Reflective Assignments

Has anyone had to do a 'structured reflective' assignment?

We've been asked to follow a structured reflective model of our choice (though we've been given some suggestions of models to follow e.g. John's and Kolb) to critically analyse and demonstrate learning on a particular incident. It's supposed to be in essay format and integrate appropriate literature and evidence bases.

This is not my type of assignment! It's very wishy washy and you're never really sure if you're doing what's being asked of you.

Any tips?

LOL. Your directions even suck. How many points is it worth? It sounds like something I'd skip or half-ass. I don't know who John or Kolb are, and I'd like to not know.

Let's see critically analyze and demonstrate learning on a particular incident... What kind of incident?

When one analyzes something doesn't one do that critically? Isn't that a requirement of analysis? I'm so tired of nursing instructors throwing the word "critical" around like they invented something new. It's application and synthesis. Bloom has already beaten them to it. As if nursing school is the only place to learn it... Where's the angry face emoticon?

It's a 1500 paper in essay format worth 50% of the subject's grade. How do you critically reflect in essay format, following the prompt questions they've given us (things like 'describe the experience', 'what essential factors contributed to the experience?', 'why did i intervene as I did?', 'what was I trying to achieve?')

It's the sort of assignment where you can do what they've asked and not get it right and not know why.

]Chris John’s model arose from his work in the Burford Nursing Development Unit in the early 1990’s. He envisaged this model as being used within a process of guided reflection. His focus was about uncovering and making explicit the knowledge that we use in our practice. The framework uses five cue questions, which are then divided into more focuses to promote detailed reflection.

]

]Cue Questions

]

]1. Description of the experience

• ]Phenomenon – describe the here and now experience
  
• ]Casual – what essential factors contributed to this experience?
  
• ]Context - what are the significant background factors to this experience?
  
• ]Clarifying – what are the key processes for reflection in this experience?
  

]

]2. Reflection

• ]What was I trying to achieve?
  
• ]Why did I intervene as I did?
  
• ]What were the consequences of my actions for:
  
  • ]Myself?
    
  • ]The patient / family?
    
  • ]The people I work with?
    

  [*]]How did I feel about this experience when it was happening?

  [*]]How did the patient feel about it?

  [*]]How do I know how the patient felt about it?

]

]3. Influencing factors

• ]What internal factors influenced my decision – making?
  
• ]What external factors influenced my decision – making?
  
• ]What sources of knowledge did / should have influenced my decision – making?
  

]

]4. Could I have dealt with the situation better?]

• ]What other choices did I have?
  
• ]What would be the consequences of these choices?
  

]

]5. Learning]

• ]How do I now feel about this experience?
  
• ]How have I made sense of this experience in light of past experiences and future practice?
  
• ]How has this experience changed my ways of knowing
  
  • ]Empirics – scientific
    
  • ] Ethics – moral knowledge
    
  • ]Personal – self awareness
    
  • ]Aesthetics – the art of what we do, our own experiences