A short Guide to Reflective Writing to help you when submitting your EDGE activity reflections.
The EDGE award allows you to practice your reflective writing with each activity that you submit. This is a skill that you may have already mastered, or you might want to learn how to get started. You have used reflective writing in job applications, giving feedback to your lecturer on a project or event, blogging, or an academic assignment.
If you’re not sure what reflective writing is all about, this information will help you understand what reflective writing is, what it isn’t and will give you helpful tips and phrases you can use.
What is reflective writing?
Reflecting on an experience can help you understand the impact of that experience on yourself, the people around you and how that experience can help you going forward. Writing your reflection down can give you a deeper understanding of that experience and work out what it is you felt, thought and the action you can now take.
Reflective writing is critical analysis of a situation you found yourself in. Rather than just writing about what happened, when, and who… your reflection will talk about how, why and what now?
Reflective writing is written in the first person, ‘I was ..I felt…I realised..I now understand.. etc
Reflective terminology
Below are some phrases that can be used for reflective writing that will help you avoid using too much description.
The most important thing was...
At the time I felt...
This was likely due to...
After thinking about it...
I learned that...
I need to know more about...
Later I realised...
This was because...
This was like...
I wonder what would happen if...
I'm still unsure about...
My next steps are...
Adapted from The Reflective Practice Guide: An Interdisciplinary Approach / Barbara Bassot, and University of Cambridge, Study Skills.
