Before we discuss what a reflection paper is, have you ever been given an assignment task that’s so vague, it seems like the professor thinks you can do anything? If so, congratulations, you’re probably a college student. It might seem daunting to create a reflection paper from scratch.
Luckily for you, this step-by-step guide will help show you how to turn any vague assignment into a well-written reflection paper. To be successful in your writing process and get the grade that reflects your hard work, read through the article.
It gives you an outline of what it takes to write a reflection paper, and offers some examples so that you can see for yourself.
What is a reflection paper? It’s an essay that you write after completing a course, project, or experience. They are personal texts which focus on the self and how one has been affected by something or someone. In the intro paragraph of your reflection paper, include your thoughts on what you were trying to learn from the experience and how you achieved it.
Write about any surprises that happened during the process and how they impacted your understanding. Address any questions that remain unanswered for future work in this area. Include anything else you think might be relevant to other learners who are doing similar projects.
This type of writing is often used in psychology writing, education, nursing, social work and counseling fields because it helps people understand themselves better.
For example: What did I do wrong? Why am I not getting better at this? How can I apply these concepts more effectively in my life going forward?
What do you think? What does your reflection essay say about you? Reflective essays allow us to tell our own story from our point of view without distorting it with other peoples’ opinions or perspectives- this makes them more authentic than traditional types of essays.
Note: This type of writing is often done as a means of reflection, self-analysis and introspection.
A Critical Reflection Paper is usually written for a graduate level course as an introduction to the paper’s subject, with specific details about writing style and formatting. It is written from one person’s point of view rather than trying to be objective.
Reflective journals are texts that used for people who are introspective by nature (or those seeking therapy) to examine themselves more deeply. Reflection Journals can also help others get insight into their mental state/emotional well-being. Examples may be writing about the events of your day or writing a stream-of-consciousness type entry.
A reflective journal should include reflection on your thoughts, feeling and attitudes towards some event in particular or life in general that has occurred recently.
The reflective journal is one of many tools that therapists use to help patients explore themselves more deeply and come to understand why they react as they do in certain situations. This tool can also be beneficial for anyone who wants an insight into his or her mental state or emotional well-being.
Reflection essays are a part of reflective journals, which allow people to be introspective in an unforced way by writing about their thoughts on life at various times throughout the day or week.
The reflection process is meant to deepen our understanding of ourselves as humans and give us tools for psychological growth that can work with other therapeutic processes like cognitive therapy or psychotherapy.
This type of journaling also gives insight into your own patterns so you can make changes when needed because who knows – maybe there’s something seriously wrong going on that could benefit from some outside attention!
Reflective text is an account, description, commentary, analysis, interpretation etc., which has been made with deep thought and understanding about some aspect of life in general or specific event.
What to include on reflection paper?
The key elements are that it needs to be introspective (written from one’s personal perspective) and analytical. It should also have at least three paragraphs/sections.
Paragraphs can focus on thoughts & feelings after doing something; interpreting what happened when you were involved; describing how someone else might feel in similar circumstances; analyzing relationships between people who participated in an event together.
Step 1: Intentional Reflection
The first step is to intentionally reflect on an event or decision that has impacted your life. You could choose a significant change in your routine (e.g., switching jobs) or a particular moment from the past (e.g., when you were bullied). Reflecting intentionally means taking time out of our day, either alone or with someone else if we need support, and writing down what happened.
Step 2
Introduce the topic with an introduction paragraph that explains what you are writing about: “This reflective essay will examine my time in Japan from July to August of 2018. I’ll be discussing what it was like living there, as well as how these two months impacted me personally.” This should act more like a summary than anything else; personal reflections can feel very self-indulgent if they’re not focused enough.
Step 3
The third step is to analyze the situation meaningfully through introspection in order to understand why things happen the way they do…elements of any good essay. This should provide the reader with a deeper understanding of your reflective process and how you were feeling throughout this time period in Japan.
Step 4
The fourth step is to provide an example of a time when you were in conflict with another person and how it impacted you, or some other event that might have made you feel upset or anxious about yourself…elements any good essay.
Step 5
In the fifth step, offer personal insights on what this experience has taught me as well as my plans for moving forward: “I’ve learned two important things from these reflections I wrote today: firstly, that communication was really crucial during my living abroad trip; second of all, despite how much you try to plan out every detail beforehand, life never turns out exactly like we expect it will”
Step 6
Lastly, the sixth step in constructing a reflection paper is to provide some closure for your essay and offer an insightful statement about your future self or what you’ll do next time you find yourself in this situation…elements any good essay.
Here is a sample Reflective text:
Reflective Essay Example 1:
This semester I finally learned how to lose friends
“In my reflection paper, I will be writing about the ways in which this essay has been a turning point for me.
I am not sure if I can summarize these lessons that have impacted my life so much into one reflective piece of writing but surely there is something more than just dislike and discontentment with myself or people around me. In all honesty, it’s hard to say what exactly led up to this short-lived relationship but rather why we ended things when they had barely begun.
I have learned so much about myself and how to be a good friend through writing this paper. I feel like I can now identify the problems in my friendships that would eventually lead them to an ending before it happens, which is something I never thought could happen. My reflection on the situation has helped me become more aware of my mistakes as well as what behaviors are toxic for friendship because they will inevitably end things with others, just like it ended with him.”
In summation, reflective essays or personal response papers are a way to process and summarize an experience. They can be used as tools for learning about oneself and the world around you.
These papers can be challenging because you need to consider all aspects of your experience and then formulate an argument from it. This process requires time management skills as well as some creativity when writing your reflective essay conclusion paragraph.
If you need help writing your reflection paper, Essay-writing.com has experts who “writes my essays” on staff waiting to assist with any of your essay needs!
