Reflective writing is one aspect of critical thinking or analyzing. In analyzing evidence, there are three types of connections you can make:
The text-to-self connection is where reflective writing happens. When making this type of connection, it is important to still evaluate and explain the action, evidence, or feeling just as you would with the other two types.
In reflective writing, you answer three important questions:
There are two types of reflective writing:
A personal reflection usually requires little or no scholarly research, but it does require an in-depth analysis of your personal experiences. In this type of reflection, it is important to show how those experiences are related to and have shaped your understanding of a particular issue.
An academic reflection requires you to analyze how your experiences relate to the researched literature or theories. In this type of reflection, there should be a balance between research and personal experience. It is important to show how the research connects to your experience and explain the importance of the connection.
Reflective writing can have multiple verb tenses, depending on the context of your reflection.
Confirm with your faculty member whether you should use first person "I/we" or third person "it/he/she".
It is important to limit the amount of experiences. This will help keep your reflection focussed and give you the ability to provide an in-depth analysis.
This answers the "what" question.
This shows the reader how you have made text-to-self connections for academic reflection.
This answers the "so what" question.
This answers the "now what" question.