Overview: study abroad dogs are sure to encounter such a headache – writing a reflexive essay. Don’t look at it as if it’s a child’s play, but it’s a big pitfall. In this article, we are going to share with you how to write a reflexive essay that will make your teacher’s eyes light up and your score go straight to the clouds.
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Firstly, we have to understand that the core of a reflexive essay is reflection. You have to dig out the flashpoints from your own experiences and then put them into your own words. It’s like cooking a dish; you have to choose the ingredients, then cook them, and finally savour the delicacy.
Secondly, we need to learn to use the Gibbs Reflection Cycle to organise our writing. This cycle consists of four steps: describe, feel, evaluate and analyse. I will explain in detail how each step works.
1. Describe
In this stage, you need to explain the whole story clearly. However, there is a tip here, which is to pay attention to the relevance to the requirements of the question. For example, if the question asks you to reflect on a theory or model from a course, then you need to focus on that theory or model, rather than listing all the details like a running gag.
2. Feelings
In this section, you need to talk about your feelings and opinions about the experience. For example, you can say that the experience made you feel inspired, or accomplished, or confused. These are all very real emotional responses and something the teacher wants to see.
3. Assessment
At this stage you need to make a thorough evaluation of the whole process. Look at what went well, what didn’t go well enough, what role you played in it, what difficulties you encountered and how you overcame them. Such an evaluation will not only give your teacher an idea of the depth of your thinking, but will also show your ability to self-reflect.
4. Analysing
This stage is the most crucial as it is when you demonstrate critical thinking. You need to combine your theoretical knowledge with your practical experience and analyse in depth why this has happened. For example, if you reflect on a particular model, then you will need to cite relevant literature and combine it with your own practical experience and understanding to illustrate the usefulness and limitations of the model.
5 Conclusion
At this stage you need to give a concrete summary. What you have learnt, what you still need to improve and what you have done well. You also need to develop an action plan on how to build on this experience in the future, or what areas will be enhanced and improved in the future.
