How To Write A Reflection Paper?

Why Reflective Writing?

Reflection offers you the opportunity to consider how your personal experiences and observations shape your thinking and your acceptance of new ideas.  Professors often ask students to write reading reflections.  They do this to encourage you to explore your own ideas about a text, to express your opinion rather than summarize the opinions of others.

 How Do You Start A Reflection Paper?

Reflective writing can help you to improve your analytical skills because it requires you to express what you think, and more significantly, how and why you think that way.  In addition, reflective analysis asks you to acknowledge that your thoughts are shaped by your assumptions and preconceived ideas; in doing so, you can appreciate the ideas of others, notice how their assumptions and preconceived ideas may have shaped their thoughts, and perhaps recognize how your ideas support or oppose what you read.

Types of Reflective Writing

Experiential Reflection

Popular in professional programs, like business, nursing, social work, forensics and education, reflection is an important part of making connections between theory and practice.  When you are asked to reflect upon experience in a placement, you do not only describe your experience, but you evaluate it based on ideas from class.  You can assess a theory or approach based on your observations and practice and evaluate your own knowledge and skills within your professional field.  This opportunity to take the time to think about your choices, your actions, your successes and your failures is best done within a specific framework, like course themes or work placement objectives.  Abstract concepts can become concrete and real to you when considered within your own experiences, and reflection on your experiences allows you to make plans for improvement.

Reading Reflection

To encourage thoughtful and balanced assessment of readings, many interdisciplinary courses may ask you to submit a reading reflection.  Often instructors will indicate to students what they expect of a reflection, but the general purpose is to elicit your informed opinions about ideas presented in the text and to consider how they affect your interpretation.  Reading reflections offer an opportunity to recognize – and perhaps break down – your assumptions which may be challenged by the text(s).

You may wonder how your professors assess your reflective writing.  What are they looking for? How can my experiences or ideas be right or wrong?  Your instructors expect you to critically engage with concepts from your course by making connections between your observations, experiences, and opinions.  They expect you to explain and analyze these concepts from your own point of view, eliciting original ideas and encouraging an active interest in the course material.

It can be difficult to know where to begin when writing a critical reflection.  First, know that – like any other academic piece of writing – a reflection requires a narrow focus and strong analysis.  The best approach for identifying a focus and for reflective analysis is interrogation.   The following offers suggestions for your line of inquiry when developing a reflective response.How To Write A Reflection Paper

Experiential Reflection

It is best to discuss your experiences in a work placement or practicum within the context of personal or organizational goals; doing so provides important insights and perspective for your own growth in the profession. For reflective writing, it is important to balance reporting or descriptive writing with critical reflection and analysis.

How To Write A Reflection Paper On A Class

Consider These Questions:

Contextualize your reflection:  What are your learning goals? What are the objectives of the organization?  How do these goals fit with the themes or concepts from the course?

Provide important information: What is the name of the host organization? What is its mission? Who do they serve? What was your role? What did you do?

Analytical Reflection: What did you learn from this experience? About yourself? About working in the field? About society?

Lessons from reflection: Did your experience fit with the goals or concepts of the course or organization?  Why or why not? What are your lessons for the future? What was successful? Why? What would you do differently? Why? How will you prepare for a future experience in the field?

Consider the purpose of reflection: to demonstrate your learning in the course.  It is important to actively and directly connect concepts from class to your personal or experiential reflection.  The following example shows how a student’s observations from a classroom can be analyzed using a theoretical concept and how the experience can help a student to evaluate this concept.

How Do You Write A Reflection Paper Example? 

My observations from the classroom demonstrate that the hierarchical structure of Bloom’s Taxonomy is problematic, a concept also explored by Paul (1993).  The students often combined activities like application and synthesis or analysis and evaluation to build their knowledge and comprehension of unfamiliar concepts.  This challenges my understanding of traditional teaching methods where knowledge is the basis for inquiry.  Perhaps higher-order learning strategies like inquiry and evaluation can also be the basis for knowledge and comprehension, which are classified as lower-order skills in Bloom’s Taxonomy.How To Write A Reflection Paper

How To Write A Reflection Paper On A Movie?

Reading Reflection

Critical reflection requires thoughtful and persistent inquiry.  Although basic questions like “what is the thesis?” and “what is the evidence?” are important to demonstrate your understanding, you need to interrogate your own assumptions and knowledge to deepen your analysis and focus your assessment of the text

Assess the text(s):

What is the main point? How is it developed? Identify the purpose, impact and/or theoretical framework of the text.

What ideas stood out to me? Why? Were they new or in opposition to existing scholarship?

Develop your ideas:

What do I know about this topic? Where does my existing knowledge come from? What are the observations or experiences that shape my understanding?

Do I agree or disagree with this argument?  Why?

Make connections:

How does this text reinforce my existing ideas or assumptions? How does this text challenge my existing ideas or assumptions?

How does this text help me to better understand this topic or explore this field of study/discipline?

A Note on Mechanics

As with all written assignments or reports, it is important to have a clear focus for your writing.  You do not need to discuss every experience or element of your placement.  Pick a few that you can explore within the context of your learning.  For reflective responses, identify the main arguments or important elements of the text to develop a stronger analysis that integrates relevant ideas from course materials.How To Write A Reflection Paper

Furthermore, your writing must be organized.  Introduce your topic and the point you plan to make about your experience and learning.  Develop your point through body paragraph(s), and conclude your paper by exploring the meaning you derive from your reflection. You may find the questions listed above can help you to develop an outline before you write your paper.

You should maintain a formal tone, but it is acceptable to write in the first person and to use personal pronouns.  Note, however, that it is important that you maintain confidentiality and anonymity of clients, patients, or students from work or volunteer placements by using pseudonyms and masking identifying factors.

The value of reflection: critical reflection is a meaningful exercise that can require as much time and work as traditional essays and reports because it asks students to be purposeful and engaged participants, readers, and thinkers.

Speaking Your Mind: How to Write a Reflection Paper

Whether you decide to go to a local college or Stanford University, at some point, you will need to deal with a reflection paper. For every student, it is a chance to express some own thoughts regarding an issue – something you cannot often do due to strict laws of academic writing.

Among all the assignments you are to deal with during your college and university years, this one provides better opportunities for speaking your mind. It encourages us to look at things from our own perspective and share views with others. Without exaggeration, it is significant for both studying progress and your personal way of self-understanding. So let’s try to figure out how to write a reflection paper that will leave everyone amazed.How To Write A Reflection Paper

What is a Reflection Paper: The Major Definition?

A reflection paper allows you to take a personal approach and express thoughts on topic instead of just providing bare facts. It can be a discussion on any subject – from your favorite movie to visiting Grand Canyon and reflecting on a certain theory of evolution. A reflective paper can be educational, professional, and personal. Each has a slightly different tone:

• educational is a response to some book, film or lecture studied in class;
• professional is a common task for teachers and social workers, focused on analyzing their person’s behavior;
• personal expresses your feelings regarding a more intimate subject.

 Tips on Writing a Reflection Paper

Everyone has their own writing routine. If you experience a performance boost after a short walk, a cup of coffee, and a piece of cake, dancing to your favorite tune, start with these little things that make you happy. Here are some tips that everyone should use:

1. Read some paper examples. Before you start working on your own just read examples.
2. Don’t focus on deadlines. Though they are important, focus on the topic you are to write about and the feelings it evokes.
3. Think about the most outstanding readings and materials. Regarding your subject, decide why they are memorable.
4. Don’t write an entire essay at once. You may start with an outline on the day it was assigned and add some ideas every day.
5. Write an intro after everything else is ready. Your thoughts are clear by that time, and you know where they lead.
6. Don’t get too personal. Even if the issue you write about bothers you greatly, always focus on facts first, then sum up your attitudes.
7. Write from the first person singular. Do not use slang or colloquial.

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What Are the Steps of Writing A Reflective Paper?

Your writing should be reflective, not descriptive. A paper is about learning, researching, and explaining. Remember that your attitude is very important.

So how to start a reflection paper? The usual writing plan looks like this.

• Step 1. Decide on a topic. Usually, it is assigned by professors or at least provided as one of the given options.
• Step 2. Start brainstorming. Take notes about everything that can be related to the topic. Decide what your attitude to this issue is. Choose a point of view or an approach.
• Step 3. Make an outline – at least a single sentence for each paragraph.
• Step 4. Fill an outline. Write the main point in the introductory and concluding parts. Add supportive ideas for every part. Don’t be afraid to change your mind on the concept in the process.
• Step 5. Question everything. If you feel that you are not making any progress, use reflective questions. Start from simple “How does it make me feel?” and “How is it related to my everyday life?”
• Step 6. Write an introduction. You can do it at the end, as often you cannot predict how this idea is going to develop.
• Step 7. Don’t make it long: the reflective essay is not more than 750 words. Remember about proofreading. 

How To Write A Reflection Paper On A Video

We understand that it’s all not easy, so we’ve prepared to help with the “write my paper” request.

Your thoughts on the legacy of John F. Kennedy and the famous winter storm in New York City may need a different approach, but you can follow these steps regardless of the topic you are working on. Here are some nuances that may be useful for reflection writing.

Critical reflection paper

This is one of the most challenging tasks when you are thinking about how to write a reflection topic. Critical reflection is a culmination of your studying process. It results in intensive thinking that presents your abilities to observe, question, evaluate, and apply personal experiences to the interpreting of the subject.

• Describe an experience – provide some details on an object or an event.
• Examine the experience – integrate personal and academic contexts.
• Provide in-depth analysis of those experiences.
• Tell readers what you learned after analysis.
• Clarify how the analyzed subject will be useful in your future.
• You may also suppose how everyone else reading should feel about it.

Reflection paper on a book

• Start with brief information about the author.
• Give a summary with a minimum of spoilers.
• Focus on the main characters.
• Explain what issues a writer touches upon.
• Explain the allusions and influences.
• React to reading, share your impressions.

Course reflection paper

• Write the course name and its short description.
• Write a summary of discussed materials.
• Tell me about the course flow and the instructions.
• Give a reason why you decided to take this course.
• Define the main concepts and theories learned.
• Interpret those theories on your own.
• Express your opinion by using real-life examples.
• Evaluate your course relevance.

Reflection on a project

• You can use the same structure you use for a previous paper.
• Try to talk about the task’s pros and cons and offer changes.
• Estimate the difficulty and relevance in real-life conditions.

Reflection paper on an interview

• Hint on a conclusion in the intro.
• Introduce a person at the beginning.
• Discuss notable viewpoints.
• Focus on the controversies.
• Express what you like or don’t like about the person.

Reflection paper outline or Template

There are two approaches to writing a reflection paper – a traditional and an original (though a risky one):

• Express the main idea in a thesis statement, develop it in body paragraphs by providing supportive arguments, and conclude facts by supporting the thesis statement once more.
• Start a conversation on the topic and hint at a conclusion. Suppose where the subject is going to lead but leave the room for some doubts. Provide analysis in the body. Come up with a conclusion that is slightly or entirely different from what you expected at the beginning.

• Introduction

Express your feelings on a subject is the most critical thing in how to write a reflection paper. Just don’t be too emotional. You should express your ideas in a reasonable, not sentimental way. It should fit the academic style. Provide insight: tell a reader what they are to expect in the following paragraphs. Build a strong idea: summarize the central claim in one sentence to drive attention.

• It should be informative, brief, and catchy.
• You can ask a reflective question in the text.
• Don’t start from the thesis, come back to it later.

• Body

This is a part where you explore the thesis. You should explain the case in several paragraphs. Use a three-paragraph structure. In the first one, introduce the experience and how it influenced you. In the next one, compare the experiences of others. Then, tell what you learned from it.

• You can start with the reasons for choosing the topic.
• Dig into nuances to explain everything well.
• Be logical.
• Include solid examples and quote sources.
• Show how the subject has affected you.

• Conclusion

The conclusion should be solid, even striking. It is the bottom line of the paper that demonstrates that your ideas have been fully formed. Wrap up the discussion by placing the strong accents. Leave the conceivable image of your experience, so readers get some food for reflection. If you want to read more information, we can show you how to write a conclusion.

• Highlight the main points.
• Make it effective and sound persuasive
• Answer what you asked in the intro.

How Do You Cite A Reflection Paper?

Reflection paper formatting

The reflection paper format is familiar for everyone who has written at least one academic paper.

• Standard A4 paper.
• 1-inch margins on each side.
• 12-point text size.
• Readable font (Arial, Times New Roma, Calibri, Helvetica, etc.)
• Double spaces between the lines.
• Citation according to APA, Chicago style, etc. (defined by a teacher).
• Word count – between 250 and 750.

This is everything you should remember when you prepare to write a reflective paper.

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If you want to write college papers well, you should choose a good topic – something that is familiar for you, bothers you, stimulates to share your viewpoint with others. Very often you don’t have an opportunity to choose. That’s when you need to rely on your skills. To learn how to write a proper paper, you need some practice.

Here are some topics for you as an exercise or at least for understanding what people speak about in such papers.

1. The things that inspire you.
2. How to deal with stress.
3. Are we alone in the space?
4. Your favorite place in the world.
5. How to admit you were wrong.
6. What do you feel when telling lies.
7. The biggest challenge in your life.
8. Top ten qualities that are important in people.
9. The most unusual place you have been to / wished to visit.
10. The role of school/college/university in your life.
11. A person/event/situation that has changed your life.
12. An outstanding person (you choose) and their role in history.
13. How social media and television affect how we make decisions.
14. How technologies will alter the future in 100 years.
15. What is your childhood dream that has come true and which one never will?

This paper highlights a student’s understanding of learned material. But what if you cannot reflect on a topic for some reason? It may be stress that doesn’t let you create anything, lack of time, or interest in the subject. We are all humans and face similar troubles occasionally. In this case, buy a college research paper from us is the best thing you can do. Give us a chance to provide you with homework assistance on some interesting subjects.