CBEA3070 (UG) & CBEA6070 (PG)
SEMESTER 1, 2021
How to write a piece of
reflection effectively?
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By the end of this workshop, you will:
Objectives
1.
understand about learning processes, especially
experiential learning
2.
understand what self-reflection is, the process of
self-reflection, and different levels of self-reflection
3.
be able to write reflectively
4.
be able to apply reflective learning into your
internship and daily activities
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Contents
1. The learning process
2. The role of reflection in our
learning
3. Levels of reflection
4. How to write reflectively?
5. Assessment tasks 2 and 3
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The learning process
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We engage with learning everyday;
but how does it occur?
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Activity 1: What is associated with our learning process?
Information
processing
Involve different
senses
Emotion
Learning
Connect with
previous
experience
Changes in your
thinking and
behaviors
Impact of
learning
Etc.
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Activity 2: How much can we learn via……..?
•
•
•
•
•
•
reading
hearing
seeing
seeing and hearing combined
discussion
experience
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Experiential learning
The Learning Pyramid (Source: William Glasser)
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Experiential learning
Examples of experiential learning:
• internship, practicum, fieldwork, service learning,
study abroad, etc.
• ride a bike, cook a new dish, etc.
Experiential learning is “the process whereby knowledge is
created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb,
1984).
David Kolb
(1939 -)
Experiential learning is largely the process of learning
through experience, and is more narrowly defined as
"learning through reflection on doing".
Reflection is important for our learning to occur. John Dewy
states that "We do not learn from experience. . . we learn
from reflecting on experience“.
John Dewy
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(1859 - 1952)
Experiential learning
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The role of reflection
in our learning
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Activity 3: Think about your transition to work so far,
what have you experienced?
• Relationships with people at the workplace
• Cultural differences
• Workplace communication
• Workplace etiquettes
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Reflection and its role in our professional development
• Reflection is a process which helps you gain insights into your
professional practice by thinking analytically about any element of it.
The gained insights can be applied to maintain good practice and
also lead to professional development and improvement.
• People engage with reflective learning in different ways. While one
person may learn by reflecting on a positive outcome, another may
find it most useful to focus on a situation they found challenging. It is
important that you choose the reflection way that suits you best to
provide the greatest benefit.
• As an intern, it is good for your professional development if you keep
reflecting on what happen to you (and others) at the workplace. Keep
a diary so that you do not forget these events and reflect on them at
the end of your day.
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Levels of reflection
Fleck (2012) suggests a framework consisting of five levels of reflection:
•
Description: This level is only a description or statement about events without any
elaboration, explanation or interpretation of meaning of these events. For that reason,
many authors do not consider it true reflection (Hatton & Smith, 1995; Manouchehri,
2002) whereas others do (Davis, 2006; Ward & McCotter, 2004).
•
Descriptive reflection: At this level, there is evidence of justification or provision of
reasons for action (Hatton & Smith, 1995), but there may be a limited level of analysis
(Ward and McCotter, 2004) and no change of perspective (Ward and McCotter, 2004).
•
Diagnostic reflection: The reflector looks for relationships between experience events
and generalize to get a different level of understanding. It includes interpretation and
questions, explore different explanations, and provide hypotheses and other points of
view.
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Levels of reflection
• Transformative reflection: On top of activities happening in diagnostic reflection, at this
level the reflector revisits an event with intent to reorganise and do something differently.
That is, there is change in their thinking and behaviours as the result of reflecting on a
learning experience.
• Critical reflection: On top of the above, the reflector also brings in social and ethical issues
while contemplating on experience events. Generally, the reflector examines events
happening to them with a larger view of the context around them. They ‘demonstrate an
awareness that actions and events are not only located in, and explicable by, reference to
multiple perspectives but are located in, and influenced by multiple historical, and sociopolitical contexts’ (Hatton & Smith, 1995, p. 49).
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Activity 4: What level of reflection is it?
1.
When I first tried to ride a bike, I fell off several times. I did get bruises and minor
injuries on my legs.
2.
When I first tried to ride a bike, I fell off several times. It was mostly because I
could not keep my balance well. I did not ride a bike before, so I was nervous and
that added more to my inability to keep the balance.
3.
When I first tried to ride a bike, I fell off several times. It was mostly because I
could not keep my balance well. If my dad had been there, I could ask him to
teach me how to balance and he could have protected me from some serious falloffs.
4.
When I first tried to ride a bike, I fell off several times. My father was not there; he
could not hold the bike for me when I was on it. So I got bruises and minor injuries
on my legs.
5.
When I first tried to ride a bike, I fell off several times. After carefully analysing the
causes, it turned out that it was mostly because I could not keep my balance well.
If my dad had been there, he could have taught me how to balance and protected
me from some serious fall-offs. I believe that parents should always be around to
protect their young kids when they engage with some risky activities. It is their
responsibilities to help develop life skills for their young kids until the kids can
confidently do it by themselves.
1
3
4
2
5
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How to write a piece of reflection?
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Challenges related to writing a reflection
• Self-reflection is often a messy, time-consuming, and demanding process. It requires us to
engage our mind with what happened, report a series of self-observations and then generate
written texts (Franks, 2016). During this process, we need to be aware of inhibitors such as the
ego, narcissism, or affective states (ibid).
• Self-reflection requires us to have some ability to contemplate on experience events. As
presented earlier, there are different levels of reflection, and not all of us are critical enough. We
may not be familiar with and skilled at reflection; thus, it is important to practise contemplating
on experience events to engage with deep reflection.
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Reflective writing is an activity that includes description (what,
when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). It is an explorative
tool often resulting in more questions than answers.
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Steps to write a reflection
It means you should check
the guideline of Assessment
tasks 2and 3 carefully.
Preparation stage
Be clear about your task
• Reflective writing assignments can take many forms, so check the guidelines in
your course outline before you begin. Clarify any questions or uncertainties
with your lecturer or tutor.
Choose the experience/event carefully
• There are several events that you experienced. However, choose the one that
can show your ability to reflect the most.
Gather your ideas
• Before you write, you need to think and reflect. Start by drawing a mind map.
• Mind mapping is a technique that can help you expand your thinking, structure
your ideas, and make connections. You can use a mind map to plan your
assignment and arrange items to create the structure of your writing.
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Steps to write a reflection
Actual writing stage
Writing
• Beginning with reporting the experience you had
• Discuss what it means to you
• Discuss what you learn from that experience
• Discuss your emotional, cognitive and behavioural change after the experience, if any
• Provide explanation or interpretation, if any
• Discuss what you would do differently if the same situation/experience occurs again
• Link it with your former experience and analyse how this experience differs from the previous one
• Link the experience with some bodies of knowledge that you have learned or some social-cultural
aspects related to the learning experience.
• It is important to signal readers of your reflection, using reflective phrases (next slide)
Revision
• It is always good to revise your reflection as it will give you a chance to improve it
• Have someone to read it to check if it is clear to him/her
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Reflective words/ phrases/expressions:
For describing your learning outcomes (including how it changes your thinking and behaviour):
• I have significantly developed/improved……
• This knowledge is essential for me because …..
• For me, the most meaningful thing I learn from this is …
• Having read/seen that, I now feel/think/question/realize …..
For explanations:
• This may be because/ explained by/ due to the fact that ….
For interpretation of the learning experience:
• At first, I questioned whether…and alternatively this might be because of…
• This is similar to…because…
For showing changes in your thinking or behaviours
• Previously, I did not think/notice/feel/realize that …., but now I think/notice/feel/realize ….
For linking your learning experience to the larger issue/picture
• This is probably related to …
• This has been confirmed in theory A (author, year) which generally (add main content of that theory)
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Assessment Tasks 2 and 3:
Reflection on your internship
experiences
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Assessment tasks 2 and 3
Task 2: For this submission, you will write about ONE particular
situation related to how you transitioned into and adapted to the
work environment of the host organisation, lessons that you have
learned from experiencing that situation, and what you may do
differently for a similar situation in the future.
Task 3: You are required to reflect on your internship experience with
a focus on communication, workplace etiquette OR professionalism in
the workplace (e.g., personal interactions with workplace supervisor
or colleagues or discipline tutor, meetings that you participated in, a
briefing/talk that you had to do, an email communication with
others).
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Assessment tasks 2 and 3
Requirement:
You need to write the reflection using the S.T.A.R. writing technique:
• Situation: How, when, where, with whom?
• Task: What happened? Briefly describe the situation or the task you were
faced with
• Action: What action did you undertake?
• Result: What results/outcomes did you achieve?
You are required to analyse how the aforementioned situation offered a learning
opportunity for the rest of the internship. Highlight what you gained from this
experience and discuss how you might do it differently for a similar situation in the
future.
Reflection length:
• For CBEA3070, 6 unit course: 500 words (10% leeway)
For CBEA6070 (6 and 12 units) and CBEA3070 (12 unit): 750 words (10% leeway)
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Advice to complete Assessment Tasks 2 and 3
1
2
• Read the instruction and requirements carefully
• Choose the experience/event that can give you opportunities to show your
reflection ability the most
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• Use mind mapping to outline what you will write
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• Report the event/experience using the STAR writing technique
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6
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• Add your reflection: What did you learn from it? What would you do differently
for a better result? What were the reasons for your success/failure? Etc.
• Add your reflection: your emotional, cognitive, behavioral change after the
experience/event? Link it to the wider social-cultural issues
• Revise and ensure it is within the given word limit
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Activity 5: What is wrong with this reflection?
Identify three weaknesses of this reflection
Situation: It was my first week at ABC company, my internship host.
Task: I was tasked to organize a small celebration for a colleague who had just had a
newborn at the coming Wednesday morning tea.
Action: I had no idea why I had to do this task as it was not work-relevant. Having a baby, in
my opinion at the time, is a personal issue and why it should be organized at work. I
searched the internet and asked Australian friends to know of this task. It turned out that in
Australia, they value both work and life activities, making the two as balanced as possible.
After I got the point, I bought a gift for the baby and a bunch of flowers and congratulation
card for the colleague. At the morning tea, I announced the news and congratulated him as
warmly as possible.
Result: He was so touched and proud, thanking everyone for sharing the happiness with
him. He said he felt the company was like his second home and the colleague was like his
relatives.
Reflection: Work-life balance is so important because it fosters the growth of the sense of
belonging and loyalty of employees.
Practice
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Activity 6: You are about to write a short reflection on your
transition to work. Use mind mapping to outline what you will
write
Knowledge
and skill gap
Transition to
work
Social
networking
Low power
distance
How did I realize that?
Work culture
Output
focused
Why work-life balance is
important in Australia?
Work-life
balance
Why did not I notice this
before?
Note: I only focus on the aspect I want to write
about. When using mind-mapping, you should
explore all aspects to give you a better look
and make good decisions on what to focus on.
Is it relevant to an early
career employee like me?
Should I take this
perspective or not? Why?
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Activity 7: Add more sentences to form a short
reflective paragraph, using the STAR writing
technique
1.
On the first day of the internship, I formally addressed my boss as Mr
Baker. However, my boss asked me to address him using his given
name. I was so confused, so I decided to ask my colleagues for
reasons why he asked me to do so or if I did something wrong.
2.
I took a virtual internship at ABC Company. It has been two weeks
since my start date, but my host organization has not tasked me with
anything.
3.
I was assigned to compile a list of potential customers in Singaporean
market for the host organization. Due to an unexpected family
situation, I nearly failed to complete it on time. I decided to meet the
boss to explain the situation and request two extra days. To my
surprise, the boss did not get angry at all but just encouraged me to
keep trying. He told me that the task had been assigned to me and he
trusted that I could do well within the extra time given.
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Activity 7: Add more sentences to form a short
reflective paragraph, using the STAR writing
technique
On the first day of the internship, I formally addressed my boss using his family
name. However, my boss asked me to address him using his given name. I was so
confused, so I decided to ask my colleagues for reasons why he asked me to do
so or if I did something wrong. My colleague assured me that I did not do
anything wrong and that in Australia people often address using first names.
From this experience, I learned that what I was taught before was not always
right. I addressed my boss in a wrong way because I was taught to address
people using their family name before I came here. This situation also taught me
that I need to be more careful in applying what I have learned in a new context.
This is exactly what is termed as “unlearning” in order to learn better
(Hedberg,1981). From that day onwards, I have addressed my boss and people
properly and always reminded me of being more alert and ready to unlearn old
things to welcome new things.
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Activity 7: Add more sentences to form a short
reflective paragraph, using the STAR writing
technique
I took a virtual internship at ABC Company. It has been two weeks since
my start date, but my host organization has not tasked me with anything. I
did not want to waste my time, so I requested a Zoom meeting to discuss
the issue with my workplace supervisor. He advised that he was waiting
for me to approach the host first because he wanted me to be proactive at
work. Then we discussed and he assigned tasks for me to do. From this
situation, I learn that proactiveness is an essential quality of a good
employee, which is expected by the employers. I did not realize this
because in my home country, employees are supposed to wait for the
discussions from the higher-ups. But now, I realize that in Australian work
setting, it is my responsibility is speak up first about what I can do, if the
employer does not assign task to me. I feel good because I took the
initiative, and I will continue to be proactive in my position to the end of
my internship.
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Activity 7: Add more sentences to form a short
reflective paragraph, using the STAR writing
technique
I was assigned to compile a list of potential customers in Singaporean market for the host
organization. Due to an unexpected family situation, I nearly failed to complete it on time.
I decided to meet the boss to explain the situation and request two extra days. To my
surprise, the boss did not get angry at all but just encouraged me to keep trying. He told
me that the task had been assigned to me and he trusted that I could do well within the
extra time given. Having experienced this situation, I feel that there is not much distance
between the leader and staff in Australian, unlike in my home country Vietnam. The
former trusts and empower the staff, i.e., me, so that I can perform my work at best.
Indeed, what my boss told me that day did encourage me to try my best to sort out my
family issue and complete the assigned task the best I can. This is aligned with what I have
learned about empowering leadership style (e.g., see Cheong et al., 2019) where bosses
give their subordinates decision making authority. However, I question what would
happen if a staff is not capable enough for the task. In that case, such kind of leadership
may motivate the staff and may not yield the best outcomes for the company. While I
appreciate the way my boss treated me, I still feel this leadership style is not always
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effective.
Activity 8: Write a short paragraph to show your
reflective learning about your transition to
work. Remember to use the STAR writing
technique. Share it with your friends.
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Final notes
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Please remember:
• Learning occurs in all aspects of life, not just within the classroom.
• People approach their learning in different ways; you need to
identify the best one for you.
• Experiential learning is great for professional development;
reflection is the core of that type of learning.
• Writing reflections is a good practice to improve yourself, both
personally and professionally.
• Writing a good reflection needs patience and regular practice
• Reflective writing start with reporting on an learning event,
followed by your analysis of that learning event, pointing out what
you learn from it, how you change because of it, and how it can be
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linked to the world out there.
Good luck!
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