This document discusses reflective writing and its use to enhance critical thinking across curriculums. Reflective writing refers to an intellectual method used by students to explore experiences and foster deeper understanding through analysis. It forces students to stop, think, and solve problems, enabling them to critically question content and experiences. Reflective writing is assessed to determine if students are competent and to provide feedback, though grading personal reflections can be difficult. The document provides tips for measuring reflective writing, such as separating content from process and using rubrics and checklists.

1. Reflective
Writing
Using Reflective Writing to Enhance Critical Thinking
Across the Curriculum

2. What Is Reflective Writing?
• Reflection refers to an intellectual and
affective method of learning that students use
to explore their experiences and foster a
deeper understanding and appreciation for
learning.

3. What Is Reflective Writing?
• Method of learning from experiences
• Used to reflect on cognitive learning
experiences, attitudes, and feelings related to
the experience
• Analyze the events of a practicum course and
relate them to didactic course work

4. Why Use It?
• Accrediting bodies are expecting educational
institutions to prepare students to be reflective
practitioners.
• Reflective writing forces students to stop,
think, and solve problems on the spot.
• Enables students to critically question
content, process, and the premise underlying
the experience.

5. Why Use It?
• Reflective writing makes students aware of
uncomfortable feelings or thoughts that
produce analytical thinking that leads to a
change of perspective.
• Link the past and present experiences to
prepare the student for future practice.

6. Why Use It?
• To develop a professional identity which goes
beyond technical knowledge and skills to
abstract thinking.
• Students learn to question their own
assumptions, re-work problems, and take
ownership for THEIR learning.

7. Why Use It?
• By re-visiting the experience, students
become aware of new aspects of the
situation, relating new information with what
they already know; possibly finding new
meaning in the experience.

8. Assessment: How do you measure
reflective writing?
• Very little has been written about how to
assess reflection in student journals.
• Measurement is a mechanism used to
determine whether students are truly
competent in their chosen profession.
• Assessment allows for feedback to students
on their learning.

9. Assessment
• Provides feedback to instructors about their
own teaching strategies and outcomes
• Demonstrates achievement of curriculum
outcomes for accreditation

10. Caveats
• How does an instructor grade personal
thoughts and feelings?
• Others question the validity of assessing
subjective knowledge.
• Evaluation may impact the content of
reflection: students will write what the
instructor wants to hear inhibiting free thought.
• Ungraded writing results in little effort from
students.

11. Tips For Measuring Reflective
Writing
• Some researchers propose separating
content and process in the reflective writing.
• Establish a “Rubric” with criteria or a rating
checklist helps with bias.
• Use more than one rater.

12. Example Of Criteria That Describes
The Process
• Attend to feelings positive and negative
• Associate new information to what is already
known.
• Integrate relationships known.
• Reflection of ownership
• Outcome of reflection: application of new
knowledge.

13. References
• Plack, M., Driscoll, M., Blissett, S., McKenna,
R., &Plack, T., (2005). A method for
assessing reflective journal writing.
Journal of Allied Health, 34, (4) 199-207.
• Ruthman, Jl, Jackson, Jl, Cluskey, Ml,
Flannigan, P;, Folse, V., & Bunten, J.,
(2004). Using clinical journaling to
CAPTURE critical thinking across the
curriculum. Nursing Education
Perspectives, 25 (3) 120-124.

14. References
• Williams, J., (2001). The clinical notebook:
Using student portfolios to enhance
clinical teaching and learning. Journal of
Nursing Education, 40, (3) 135-137.
• Williams, R., Sunderlin, Gl, foster-Seargeant,
E., & Norman, G., (2000). Assessing the
reliability of grading reflective journal
writing. Journal of Physical Therapy
Education, 14, (2) 23-26/

15. References
• Williams. R., & Wessel, J., (2004). Reflective
journal writing to obtain student feedback
about their learning during study of
chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Journal of Allied Health, 33 (1) 17-23.