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Reflective Writing

Mirror reflection

Good Reflective Writing

CPD and study will usually require elements of reflective reading, reflective writing and reflective practice.

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What is Reflective writing:

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  • Provides a way in which you can make best use of an experience.

  • Can be used to record your progress throughout your study/practice.

  • Can improve your performance by using the outcome of reflection to inform future practice.

  • Is a means of learning by making links between theory and your practice.

  • Is a skill which can continue to help you develop professionally.​

 

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Poor Reflective Writing

  • Demonstrates personal insight into how you are performing and show learning from your everyday experiences.

  • Has some evidence of critical thinking and analysis, describing your own thought processes

  • Reveals self-awareness, demonstrating openness and honesty about performance along with some consideration of your own feelings

  • Contains some evidence of learning, appropriately describing what needs to be learned, why and how

  • Includes appropriate linkage to relevant criteria/curriculum (where this is relevant)

  • Demonstrates behaviours that allow linkage to one or more competence areas (where this is relevant)

  • Just a description of what you did or read.

  • A detailed description of what actually took place. (It should be a brief account of the key events/ideas only).

  • Irrelevant details that don't discuss the experience in context.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Gibbs’ reflective cycle is a popular framework for reflection. The framework includes 6 stages of reflection and is illustrated below.

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​Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing. A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Oxford Brookes Further Education Unit.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Reflective Writing Explained

Did you know the library offers Training Sessions?

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You can find out more about some of the training sessions we offer including Reflective Writing here.

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These can take place either in the Library or at your place of work and can be delivered as group session or 1:1.  

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Books available to loan
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