Writing Reflectively
On this page:
- Descriptive vs reflective writing
- Linking theory to reflection
Descriptive vs Reflective Writing
One of the main pitfalls to avoid when writing reflectively is being too descriptive. While it is important to have short bursts of description - briefly covering things like what happened, when it happened, who was there and where it took place - you should try not to focus too much on this.
Instead, think about your thoughts and feelings before, during, after and since the event you are reflecting on took place.
For example, were you uncomfortable, nervous, confident?
Why did you do choose to do it that way?
How might you change your approach in the future?
How will you use what you have learned to inform your future practice?
Linking theory to reflection
It can be challenging to link theory into your reflective writing. The aim is to show your marker that you understand the link between your experiences and academic theory, and how it is relevant to your personal experience.
It is important to find the link between the theory and your own experience. The link between the two aspects of reflective writing is shown in various examples in the video.
The two examples below show how the writer has described an experience (very briefly!) and how they have progressed to explain the link and introduce academic sources to support their statements.
Example one
During my maths lesson, the children became restless and displayed low level disruption. I had to stop teaching on a couple of occasions to remind the class about the behaviour expectations. I became anxious that I did not know how to manage the behaviour.
After the lesson, I have reflected that the length of time I spent talking to the class was too long and this is why the children became restless. Smith (2020) suggest that to keep a class engaged, the direct delivery should be for a maximum of ten-minutes, which should then be followed by a practical activity.
Descriptive vs Reflective Writing
Consider the two examples below and see if you can identify the differences between the descriptive writing and the reflective writing:
| I set up a listening activity with the children. They listened to a news clip and numbered four pictures in the right order. The activity finished in 5 minutes although I had planned it for 10 minutes. | This is descriptive writing and has no useful reflection. |
| The listening activity was a news clip about polar bears, and it really interested the children. I was so focused on the exercise that I did not give the children a chance to talk about it and finished too quickly. | This paragraph shows that the writer can pick out what they have learnt – reflection. |
This video from the Auckland University of Technology uses the wave method to create a structure for linking theory with experience.
Example two
A patient on my placement had an intravenous fluid infusion running; the entry site in his hand had become very sore and inflamed. The cannula was removed and, to my surprise, it was decided that the infusion did not need to be replaced. This made me question whether the intravenous infusion could have been stopped sooner, to reduce the risks resulting from having a cannula in place.
The use of the intravenous fluids and of intravenous cannulae should be avoided unless absolutely necessary (Clayton et al., 1999; Workman, 1999). Nurses and doctors should therefore constantly assess whether patients need to have intravenous fluids, and they should remove the cannula immediately if they are not required for any other purpose.
