Table of Contents
What is the best way to start a reflective journal?
Identify whether it was a negative or a positive experience. Reflect on how you have approached the subject or knowledge before the event. List what you think you have learned and written how it has changed you as a person and a future professional (if it is applicable!). Examples of reflective questions What prior knowledge did I have? How did I act during the event? What did I learn from the event that I did not know before? What links can I make between my experience and other events/ideas from my studies or workplace? Use a three-paragraph structure. In the first one, introduce the experience and how it influenced you. In the next one, compare the experiences of others. Then, tell what you learned from it. A good way to reflect on experience is to use a framework that prompts deep and purposeful thinking about what happened. The 5Rs of the reflection (Bain et al 2002) is one such framework. The five elements of this framework are Reporting, Responding, Reasoning, Relating and Reconstructing.
What makes a good reflective journal?
Academic reflective writing requires critical and analytic thought, a clear line of argument, and the use of evidence through examples of personal experiences and thoughts and often also theoretical literature. You should aim for a balance between personal experience, tone, and academic practice and rigor. Your reflective essay SHOULD: Be roughly 500-1000 words long (roughly 2-3 double-spaced pages). Maintain a generally academic tone. Some typical reflection essay topics include: a real-life experience, an imagined experience, a special object or place, a person who had an influence on you, or something you have watched or read. In reflective writing, the use of ‘I’ is not only acceptable, but expected. Reflective writing, however, needs to be more than a description of your observations or thoughts, or a simple summary of what happened in a situation. Meaningful reflections go beyond simple recall of information and descriptions of what happened; rather, meaningful reflections exhibit original thinking that goes beyond the surface. Prompts that elicit meaningful reflection: Are crafted strategically with specific personal and intellectual goals in mind. A Self-Reflection Definition. Simply put, self-reflection (also known as “personal reflection”) is taking the time to think about, meditate on, evaluate, and give serious thought to your behaviors, thoughts, attitudes, motivations, and desires.
How do you start a self reflection journal?
Start your day with a morning intention—just one sentence will do. Think about what you’re looking forward to each day, as well as what you’re grateful for at the moment. In the evening, revisit your morning journal entry and reflect on your day. Plus, you can set goals and put changes into action for tomorrow. End of the Work Day Journal Instead, consider journaling at the end of your work day. Use this time to reflect on the events of the workday and as a transition before going home. Take fifteen minutes to write down projects you are working on. Journal three things you’re grateful for every day. Journal your problems. Journal your stresses. Journal your answer to “What’s the best thing that happened today?” every night before bed. Describe Describe what happened Feelings How did it make you feel? Evaluate What was good or bad? Analyse What sense can you make of the situation? (Include external issues) Conclude What general and specific conclusions can you draw? Action What next, or what will you do next time?
What is the format of a Reflective journal?
Describe Describe what happened Feelings How did it make you feel? Evaluate What was good or bad? Analyse What sense can you make of the situation? (Include external issues) Conclude What general and specific conclusions can you draw? Action What next, or what will you do next time? A good way to reflect on experience is to use a framework that prompts deep and purposeful thinking about what happened. The 5Rs of the reflection (Bain et al 2002) is one such framework. The five elements of this framework are Reporting, Responding, Reasoning, Relating and Reconstructing.
What is an example of reflective journal?
Reflective Journal Example “This week I lost my job because my employer thought I was not consistent in my work. At first I was a little upset, because I’m always on time, and I complete what I can by the end of the day. I couldn’t figure out what she meant by stating that I wasn’t consistent in my work. In reflective writing, the use of ‘I’ is not only acceptable, but expected. Reflective writing, however, needs to be more than a description of your observations or thoughts, or a simple summary of what happened in a situation. Johns suggested that when you reflect, you need to make sure that you ‘look inwards’ (consider your own thoughts and feelings), and ‘look outwards’ (consider the actual incident or situation, plus things like your actions in the situation and whether they were ethical, and the external factors that influenced you). You should avoid writing too informally. Just because reflective writing is based on your own experience does not mean you can ignore academic style of writing.
What is one of the disadvantages of a reflective journal?
Cons. It is common to dislike forced reflection (staff often feel the same) and some may not allocate much consideration to it. Tendency to write what they think you want to read; i.e. fiction. A reflective paper is not a research paper. Therefore, unlike research papers, you are expected to write from a first person point of view which includes an introspective examination of your own opinions, feelings, and personal assumptions. Reflective terminology A common mistake people make when writing reflectively is to focus too much on describing their experience. Some typical reflection essay topics include: a real-life experience, an imagined experience, a special object or place, a person who had an influence on you, or something you have watched or read. Some typical reflection essay topics include: a real-life experience, an imagined experience, a special object or place, a person who had an influence on you, or something you have watched or read.
What do I write in my journal first?
It is easy to begin sentences with, “I feel,” or “I think,” or “I wonder.” Don’t feel pressured to stick to any particular form or topic. The beginning of your journal writing can just be an introduction to your thoughts at the time. This is your personal space, so you should feel comfortable writing. It is easy to begin sentences with, “I feel,” or “I think,” or “I wonder.” Don’t feel pressured to stick to any particular form or topic. The beginning of your journal writing can just be an introduction to your thoughts at the time. This is your personal space, so you should feel comfortable writing. Journaling also helps people hone their focus so that they think about only one thing at a time. When you write your thoughts by hand, you can only write one word at a time. Your thoughts slow down to match your writing speed and you’ll find that it’s easier to slip out of your overthinking mindset. Journaling helps you declutter your mind, which leads to better thinking. Writing in a journal also sharpens your memory and improves your learning capability. There’s a reason why when you take the time to pen your thoughts, plans, and experiences, you remember them better, while also feeling more focused. Starting a reflection paper begins by asking questions and noting your ideas or thoughts on the subject matter. Brainstorming is a key step to ensure your paper remains focused. Writing, like anything, improves with practice. When you journal every day, you’re practicing the art of writing. And if you use a journal to express your thoughts and ideas, it can help improve your communication skills.