The Benefits of Structured Reflective Writing: Improving My Reflective Writing Skills

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Table of Contents

• Improving my reflective writing
• Reflective Writing: A Basic Introduction
• Structured way of reflecting
• 5 Essential Steps to Take Before Reflecting
• Writing a successful blog post
• Progress
  1. Digital Notebook: some of my notes are shown bellow
     1. Reference

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Improving my reflective writing

I felt uncertain about writing my previous blog. I thought I needed to be more critical in my reflective writings. I was simply writing my thoughts randomly and mentioning what led me to the decision of pursuing my master’s degree in interior architecture and design as it flowed through my mind.

Reflective Writing: A Basic Introduction

My course provides a valuable reflective writing guide, simplifying the process into three key points:

1. Description – Begin by explaining what happened or what you’re reflecting on. Describe the event, idea, or experience in detail.
2. Interpretation – Next, delve into why this is important or relevant. Analyze the event, and if applicable, connect it to relevant theories or concepts.
3. Outcome – Finally, share what you’ve learned or gained from this reflection. Explain the insights, lessons, or changes in your thinking that resulted from this experience.

To write effectively, begin by clearly stating what you’ll discuss, like the topic or situation. Next, explore its importance, think about how it connects to relevant ideas, and then reflect on what you’ve learned from this experience.

I also watched YouTube videos on reflective journal writing. I found “An Awesome Reflective Journal” by Kyungwon Koh. It’s easy to follow and has made my writing more organized.

Structured way of reflecting

First, before writing my thoughts and adding them to the blog, especially when you are an overthinker like me, I must focus on one thought at a time. Then I need to think deeply about my insights and the learning gained from experiencing it. Second, start analysing and looking at different perspectives on how to make it better or why I think it’s good the way it is. _{^{(Kyungwon Koh,2014)}}

5 Essential Steps to Take Before Reflecting

• What you did?
• How you did?
• Why you did?
• How you felt?

Its basically sharing your reaction to thoughts, add your personal comments, and suggestions. Check out this inspiring reflective journal video on YouTube: “An Awesome Reflective Journal” by Kyungwon Koh. (2014, October 14) [Link to the video]

This process has made me structure my writing better, think more deeply about my learning, and control and organize my thoughts.

I am planning to follow the steps below and apply them to my upcoming blog posts. The main step is to keep it short and natural._{^{(Cathrin Manning. 2019)}}

• Write as you speak
• Read your blog out loud
• Make it skimmable
• Outline and map your post first
• Include visual breaks
• Make it interesting

After considering these great ideas to implement in my writing, I will also take the time to explore and read other personal blogs to analyse and gain different perspectives to enhance my reflective writing.

Progress

I started by planning my blog posts weekly and writing my thoughts daily. I organized my writing by asking myself: What, why, how, and what I felt. This helps me reflect clearly.

Finally, I summarize my reflections briefly before posting on my blog.

Digital Notebook: some of my notes are shown bellow

Reference

_{^{[Kyungwon Koh]. (2014, October 14). An awesome reflective journal [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyxT91mJnVk}}

^{_{[Cathrin Manning]. (2019, June 4). HOW TO WRITE A BLOG POST FOR BEGINNERS: Tips To Create AMAZING Blog Posts From The Start [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlbHdYMWSOA}}