you,
that included
applying most of the
important relevant
aspects of the
incident to your
disposition towards
teaching (7 marks)
 loosely-linked
statements about why
it was significant
(had meaning) for
you, that made
passing reference to
the important
relevant aspects of
the incident (4
marks)
Poor
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a background that
comprised:
 a rough outline of
what you recollected
as the order of events
in the incident
including when and
where it took place
(3 marks)
 separate sweeping
statements about the
incident and what
you thought about it
(2 marks)
2
Reflective Essay Criteria Sheet and Rubric
Criterion
High Distinction
Distinction
Average
Below Average
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a reflection that
involved:
 a thorough and
insightful analysis in
which you identified
the thoughts and
feelings that were
generated during and
after the incident, and
clearly explained
how all of these
related to each other
(10 marks)
 a considered and
sensitive evaluation
of how much impact
the incident had on
these thoughts and
feelings in terms of
affecting your
knowledge, values,
assumptions, beliefs
or perspectives
(10 marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a reflection that
involved:
 a reasonably
thorough analysis in
which you identified
the thoughts and
feelings that were
generated during and
after the incident, and
clearly explained
how most of these
related to each other
(8 marks)
 a considered
evaluation of how
much impact the
incident had on these
thoughts and feelings
in terms of affecting
your knowledge,
values, assumptions,
beliefs or
perspectives (8
marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a reflection that
involved:
 an analysis in which
you identified the
thoughts and feelings
that were generated
during and after the
incident, and
explained how most
of these related to
each other (6 marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 a reflection that
involved:
 a superficial analysis
in which you
identified the
thoughts and feelings
that were generated
during and after the
incident, and made
general statements
about how these
related to each other
(5 marks)
 a partial evaluation
made up of broad
generalisations about
how much impact the
incident had on these
thoughts and feelings
(5 marks)
 an evaluation of how
much impact the
incident had on these
thoughts and feelings
in terms of affecting
your knowledge,
values, assumptions,
beliefs or
perspectives (6
marks)
Poor
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 an reflection that
involved:
 a repetition of the
information given in
the background (4
marks)
 a statement that the
incident did or did
not have an impact
on your thoughts and
feelings (4 marks)
3
Reflective Essay Criteria Sheet and Rubric
Criterion
High Distinction
Distinction
Average
Below Average
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 outcomes that
included:
 a realistic and
achievable plan of
action with
convincing reasons
(justification) that
explicitly related to
your analysis and
evaluation of the
incident (7 marks)
 a logically organised
and concise
conclusion
(synthesis) that
combined the
different parts of
your reflection into a
new and cohesive
observation about
how your critical
disposition has
changed (8 marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 outcomes that
included:
 a realistic and
achievable plan of
action with mostly
convincing reasons
(justification) that
related to your
analysis and
evaluation of the
incident (6 marks)
 a logically organised
conclusion
(synthesis) that
combined the
different parts of
your reflection into a
new and mostly
cohesive observation
about how your
critical disposition
has changed (7
marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 outcomes that
included:
 a realistic plan of
action with partly
convincing reasons
(justification) that
made some reference
to your analysis and
evaluation of the
incident (5 marks)
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 outcomes that
included:
 a plan of action with
reasons (justification)
that made some
reference to your
analysis and
evaluation of the
incident (4 marks)
 a conclusion
(synthesis) that
combined most of the
different parts of
your reflection into a
new observation
about how your
critical disposition
has changed (6
marks)
 a conclusion
(synthesis) that
combined a few of
the different parts of
your reflection into a
new observation
about how your
critical disposition
has changed (4
marks)
Poor
In your reflective essay
about a critical incident
you provided:
 outcomes that
included:
 general ideas rather
than a plan of action,
with reasons
(justification) that
paraphrased
previous information
given in the
background (3
marks)
 a conclusion stating
that your critical
disposition has
changed (2 marks)
4