Reflection Paper writing
The Importance of Reflection in Academic Writing
To begin with, I must confess that I did not have any clear understanding of the purpose of a reflection paper. I had thought that a reflection paper is just a piece of busy work assigned by professors at the end of each course. It was not that hard a task and it was not something that I really looked forward to. So, I would do my work for the satisfaction of just getting the work done. Every time when I sat down to work on the reflection paper, I should do one thing that really need to stop doing; I would not try to be creative with the way I write. Last time, I picked a few words that I was not really good at and just used them over and over again throughout the paper. When I started my reflection paper, I used a lot of sentences that said “I think”, “I feel” and “I this”. I felt that I really did not prove my point. Every other sentence in a reflection paper should support the thesis statement. This is the first guideline in writing a reflection paper. Also, I have scratched out some words and also inked in some different words that I felt were alright to use in my reflections so that the next time that I write a reflection paper, it will be a better paper. After knowing the means of reflection, I took another self survey of my actual academic standing right now. And then I used many planes of development to help me to identify which they are and in which themes that I have considered for my future learning. So I understood that I need to start from my own consciousness raising and from there, I can make a change to the outside concentric circles. Like Dr. Bell said, professionals cannot always depend on benefits come the reorganization or in congress. It’s important for professionals to keep on learning and seeking. So it is necessary for me to reflect on all that I have come through or about to face so as to fully understand the progress that I have made in my work.
In a reflection paper, a thesis statement is a unique reflection of the writer’s opinion, his views and how these views affected or have an effect on him in the past as the writer is expressing them in the writing. A thesis that is not an opinion but a statement of outcome that will reflect the effects of certain circumstances in the past gives the reader reason to think ahead. Since all formal papers will require a minimum of three body paragraphs, there are many types of thesis statements that can be utilized as a map for this purpose. As you continue to practice this skill, you will automatically create better and more organized thesis. This structure in your thesis gives your ideas forward movement and a chance to make it a reflective outcome. A reflexive statement is a statement that simply sets the topic for your paper, such as “I believe” and so on. It is a thesis that will reflect what you have learned or insights you have gained that have changed or have affected the way you throughout your life, as the reflection of a present and the past. Also, how that insight will continue to steer you in the future and shapes you as a learner and a writer in the academic and the professional world. Back to our map, it depends on which type of thesis that you are comfortable, some people find it easier to use a statement and either way, as long as you practice your skill in creating a good thesis and using it in your materials, it will be forming a better writing. So, if you practice in a step of putting your map like the ‘Thes…aptive writing’ that is requesting in the first paragraph. It will clear a route to a good thesis as it forces a direction to the proposal. For a personal opinion, it is advisable to put in a detail of map that leads to the overall outcome. This will assist in the creation of a sort of prediction to what is to come. Last but not least, for an adaptive writing, it is advisable to have a thesis to reflect an opportunity allow growth and that it is not just a statement of fact. By doing so, it will give the writer a chance to be appointed in a v…th a reflexive research. In other words, practice makes perfect. Work hard at crafting a suitable thesis and use it as best as you can in your papers. Every reflection paper will need a map, which is the thesis itself, a map that will be used to discuss only those gears and pulleys, the reflections of the creator as a creator, the invention of the theme throughout the pieces and ideas. Every point in your main body should relate back to this map, in some way. So, take your time to practice and learn this skill.
In addition to this, do not simply summarize the events in your reflection. Instead, focus on giving the reader an overview of your personal experiences either in a single event or throughout a period. Start your essay with an introduction that encompasses the subject of your reflection and the focus of your paper. Next, in the body of your reflection, discuss the unique outcomes of your experiences. This should be a detailed analysis of the subject of your essay. Each of these main points will be addressed in the body of the paragraph. Finally, use a conclusion to bring all your thoughts together, showing how they support an overall conclusion that is a response to your original assignment, such as answering the question “what have you learned from this class?” To write an effect reflection paper it is important to keep personal voice and personal perspectives. It is also important to remember to have clear thesis statement, which captures the nature of the reflections. Variation of sentence structure is important. For example, two to three simple sentences are easy to follow and the readers may get the points better. However, sometimes these types of structures may not give a text the complexity. So, it is important to use complex structures such as participle phrases in a sentence. This will also help to cope with the predictability of similar structures in a text. Last but not least, a reflection should present a ‘continuum’ of development kind of like a movie. Each paragraph should flow and build upon the next one. This will give the writer a neutral and modified future self. This ‘continuum’ is especially important because most academic writing requires that a writer moves from a personal point of view to a more objective one. Thus, a reflection must use knowledge and use others’ point of view to prove a point, except his personal thoughts. By doing this, a writer will be able to avoid the number one thing that causes failure in a reflection, which is a ‘soap opera’ kind of writing, a totally displaced writing born out of a necessary need to inject emotion over the writing.
Upon completion of the reflection paper, it is important to incorporate personal experiences and insights that are in line with the required learning outcomes. Personal experiences and insights are the main ingredients in a reflection paper. In as much as a critical point of view has to be embraced, it is important to use such views in the context of personal experiences and in the first person. For my case, I would search through the memories starting from the earliest and progress in a chronological manner. However, it is vital to link such memories to the content of study. A critical assessment has to be done, I have to make judgment about the content. However, my judgment is based on my understanding of the experiences and this makes my insight authentic and credible. I have to critically reflect on the action that I have taken which have been informed by a particular methodology and findings. When sharing personal insights, it is important to share detailed and substantive reflections, instead of surface level reflections. One way to ensure that I do not make a camp without giving detailed explanations is by exploring the reasons why I have chosen that particular camp. I may also give specific example on how my camp have influenced my views which is a clear demonstration of substantive reflection. Another way to deepen insights is by evaluating the relationship of my findings in context of existing literature. This could be through appraising the methodology used in the study and making comments on the impact of such methodologies. Through this, I am exposing my critical thinking capacity as I present grounded and critical commentary based on the encouraged literature. Last but not least, I will state how my own development influences my experiences. This is by demonstrating to the audience that my experiences have been informed by my growth and development. According to Vinnie Tsang, “Reflection involves linking the service and learning aspects of the course. The student not only should show what was learned, but also how the service was helpful.” Incorporating personal insights helps to internalize learning. In most reflection papers, students are usually encouraged to write on a topic which they have initial exposure, where it is supplemented with new experiences or insights gained from the process. However, it is important to honestly present and explain the influence such experiences have made in my life. Through personal experiences and insights, my reflection paper will be based on concrete experiences and practices and this will ensure that it seeks to look for practical solutions in a given field.
Concluding with actionable takeaways is a final and crucial step of writing a reflection paper. After reflecting, drafting, and revising, students need to apply the new insights and concrete actions – what they learn about themselves and use their knowledge to make a difference in real life. There are multiple ways to organize this part of writing. However, personally, I recommend students start with a topic sentence that clearly states the new meaning of your life because of the experience and it helps to transmit coherence between the previous and the current part of writing. Then, students may include personal observations and feelings as well as evidence that support how such learning transpires. In the end, summarizing what students have learned from the paper and suggest the application of the new knowledge, you can end the paper with a “what will be your next step sentence” which I believe will impress the reader. This reflection not only helped me successfully complete a 3500 words essay on “The changing trend of Environmentalism in Chinese Political Arena”, it also led me to scotoma – a concept that was not covered in the course, yet I find it significant and thus I conducted further readings on political science. And I wrote a shorter reflection on my course theme presentation and used the same analysis to check whether my new knowledge can be applied. When guiding students in practice the skills of reflection, we as educators, need to constantly remind ourselves the end of students’ reflection should never be just for the sake of doing a reflection. I feel students could easily become mechanical and just go through the motion of reflection without getting anything substantial out of the exercise. Instead, our focus can be on how we, as the facilitator of reflection, could provide the best guidance to maximize the value of it by starting with the understanding of the purpose of reflection, meeting the unique learning needs of individual students and finally, make use of the new knowledge gener.
