5. How to write your Critical Reflection Writing a critical reflection happens in (at least) two phases: Analyse and Articulate. 1. Analyse In the first phase ("Analyse"), you must analyse the issue and your role by asking critical questions. Use free writing to develop good ideas. Do not worry about organised paragraphs or good grammar at this stage. A popular method for analysing is the five stage model: What? Why? How? So What? Now what? What? Why? How? In the What? Why? How? stage, describe the issue or incident or event, including your role, observations, and reactions. The "What?" stage helps you make initial observations about what you feel and think. At this point, there’s no need to look at your unit’s notes or readings. Use the questions below to guide your writing during this stage. What happened? What did you do? Why did you do what you did? How did you feel? What did you expect? Why? What was different? What was your reaction? Why? What did you learn? How did you learn? So What? In the "So What?" stage, try to understand on a deeper level why the issue is significant or relevant. Use information from your first stage, your unit’s materials (readings, lectures, discussions) - as well as previous experience and knowledge to help you think through the issue from a variety of perspectives. Tip: Since you’ll be using more unit resources in this step, review your readings and unit notes before you begin writing. Below are three perspectives you can consider: Academic perspective: How did the experience enhance your understanding of a concept/theory/skill? Did the experience confirm your understanding or challenge it? Did you identify strengths or gaps in your knowledge? Personal perspective: Why does the experience matter? What are the consequences? Were your previous expectations/assumptions confirmed or refuted? What surprised you and why? Systems perspective: What were the sources of power and who benefited/who was harmed? What changes would you suggest? How does this experience help you understand the organization or system? Considering these perspectives will help you analyse and draft your "So What?" answers. Now What? In the "Now what?" stage, explore how the experience will shape your future thinking and behaviour. Use the following questions to guide your thinking and writing: What are you going to do as a result of your experiences? What will you do differently? How will you apply what you learned? 2. Articulate In the second phase ("Articulate"), use your analysis to develop a clear argument about what you learned. Organise your ideas so they are clear for your reader. This is when you start writing your final Critical Reflection. In the articulate phase you will need to start writing your reflection for a wider audience (your marker). You will need to present your reflection in a consistent way. A sample structure would include: Background/context of the reflection Your key argument/topic on which you are reflecting Your previous position on the argument Your current position on the argument and A conclusion/action plan. Try to keep your text within the limit of 500 words (+/- 10% leeway).

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