Structure of reflective writing
The structure of a piece of reflective writing varies greatly. If you have a reflective writing task, read
the instructions carefully to see if a structure is provided.
A reflective essay should follow the classic essay format of introduction, body, and conclusion. Some
other common formats include journaling or using a reflective model for only part of an essay or
assignment.
A journal is a collection of entries made on a regular basis (e.g. daily or weekly). For example, you
might be asked to keep a reflective journal during a practicum or placement in which you write each
day about the tasks you performed, things you observed, and questions that you had. Even if a
reflective task is not set, it’s a good idea to keep a personal journal during a placement so you can
keep track of what you’ve learnt and note any questions or observations you want to talk to fellow
students or teachers about later.
Other types of reflection might be performed as the need arises, or in response to particular events.
You might reflect on the weekly tutorial readings, or after experiencing a difficult assignment.
Reflective models can be especially helpful when something has gone wrong and you know you need
to think about it, but you’re not sure how.
Regardless of the structure used, reflective writing is more than a descriptive activity. You might start
by describing what happened or how you feel, but true reflection goes beyond this step and might
include things like why you think something happened, why you feel the way you do, how your
feelings or thoughts have changed, and what you might do differently in a similar situation in the
future.
Models for reflective writing
One common model is the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, which has 6 parts:
Describe Describe what happened
Feelings How did it make you feel?
Evaluate What was good or bad?
Analyse What sense can you make of the situation? (Include external issues)
Conclude What general and specific conclusions can you draw?
Action What next, or what will you do next time?
Adapted from Western Sydney University School of Nursing and Midwifery (2016, pp. 70-72).
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Another model is the 4Rs model of reflective thinking:
Figure 1: The 4 Rs of reflective thinking, from Ryan & Ryan (2012, p. 18, Appendix A)*.
Still not sure where to start? You might like to review some activities to aid reflection (PDF, 97 kB).
References
Ryan, M., & Ryan, M. (2012). ALTC Project: Developing a systematic, cross-faculty approach to teaching and assessing
reflection in higher education: Final report. Retrieved from [Link]
systematic-cross-disciplinary-approach-teaching-and-assessing-reflective-writing
Western Sydney University School of Nursing and Midwifery. (2016). Professional communication academic literacy
(PCAL) skills resource book for nursing and midwifery. Retrieved from
[Link]
info/professional_communication_and_academic_literacy
*Table reproduced under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia
Licence. Support for the original work was provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd., an initiative of
the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
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