define reflective writing

define reflective writing

Reflective Writing: Developing Critical Thinking Skills

1. Introduction

If we want our students to think critically, if we want them to learn from the most important aspects of the subjects they are studying, we must teach them to think about the kind of thinking that defines the subject, and we must be clear in our own minds about what that thinking is. Within the domain itself there is thinking, within history, thinking within mathematics, thinking within the visual arts. But it is thinking within a domain of subject matter that is often problematic. Very often it is assumed that the content of the subject at hand is equivalent to the thinking of the subject at hand. But when we separate the two, and we often have to do that to teach it, it becomes clear that critical thinking understood in terms of skills is not something that can be applied to just any topic. Clarifying the thinking involved in this or that content is, we need remember only a preliminary to assessing the thinking with a view to accepting it. This is a point many teachers who recognize the importance of critical thinking still have to learn. Too often it is assumed that critical thinking only comes into play when it is time to take some action, decide on a course of action or come to a judgement. Only then, it is thought, is there some pay off, either overt behavioural or at least a conclusion that is believed. Now it is true that it is often important to be able think critically and make decisions and value judgements, and it is true that no matter how much skill in critical thinking, though know can make a judgement that is better than the evidence and reasons known. But in terms of developing critical thinking at the subject matter level, focusing on decision making, judgment, and problem solving in too general a way is an inefficient way to proceed. At the beginning it is better to focus on the thinking what comes before action and judgement is made, on the thinking that defines the content in every class or discipline there are a number of important concepts, principles and theories that define the subject at hand. The teacher can begin by taking some of these, doing some lecturing of guidance and then having students and tutor narrow the class into a general or a specific aspect of the concept, principle, theory in questions and then ask what is the thinking implied here? The students should be encouraged to look at the various sides or aspects of an issue and think their way through to conclusions. They should be asked to compare the thinking to the information base that bears on it comparing that thinking to relevant alternative information, view points or other possible conclusions and explaining why they think it is the best route to the best decision or conclusion. If any it is at this point that a model of steps, which can be later used as a guide for decision making, judgment and problem solving can be used to teach critical thinking. Again the emphasis can begin with a specific or general aspects of an issue and move later to application on the overall thinking of the discipline.

2. Importance of Reflective Writing

Parts of the text may be complex, it is suggested that you critically discuss the texts and reflect on your learning, to improve your understanding and to embed learning. This critical discussion can then be taken into your written work. Doing this will add depth and quality to your work. It is important to process and make sense of the information you receive whether this is through critical discussion with others, thinking about it in your own time, or through an activity like writing. Making sense of an event, interpreting it and finding meaning allows learning to happen and often discoveries about yourself and others around you. Writing about your experiences, and knowledge gained from them, often provides not only a record for the future, but also a context for the event and a chance to present your thoughts to others. Through explaining and justifying to others, it is then possible to clarify the event in your own mind and evaluate the learning process. This has little value without an evaluation of what has been learnt and the construction of new knowledge. Articulating the new knowledge in written form provides a permanent record, which can be drawn upon to aid future decision making. A good decision is the application of knowledge to make a change and reflective writing can be the basis for future action.

3. Techniques for Effective Reflective Writing

There are a number of ways to bring your skills in reflection to the fore, helping you to make your learning more conscious and more effective. The development of reflective writing is now recognised as a key component of the learning process, providing a means by which learners can make explicit the knowledge they have already gained and more generally encouraging the effective use of higher order cognitive skills. Gibbs’ reflective cycle identifies 6 elements which prompts the reflector to consider different aspects of an event or experience. For each of these elements there is a set of prompting questions, which can help an individual to make sense of what has happened and use the experience to help them learn from the situation. As reflection is specific to a particular experience it is always important to keep the event in mind. Try using a structured diary to help you organise your thoughts and actions surrounding the event, using the reflective cycle to guide you through your reflection step by step. The use of models and frameworks can also be an effective starting point to help your initial reflections, providing a generalised viewpoint should you find the specifics of an experience hard to assess. Frost (no date) suggests that by searching through models of reflective practice one can find ways of interpreting events that are concerned with identifying and correcting any variations from previous expectations, reducing anomalies between experience and understanding and even attempting to improve judgements under similar circumstances in the future. By searching for a model or framework which has already been used in a situation similar to the one you are reflecting on, it can provide you with a better understanding and help you learn any lessons from the experience without making the same mistakes.

4. Benefits of Reflective Writing

It is from this process of unearthing and confronting a problem that we are encouraged, though not necessarily comfortable, to explore alternative concepts and seek explanations supported by well-founded arguments. This makes the connections between the two increasingly apparent. Reflective writing provides a stimulant to the fusion of both, as students are able to apply newly acquired taxonomies of learning and levels of knowledge to integrated experiences. In so doing, students link new information to existing knowledge, enabling them to identify patterns and make crucial discriminations in understanding which creates a learning experience and the development of new insights. A significant depth of understanding and a realignment of student ways of knowing, valued most highly by academics and also what educators actively try to encourage, is often the result of the reflective writing process. When students writing at deeper levels of reflection they are required to use a number of targeted high level cognitive skills such as analysis and evaluation and synthesis. A number of these writing words imply some seeking of a higher truth or a meta level of understanding. For example: “Consider the hypothesis that the earth may be the centre of the universe…could there be a contemplation that was simpler and clearer than this?” (Descartes, Principles of Philosophy and Method)

5. Conclusion

It is vital for educators to provide opportunities for students to engage in real problems and experiences and exercise reflective thinking throughout this process (Tinning et al., 2001). A well-designed curricular task that is rich in content, rooted in the experiences of the students, and allows for multiple interpretations and outcomes encourages students to engage in higher-order thinking like reflective thinking (Dewey, 1933; Yair & Even, 2006). Giving students the tools and methods to answer the question “how we think about things” and providing them with opportunities for “making our activities and experiences more intelligible to us” (Dewey, 1910, 1933) leads to a significant level of understanding and can provide a shift in the individual’s confirmed beliefs. Even though teaching thinking and decision-making skills are deemed important by most physical educators, few provide direct instruction into how to think (Casey & Fletcher, 2007). Warren and Strober (2007) bring attention to the point that reflection, although thought to be an important part of the learning process in PE, is an area with little practical knowledge of how to teach, so educators often revert back to what they know, traditional teaching. This usually involves didactic teaching that encourages rote learning and very little thinking involvement from the students. To develop reflection and thinking skills in students, a shift away from didactic teaching is required, providing students with methods and experiences that will enable development and practice of these skills (Tinning et al., 2001).