A Critical Reflection (also called a reflective essay) is a process of identifying, questioning, and assessing our deeply-held assumptions – about our knowledge, the way we perceive events and issues, our beliefs, feelings, and actions. When you reflect critically, you use course material (lectures, readings, discussions, etc.) to examine our biases, compare theories with current actions, search for causes and triggers, and identify problems at their core. Critical reflection is not a reading assignment, a summary of an activity, or an emotional outlet. Rather, the goal is to change your thinking about a subject, and thus change your behaviour. Show
Tip: Critical reflections are common in coursework across all disciplines, but they can take very different forms. Your instructor may ask you to develop a formal essay, produce weekly blog entries, or provide short paragraph answers to a set of questions. Read the assignment guidelines before you begin. How to Critically ReflectWriting a critical reflection happens in two phases.
First phase: AnalyzeA popular method for analyzing is the three stage model, What? So What? Now what? What? In the What? stage, describe the issue, including your role, observations, and reactions. The what? stage helps you make initial observations about what you feel and think. At this point, there’s no need to look at your course notes or readings. Use the questions below to guide your writing during this stage.
So What? In the second So What? stage, try to understand on a deeper level why the issue is significant or relevant. Use information from your first stage, your course materials (readings, lectures, discussions) -- as well as previous experience and knowledge to help you think through the issue from a variety of perspectives. Tip: Since you’ll be using more course resources in this step, review your readings and course notes before you begin writing. Below are three perspectives you can consider:
Now What? In the third Now what? stage, explore how the experience will shape your future thinking and behaviour. Use the following questions to guide your thinking and writing:
Second phase: ArticulateAfter completing the analysis stage, you probably have a lot of writing, but it is not yet organized into a coherent story. You need to build an organized and clear argument about what you learned and how you changed. To do so, develop a thesis statement, make an outline, write, and revise. Develop a thesis statementTip: For more help on developing thesis statements, see our Thesis statements resource Develop a clear argument to help your reader understand what you learned. This argument should pull together different themes from your analysis into a main idea. You can see an example of a thesis statement in the sample reflection essay at the end of this resource. Make an outlineOnce you have a clear thesis statement for your essay, build an outline. Below is a straightforward method to organize your essay. Introduction -Background/Context of Reflection -Thesis statement BodyParagraph/Section A
- Writer’s past position/thinking - Moment of learning/change
- Writer’s past position/thinking - Moment of learning/change
- Writer’s past position/thinking - Moment of learning/change
Conclusion- Summarize learning -Discuss significance of learning for self and others -Discuss future actions/behaviour Write and reviseTip: Keep your writing formal! Even though you are writing about your personal experience and learning, your audience may still be an academic one. Consult the assignment guidelines or ask your instructor to find out whether your writing should be formal or informal. Time to get writing! Work from your outline and give yourself enough time for a first draft and revisions. Sample Critical ReflectionBelow are sample annotated paragraphs from one student’s critical reflection for a course on society and privilege. Introduction Background/context of reflection: I became aware of privileged positions in society only in recent years. I was lucky enough, privileged enough, to be ignorant of such phenomena, but for some, privilege is a daily lesson of how they do not fit into mainstream culture. In the past, I defined oppression as only that which is obvious and intentional. I never realized the part I played. However, during a class field study to investigate privileged positions in everyday environments, I learned otherwise. Thesis: Without meaning to, I caused harm by participating in a system where I gained from others’ subtle oppression. In one of these spaces, the local mall, everything from advertisements to food to products, to the locations of doorways, bathrooms and other public necessities, made clear my privilege as a white, heterosexual male. Body paragraph Topic sentence: Peggy McIntosh describes privilege as an invisible knapsack of tools and advantages. This description crystalized for me when I shopped for a greeting card at the stationary store. There, as a white, heterosexual male, I felt comfortable and empowered to roam about the store as I pleased. I freely asked the clerk about a mother’s day card. Writer’s past position: Previously, I never considered that a store did anything but sell products. However, when I asked the sales clerk for same sex greeting cards, she paused for a few seconds and gave me a look that made me feel instantly uncomfortable. Some customers stopped to look at me. I felt a heat move over my face. I felt, for a moment, wrong for being in that store. I quickly clarified that I was only doing a report for school, implying that I was not in fact homosexual. Writer’s current position: The clerk’s demeanor changed. I was free to check, she said. It was the only time during the field study that I had felt the need to explain what I was doing to anyone. I could get out of the situation with a simple clarification. But what if I really was a member of the homosexual community? The looks and the silence taught me that I should be feared. I realized that, along with its products, the store was selling an image of normal. But my “normality” was another person’s “abnormality.” After I walked out of the store I felt guilty for having denied being homosexual. Conclusion Summary of learning: At the mall I realized how much we indirectly shame nonprivileged groups, even in seemingly welcoming spaces. That shame is supported every time I or any other privileged individual fails to question our advantage. And it leads to a different kind of shame carried by privileged individuals, too. Value for self and others: All of this, as Brown (2003) documents, is exacerbated by silence. Thus, the next step for me is to not only question privilege internally, but to publicly question covert bias and oppression. If I do, I may very well be shamed for speaking out. But my actions might just encourage other people to speak up as well. Which kind of outline is meant to be written informally and roughly because its contents are subject to change?About the Working Outline
The working outline does not need to be written in any specific format. It is for your use, an informal rough draft of tentative information that you may use or discard later. You may write a working outline in whatever form seems most helpful for you.
Which type of outline should include everything you plan to say just as you plan to say it?A speaking outline is the outline you will prepare for use when delivering the speech. The speaking outline is much more succinct than the preparation outline and includes brief phrases or words that remind the speakers of the points they need to make, plus supporting material and signposts.
Which of the following outlines is written out in complete sentences and contains a reference page?The formal outline is a full-sentence outline that helps you prepare for your speech and includes the introduction and conclusion, the main content of the body, citation information written into the sentences of the outline, and a references page.
Which type of outline is developed in detail while composing the speech?The full-sentence outline develops the full detail of the message. The speaking outline helps you stay organized in front of the audience without reading to them. Using notecards for your speaking outline helps with delivery and makes it easier to find information if you lose your place or draw a blank.
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