Critical Skills: Reflective writing
Writing, one of the four language skills, is one for which no one can claim perfect mastery. When writers reflect their ideas during the writing process, that process necessarily transforms from a language skill into a critical one. Reflective writers know what that they are thinking or talking about, and they convey their ideas in a thoughtful fashion. Since writing is a verbal presentation, a reflective writer brings knowledge into being. To write critically is to express one's arguments and informed opinions—it is a demonstration rather than a report.
To identify the language skill of writing as specifically "reflective" implies an examination of one's own personal actions and thoughts. Reflective writing is not simply the expression of ideas to readers but an attempt to provide a clearer picture of the writer's thinking process. Through reflective writing one also invites the reader to engage in the act of thinking. The act of reflective writing is a demonstration of the act of thinking—bringing knowledge into being. The reflective practice in writing is a responsible act; being a reflective writer means to be a responsible writer. A reflective writer does not write in isolation but is self-aware, self-directed and in touch with their audience, providing both writer and reader an opportunity for introspection.
Core Skills & Competencies
No one is a born writer, but one can learn writing skills with guidance and through practice. Similarly, reflective writing can be learned through seeking answers to questions in which approaches such as discussion, critical analysis, reflection, exploration, and reporting are required. Reflective writing should be clear, and the writer should have the courage to question previously accepted conclusions. Clear and logical presentation should lead to a clear conclusion, but reflective writers should also be aware of their own limitations and biases.
Characteristics of reflective writing
- The reflective writing process begins with reflection itself: first to discover the information being presented and then to argue for it. As soon as a topic is chosen, the writer reflects upon it: what previous experience, knowledge, or preconceived views might influence or inform the writing process? Thus, reflective writing is an opportunity to gain self-knowledge.
- Reflective writing benefits from being supported with evidence. An active writing process, reflective writing utilizes the exploration of disparate viewpoints, existing knowledge, and experience in relation to the topic. It makes meaning out of learning.
- Reflective writing is cohesive: words, phrases, grammar and discourse are organized in such a manner that they create unity. To use language as a tool, it is essential to learn something of is morphological forms and syntactic structures , so that a cohesive relationship between the individual parts and the whole composition can be established.
Research & Theory
According to Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913), speaking is primary and writing is secondary. When humans acquire a language, speaking is learned before writing. But writing has always been used to records events of all kinds throughout human history. Reflective writing is a powerful tool: it is thinking, analysis, and a method of discovery.
Twenty-first century educators at the University of Leicester in England have devised a curriculum that addresses specific characteristic features of reflective writing. According to their syllabus, reflective writing should be clear, and the writer should have the courage to reexamine previously posited conclusions. If a writer's arguments are based on the ideas of others, that writer has a responsibility to provide a balanced presentation of those reasons. Clear and logical presentation of reasoning should lead to a clear conclusion, but a reflective writer must also be aware of the limitations of those very conclusions.
A formal comparison between critical writing and ordinary writing devised by professor of education Jerry Wellington and his colleagues can be illustrated with the following list:
- Critical Writing
- Ordinary Writing
- an attitude of doubting
- cynical attitude
- confidence
- arrogance
- judgement which is critical
- refusing to consider seriously
- opinions
- opinionated
- critical evaluation of work
- easily accessible published work
- unbiased assessment
- biased assessment
In order to appreciate the diversity of voices in education, modern educators encourage both students and teachers to develop reflective writing skills. Story-telling and writing can help writers to examine assumptions and patterns of living and to nurture a dynamic change in their writing processes. Participants in well-presented writing courses may first observe the process of writing and then begin talking about it through their stories. A proper guidance in reflective writing can help people realize that writing is as innate as speaking. Positive encouragement can facilitate the novice's progress from imitative, inauthentic, and inexpressive writing to reflective and creative writing.
Reflective writing presents a wide view to its readers, as it includes close observation and a range of perspectives, while critically challenging the current social , cultural, and political norms. Contemporary educational theorist Max Van Manen claims that writing is "to measure the depth of things, as well as to come to a sense of one's own depth" (127). Reflective writers respond to and interact with their works through analysis and interpretation, extending understanding, clarifying and engaging themselves with the text. French novelist Jean Malaquais (1908–98) said that the only time he knew that something was true was at the moment he discovered it in the act of writing.
Bibliography
Cannady, Rachel E., and Kasia Z. Gallo. "Write Now! Using Reflective Writing Beyond the Humanities and Social Sciences." Journal of Further and Higher Education , vol. 40, no. 2, 2016, doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2014.938266.
Elbasch-Lewis, F. "Writing as Inquiry: Storying the Teaching Self in Writing Workshops." Curriculum Inquiry , vol. 32, no. 4, Winter 2002, pp. 403–28, doi:10.1111/1467-873X.t01-1-00239.
Farrell, Thomas S. C. Reflective Writing for Language Teachers . Equinox Pub, 2014.
Gullion, Jessica S. Writing Ethnography . SensePublishers, 2016. Teaching Writing Series.
Richardson, L. "Getting Personal: Writing Stories." International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education , vol. 14, no. 1, Jan. 2001, pp. 33–38, doi.org/10.1080/09518390010007647.
Saussure, F. Course in General Linguistics . Translated by Wade Baskin, edited by Perry Meisel and Haun Saussy, Columbia UP, 2011.
Van Manen, M. "On the epistemology of reflective practice . " Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice , vol. 1, no. 1, Jan. 1995, pp. 33–49, doi.org/10.1080/1354060950010104.
Wellington, J., et al. Succeeding with Your Doctorate . Sage, 2005.
What is Critical Writing? University of Leicester, www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld/resources/writing/writing-resources/critical-writing. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016.