2. What Is Reflective Writing?
• Reflection refers to an intellectual and
affective method of learning that students use
to explore their experiences and foster a
deeper understanding and appreciation for
learning.
3. What Is Reflective Writing?
• Method of learning from experiences
• Used to reflect on cognitive learning
experiences, attitudes, and feelings related to
the experience
• Analyze the events of a practicum course and
relate them to didactic course work
4. Why Use It?
• Accrediting bodies are expecting educational
institutions to prepare students to be reflective
practitioners.
• Reflective writing forces students to stop,
think, and solve problems on the spot.
• Enables students to critically question
content, process, and the premise underlying
the experience.
5. Why Use It?
• Reflective writing makes students aware of
uncomfortable feelings or thoughts that
produce analytical thinking that leads to a
change of perspective.
• Link the past and present experiences to
prepare the student for future practice.
6. Why Use It?
• To develop a professional identity which goes
beyond technical knowledge and skills to
abstract thinking.
• Students learn to question their own
assumptions, re-work problems, and take
ownership for THEIR learning.
7. Why Use It?
• By re-visiting the experience, students
become aware of new aspects of the
situation, relating new information with what
they already know; possibly finding new
meaning in the experience.
8. Assessment: How do you measure
reflective writing?
• Very little has been written about how to
assess reflection in student journals.
• Measurement is a mechanism used to
determine whether students are truly
competent in their chosen profession.
• Assessment allows for feedback to students
on their learning.
9. Assessment
• Provides feedback to instructors about their
own teaching strategies and outcomes
• Demonstrates achievement of curriculum
outcomes for accreditation
10. Caveats
• How does an instructor grade personal
thoughts and feelings?
• Others question the validity of assessing
subjective knowledge.
• Evaluation may impact the content of
reflection: students will write what the
instructor wants to hear inhibiting free thought.
• Ungraded writing results in little effort from
students.
11. Tips For Measuring Reflective
Writing
• Some researchers propose separating
content and process in the reflective writing.
• Establish a “Rubric” with criteria or a rating
checklist helps with bias.
• Use more than one rater.
12. Example Of Criteria That Describes
The Process
• Attend to feelings positive and negative
• Associate new information to what is already
known.
• Integrate relationships known.
• Reflection of ownership
• Outcome of reflection: application of new
knowledge.
13. References
• Plack, M., Driscoll, M., Blissett, S., McKenna,
R., &Plack, T., (2005). A method for
assessing reflective journal writing.
Journal of Allied Health, 34, (4) 199-207.
• Ruthman, Jl, Jackson, Jl, Cluskey, Ml,
Flannigan, P;, Folse, V., & Bunten, J.,
(2004). Using clinical journaling to
CAPTURE critical thinking across the
curriculum. Nursing Education
Perspectives, 25 (3) 120-124.
14. References
• Williams, J., (2001). The clinical notebook:
Using student portfolios to enhance
clinical teaching and learning. Journal of
Nursing Education, 40, (3) 135-137.
• Williams, R., Sunderlin, Gl, foster-Seargeant,
E., & Norman, G., (2000). Assessing the
reliability of grading reflective journal
writing. Journal of Physical Therapy
Education, 14, (2) 23-26/
15. References
• Williams. R., & Wessel, J., (2004). Reflective
journal writing to obtain student feedback
about their learning during study of
chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Journal of Allied Health, 33 (1) 17-23.
