PowerPoint Presentation

Reflective writing for Cornerstone students. DUT WRITING CENTRE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2qZX3M_9MY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2qZX3M_9MY.

There are many ‘models’ one can use to guide reflection. One of the most well-known ones is the ‘Gibbs Reflective Cycle’ which the first video refers to. These models show us the stages of thought one needs to go through to reflect effectively. As the video so rightly explains, when writing reflectively we often overdo the description stage (remember a reflection must not be confused with a diary entry). We need to move past the writing of a description to where the deep ‘thinking work’ happens, this is the stage of the reflective process where we realise what we will need to do or think differently if the situation arose again. When you realise through your written reflection what needs to be different, this is the point at which learning happens, and this is where you will feel the benefit of reflection for your personal growth..

The colourful writing below explains the DIEP model for reflective writing which is recommended by your Cornerstone lecturers. This model is adapted from https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/explore-our-resources/developing-an-academic-writing-style/reflective-writing Description: Begin by describing the situation. What did you see, hear, do, or read ? Be as brief and objective as possible. Starting phrases: The most interesting insight from my lecture this week is ... A significant issue I had not realised until now is ... I now realise (understand ...) that ....

Interpretation Interpret what happened. What new insights have you gained? How does this experience connect with other things you’ve learned or experienced before? How did the experience make you feel? Starting phrases: This experience /idea is relevant/valuable to me because… This reminded me of the idea that… A possible implication could be….

Evaluation Make a judgement. How useful was this experience for you? What is your opinion? Why do you think this might be? Starting phrases: Having realised the importance of ..., I can now understand… This experience will change the way I view ... Being able to see… in this way is extremely valuable for me because….

Plan Comment on how this experience might inform your future thoughts or actions. How could you apply what you’ve learned from the experience in the future? How might the experience relate to your degree or future professional life? S tarting phrases: This is beneficial to me as my future career requires… In order to further develop this skill…I will… Next time…I will…by….

What do you think about how it is written? Do you think the writer has learnt something useful? What have they learnt about themselves, living in Durban, their studies, a university, other students, lecturers and tutors? My first tutorial (Please note that the colours serve as a guide to the different stages of the DIEP model) In my first week of lectures I attended a tutorial for one of my theory courses. I didn’t do the academic reading we were given as preparation because my friends wanted me to go with them to the beach the day before. It was really hot and I didn’t drink enough water and I had a bad headache the next day. I wasn’t able to concentrate on the discussion in the tutorial and when the tutor asked me a question about the topic and the reading, I couldn’t answer. I felt quite embarrassed. The tutor didn’t give us the answers and told us to go and read the article as we would need to use the information and discussions in our next essay assignment..

This experience is valuable to me because I could see how much fun living in a residence can be and that it is tempting to go out instead of spend time on preparing and reading. I also realized that I need to plan my outings (including the snacks I take along) by looking first at my timetable and thinking about the week ahead. This reminded me of what my brother told me before I left home to start at DUT. He said that I will need to balance work and play if I want to keep up with the pace of the work and not fall behind. A possible implication could be that I will have to learn to be strong and sometimes say ‘no thanks’ when I am invited to go out and I have studying to do. Some of my new friends might even tease me if I say I have to stay home to prepare for my tutorials and I will have to learn to not worry what they think of me. I will have to realise that if someone is a true friend they will want the best for me.

Having realised the importance of preparing before tutorials, I can now understand that a university student can’t rely on the lecturer to give them the answers. I could see that so much of what was being learnt was from the discussion. This experience will change the way I view my studies as I could see from the other students in the tutorial that they had some good ideas from having done the reading and they seemed to understand what was going on as they joined in the discussion. Being able to see my role and what I should be doing as a student in this way, is extremely valuable for me because this is a new way of studying and it is different from school. I realise that it is me that will have to change and adapt to the university study requirements as there are so many students in the class..

This is beneficial to me as my future career requires me to always keep up to date with new information and research as I will be working in the field of health care. In order to further develop this skill of reading and research, so I can serve my patients well in the future, I will need to start practicing this now as a first-year student. I will need to learn the skills for research and get into good habits. On a practical note, next time we go to the beach I will go for a shorter time, so I don’t get so hot and tired. I will be better prepared and take lots of water with me, so I avoid getting dehydrated. This way when I get back to res. I will also have more time over to do my preparation and then the tutorial will benefit me as much as it did the other students in my group. I know now that I must balance my weekend time between study, getting enough rest and having fun and going out with friends. I don’t want to be embarrassed again and I want to be able to learn effectively at university..

Tips when writing Cornerstone reflections: Write in full sentences (no ‘bullet’ points or lists), remembering that an effective sentence should express one thought or idea only. Organise your reflection into paragraphs, remembering that effective paragraphs address one theme at a time. Writing in the ‘first person’ is acceptable and important when writing a reflection (E.g., I felt that our work…, We decided that my work…, He told me that…)..

Your turn to try… Write a short reflection on your experience of registering to study. Please use the DIEP model. Remember that the description section need only be long enough to set the scene. Your reflection should lead you to a ‘point of learning’, a realisation, or understanding how you will plan to do things differently next time..

https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/explore-our-resources/developing-an-academic-writing-style/reflective-writing.