Assignment Instruction Sheet 3.

SELF REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Please find below important information, regarding the third assignment: “Self-Reflective Essay”. In this document you will find Due Date, Key Details of Essays, Essay Question, Instructions and FAQ. Please note that whatever information is given on this sheet is deemed to be the primary information, students should use these details as accurate and correct and overrule anything found elsewhere .  

• KEY DETAILS

• 1500 words
• Standard Font, Double Spaced
• Use of any accredited Citation System
• No Minimum References (although engagement is expected and rewarded)

• ESSAY QUESTION

How would you describe your experience/understanding/position in response to ONE of the following concepts that the lecture/course addressed?

• INSTRUCTIONS

In this final assessment students will be asked to reflect on a key concept (either provided through the lecture or one of their own choosing) and reflect on its capacity to help them understand the problems/solutions that policies aim to address. The essay is a self-reflective one rather than an argumentative essay and requires students to narrate their own critical processes in thinking about these issues.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some of the material we will cover may be personal, lived as an experience and embodied, you can if you wish discuss whatever parts of your background/ identity/orientation that are important to you and that you feel matter in the discussion. But, please also note that you should write about what you are comfortable with. There is no obligation to bring up your identity and parts of you that you wish not to write about in self reflecting on the course’s content.

You can self-reflect merely on the level of ideas and keep much of yourself to yourself if you wish. The important feature is that you and we as a group learn the praxis of self-reflection.

            Potential Questions to ask yourself.

(Please keep in mind the following questions are guidelines to help you start self-reflecting; they are not questions that you are obliged to answer. They are here to help you brainstorm)

• Did your assumptions about a certain concept/experience shift after engaging with the course material and students and, if so, how?
• Did your own experience play a role in helping you to understand the concepts/challenges that shape debates around policy making? How and why? Or why not?
• Was this an easy or a difficult course to undertake and to read up on certain concepts? Why?
• How do you think your education of a concept will help you contribute to understanding the diversity of the people with whom you shall work with?
• Do any of these concepts help you understand others and how?

• GENERAL TIPS
• Any approach to reflection needs to take into account the following key issues:
• Most marks will be awarded for your reflective insights rather than a detailed description of theories or your personal beliefs or experiences. So, make sure you keep your descriptions brief and to the point. Focus on interpretation of your experience or beliefs rather than description.
• Word limit restrictions will require you to be selective and focus on the most significant parts of the event, belief or idea on which you’re reflecting. It may be useful to focus on what best relates to a particular theory/concept and ways to facilitate your own learning.
• The focus of your writing should be on depth rather than breadth of response. Identify and reflect on a few significant aspects of your experience or beliefs (e.g. the most challenging, positive or negative) and learning outcomes.
• Unlike other forms of academic writing, you are encouraged to focus on areas of success, weakness, mistakes, accomplishments, etc. It may seem difficult or challenging at first, but remember that the focus of reflective writing is you (e.g. personal experience) and your learning experience.
• Two sources of evidence need to be used in reflective writing- your reflections and academic evidence from the course theories to show how your ideas and practices have developed in the context of the relevant academic literature. Due to word limit restrictions, there is no need to present an in-depth overview or explanation of the theory, just a brief statement to support, challenge or base your response.

For example:

            “I agree with X (2013), because I have found that………”,

 “Even though I can understand X, I disagree with this as in my experience……..”,

 “I have never really considered the importance of X, which highlighted ….”

• Reflective writing allows you the opportunity to agree, disagree or challenge previous theories or other forms of academic evidence by simply expressing your own point of view with or without “scientific’ backing. However, the focus must be on your person reflection, not the theories per se.
• Reflecting on any areas of weakness or perceived failures will not result in a lower mark. If you show some understanding of possible causes and explain how you plan to improve then you have clearly demonstrated reflective thinking.
• You can reflect back on the past as well as reflect on the future.

• FAQ

What is reflective writing?

In an academic context, reflective writing demonstrates an understanding of the connection between theory and your personal experience or beliefs. Students are required to produce reflective writing in order to develop the habit of critical reflection about social issues with respect to Gender, Sexuality and Diversity.

• Integration of theory and practice. Personal reflections are considered in light of appropriate theories, models and other forms of academic evidence and these are in turn are used to explain and interpret reflections. Personal experiences can be used to evaluate, support or challenge relevant theories.
• Identification of learning outcomes of your experience. This may include any new understandings about yourself, identifying what you would do differently, or unexpected things you have learnt about yourself.

Can/Should I write in the first person?

Being that it is a self-reflective essay, it is encouraged that you do write in first person, but no penalties will be given for those who don’t. The most important thing is that the criteria for the assessment is met.

Should I write my essay as a standard essay within an introduction, etc?

No. You are not obliged to write the essay with a standard intro-body-conclusion. Although it will help your reader if you can highlight your main take away message and give it to them early. That said, you may if you wish write in a standard essay format, no marks will be taken off for either standardized or creative non-fiction.

How then should I structure my reflective writing?

Reflective writing shows evidence of reflective thinking and although considered a less formal and more personal approach to other forms of academic writing, it still needs to follow a carefully structured style that meets the academic rigours of professional writing. There are a number of ways to structure a reflective piece of writing but typically the following points are central to any reflective writing piece:

• Description: You need to consider an experience, a particular event, or even an idea or a belief you have about yourself, an object or situation. What happened? What do you believe? What is being examined, etc.? This should be concise and to the point.
• Interpretation: Analyse the event, idea or belief with reference to a particular theory/concept, model or published research. For example, are your beliefs/experiences consistent or different to academic evidence? Have the theories helped you interpret your experience/beliefs or have your personal experience/beliefs helped you understand the theories? How is theory related to your personal experience or beliefs?
• Outcome: What does the event, idea or belief mean for you and your ongoing progress as a learner and/or practicing professional? What have I learned from this? What does this mean for my future?

Do I have to write in a formal academic language?

No. You are encouraged to be creative and subjective, rather than distant and objective. However, the underling rules of good writing and grammar apply.