Reflective Writing on Marketing Essay Example for Free

Reflective Writing on Marketing Es severalizeDuring your while at university you testament spend a lot of your cartridge holder persuasion thinking approximately what people charter said, your reading, your own thinking and how your thinking has changed. The thinking process involves two aspects reflective thinking and critical thinking. Rather than being two separate processes they be closely connected. (Brookfield 1987) Reflective thinking nonice is a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new teaching. It is a processing phase where thinking and nurture take place. at that place is neither a proficient nor wrong way of reflective thinking there are just questions to look. The reflective thinking process starts with you. Before you feces begin to assess the spoken communication and ideas of others, you read to pause and identify and examine your own thoughts. This involves revisiting your prior experience and jazzledge of the topic yo u are exploring. It also involves considering how and why you think the way you do. The tryout of your beliefs, values, attitudes and assumptions forms the foundation of your understanding. Reflective thinking demands that you recognise that you bring valuable surviveledge to every experience. It helps you therefore to recognise and mop up the important connections mingled with what you already know and what you are learning. It is a way of helping you to become an active, aware and critical learner.What is Reflective constitution?Reflective typography is* Your response to experiences, opinions, events or new information * Your response to thoughts and emotional stateings* A way of thinking to explore your learning* An opportunity to gain self-knowledge* A way to achieve clarity and better understanding of what you are learning * A chance to develop and reinforce writing skills* A way of making meaning out of what you studyReflective writing is non* Just conveying informatio n, instruction or argument* Pure description, though there may be descriptive elements *Straightforward decision or perceptiveness (e.g. about whether something is right or wrong, in force(p) or bad) * Simple problem-solving* A summary of unit notes* A standard university essayWhy you are use uped to do this type of assignment* To make connectionsThe idea behind reflective writing is that what you learn at university builds on your prior knowledge, whether it is formal (education) or informal (gained through and through experience). Reflective writing helps you develop and clarify the connections between what you already know and what you are learning, between hypothesis and practice and between what you are doing and how and why you do it.* To examine your learning processesReflective writing encourages you to consider and comment on your learning experiences not only WHAT youve learned, me avow HOW you did so.* To clarify what you are learningReflecting helps you to clarify what you have studied, integrate new knowledge with previous knowledge, and identify the questions you have and what you have yet to learn.* To reflect on mistakes and successesReflecting on mistakes can help you negate repeating them. At the same time, reflecting on your discoveries helps identify successful principles to use again.* To become an active and aware learner* To become a reflective practician once you graduate and begin your professional lifeHow to write reflectivelyWhat to discuss* Your perceptions of the course and the content.* Experiences, ideas and observations you have had, and how they reformer(a) to the course or topic.* What you found confusing, inspiring, difficult, kindle and why.* Questions you have and conclusions you have drawn.* How you solved a problem, reached a conclusion, found an answer or reached a point of understanding.* Possibilities, speculations, hypotheses or solutions.* Alternative interpretations or assorted perspectives on what you have read or done in your course.* How new ideas challenge what you already know.* What you need to explore nigh in terms of thoughts and actions.* Comparisons and connections between what you are learning and * Your prior knowledge and experience* Your prior assumptions and preconceptions* What you know from other courses, units or disciplines.Writing styleAs it concerns your thoughts, reflective writing is mostly subjective. Therefore, in addition to being reflective and logical, you can be personal, hypothetical, critical and creative. You can comment based on your experience, rather than limiting yourself to academic evidence. * Reflective writing is an activity that includes description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). It is an explorative tool often resulting in more questions than answers. * Use full sentences and complete paragraphs.* You can usually use personal pronouns like I, my or we. * Keep colloquial language to a minimum (e.g. stuff, guys) * A reflect ive task may allow you to use different modes of writing and language * Descriptive (outlining how something is or how something was done) * Explanatory ( explicateing why or how it is like that)* Expressive (I think, I feel, I believe)Tips for your reflective writing process1. esteem of interaction, event or episode you experience that can be connected to the topic. 2. Describe what happened.3. What was your role?4. What feelings and perceptions surround the experience? 5. How would you condone the situation to someone else?6. What exponent this experience mean in the con school text of your course? 7. What other perspectives, theories or concepts could be applied to the situation?ReferencesBrookfield, S 1987, Developing critical thinkers challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting, Open University Press, Milton Keynes.Acknowledgement The preceding material was adapted from The Learning Centre, The University of NSW. Used by permission.Additional notes Steps for writing a reflective musical theme1.Start your self- admonition paper with an introductory paragraph. This introduction should help set the stage for the reader and should contain the main point of the paper. This would be a good paragraph in which to include information about how the subject and the material impacted your life, whether it reinforced your current views or caused you to change your way of thinking. 2.Write a paragraph or two about the impact the lecturer,classroom/ schoolial discussions or the textbook material had on you during the course. Describe emotions you mat you felt or changes you experienced in your personal life due to the topic or the subject. If your opinions on different subjects changed due to these factors be sure to provide your previous opinion and explain why you changed your stance. If your opinions did not change, explain why. 3.Describe a moment during the class that was the most eye-opening for you. One example would be if during a lecture/tutorial the lecturer/tutor used a specific story or analogy to help explain the material that made the lesson really clear for you. Reflect on how you felt when you finally understood the lesson and how that lesson might have impacted the way you think. 4.Write a paragraph explaining how the information from the subject has impacted the way you testament think, act and feel in the rising long after the semester is over. You may want to include how this subject has changed how you approach other subjects in your degree or life in general. 5.Give feedback in your paper and share your opinions and ideas about how the subject can be better. Share what you liked about the subject and what material helped you learn the most. Finish the paper by writing a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the paper.This is just one way of structuring reflective writing. Whichever approach to reflection you use try to bear in mind the following key points * Reflection is an exploratio n and an explanation of events not just a description of them. * Genuinely reflective writing often involves disclosure anxieties, errors and weaknesses, as well as strengths and successes. This is fine (in fact its often essential), as long as you show some understanding of possible causes, and explain how you plan to improve. * It is normally necessary to select just the most significant parts of the event or idea on which you are reflecting. If you try to submit the whole story you pull up stakes likely use up your row on description rather than interpretation. * It is often useful to reflect forward to the future as well as reflecting back on the past. Vocabulary aid (adapted from University of Portsmouth, Dept for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement) The following are just a few suggestions for words and phrases that might be useful in reflective writing. Obviously, using these words and phrases willnot in itself make you a good reflective writer. 1.DescriptionThere is no s uggestion of specific vocabulary for any descriptive elements of your reflective writing because the range of possible events, ideas or objects on which you may be reflecting on is so great. However, if you are describing an idea, for example a theory or model, it is usually best to use the present tense e.g. Buyer behaviour theory recognises (not recognized). Events, of course, are nearly always described in the past tense. 2.Interpretation aspect(s)elements(s)experience(s)issue(s)Idea(s) Was (were) For me, the most meaningfulsignificantimportantrelevantuseful learning arose fromhappened whenresulted from Previously,At the time,At counterbalanceInitially,Subsequently,Later, I thought (did not think)felt (did not feel)knew (did not know)noticed (did not notice)questioned (did not question) substantiated (did not realise) Alternatively,Equally, This might beis perhapscould beis probably because ofdue toexplained byrelated to This is similar tois unlike because Unlike this re vealsdemonstrates3.OutcomeHaving readexperiencedapplieddiscussedanalysedlearned I now feelthinkrealisewonderquestionknow Additionally,Furthermore,Most importantly, I have learned that I have significantly slightlyHowever, I have not sufficiently developedimproved my skills inmy understanding ofmy knowledge ofmy ability to This means thatThis makes me feel This knowledge isThis understanding could beThis skill will be essentialimportantuseful to me as a learner becauseto me as a practitioner because Because I did nothave not yetam not yet certain aboutam not yet confident aboutdonot yet knowdo not yet understand I will now need to As a next step, I need to More on ReflectionWhat is reflection?A simple definition of reflection can be consciously thinking about and analysing what you are doing and what you have done thinking about what and how you have learnt. There is a lot of theory behind reflection that can be very complex. Most of the theory relates to seeing reflection a s part of the cycle of learning (Figure 1). Initially students concenter on knowledge, comprehension and application of subject matter. These three levels of learning are the easiest especially if the application is in a limited context e.g. worded problems from a text book. For high levels of learning (application of knowledge in real world problems) you must be able to analyse, synthesise and evaluate as shown in Table 1. Reflection is a key part of moving into these higher levels of learning.Figure 1. Leaning cycle and examples of each phaseTable 1 Six levels of learningincrease Difficulty Process Explanation Knowledge Recognition and recall of information and facts describing events Comprehension Interprets, translates or summarises given information demonstrating understanding of events Application Uses information in a situation different from real learning context - Analysis Separates wholes into parts until relationships are clear breaks put down experiences Synth esis Combines elements to form new entity from the original one draws on experience and other evidence to suggest new insights Evaluation Involves acts of decision making, or judging based on criteria or principle makes judgements aboutWhy reflect what are the public assistances to the student?Learning is both an active and a reflective process. If you look at the learning cycle in Figure 1 you can see that reflection or thinking about what you have done and how and why you did it, form an integral part oflearning. Because learning is often subconscious, we dont realise that we have gained new knowledge or understanding until we stop to contemplate a particular activity. Reflection then, is a way for critical analysis, problem solving, synthesis of opposing ideas, evaluation, identifying patterns and creating meaning. Reflection will help you reach the higher levels of learning.Most students are focused on the demoralise levels of learning. What do I have to know and demonstr ate to pass the exam? This is a very short-sighted approach to your time at university. You will not be able to remember all the facts and knowledge you have learnt in subjects unless you can fully understand, analyse and evaluate them. As you occur through your degree you will continually need information and knowledge from other subjects and this knowledge will build on previous knowledge. You must be able to attain the higher levels of learning in order to be successful in your degree and later in your professional life. Your learning and the need to learn will not stop with the end of your university degree.Most aspects of learning are common to all disciplines but sometimes there are different emphasises on certain learning skills. For example, generally speaking at university more emphasis is placed on the understanding of the methodology and the processes of problem solving. In this context, reflection will help you to discriminate yourself from the facts and put them into a larger context. Higher level courses at university as a business student bring a closer interaction between academic work and practical experience. Reflective practice here is critical in providing opportunities to identify areas for improvement and evaluation of the overall outcome including your decision making processes.Reflection can help bridge the gap between theory and practice and will enable you to understand your own thinking and learning. Another benefit is that it encourages you to look beyond your academic accomplishment and recognise the depth and range of other transferable skills. University is more than learning about facts and figures, it is a life experience. You will not learn everything that you need in your professional life atuniversity. Your learning will be life long, so take some time to think about what skills you bring with you to university and what you learn along the way. How do I reflect?Reflection does not mean that you sit in the lotus position, hum meditative chants. Reflection can be active and need not take away from your study time. It is an important tool that can be used in all your university and professional work.Opportunities for reflection should occur before, during and after activities. That way you can take note of your learning starting point, assess your progress through the project and critically evaluate your learning at the end of the activity. Look critically at what you have done, what youre team did and what the outcomes were. You need to ask yourself the why, how and what type of questions.Introducing ReflectionReflection is an important part of your learning whether you do it consciously or not. But what exactly is it? An excellent description of reflection can be found in the Harry Potter novel The Goblet of Fire. In the paragraph below Dumbledore, the chief wizard and head teacher, is talk to Harry about having excess thoughtsHarry stared at the stone basin. The contents had returned to their orig inal, silvery white state, swirling and rippling beneath his gaze.What is it? Harry asked shakily.This? It is called a Pensieve, said Dumbledore. I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind.Err, said Harry who couldnt truthfully say that he had ever felt anything of the sort.At these times said Dumbledore, indicating the stone basin, I use the Penseive. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from ones mind, pours them into a basin, and examines them at ones leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form. (Rowling 2000)During the semester and in your reflective writing we are asking you to think about the process you have been through, how these events affected your behaviour, to think about what you have learnt, and to evaluate your performance. By writing these things down it will give you the opportunity to clarify your thoughts and to spot the patter ns and links.Reflective writing examplesAs an example, look at the following two critiques one is a better example than the other King (2002) Development of Student Skills In Reflective Writing, p 16, http//www.csd.uwa.edu.au/iced2002/publication/Terry_King.pdf 1.I woke up late because my alarm didnt ring. My own fault, but there you are. By the time I had finished my breakfast (my usual orbit of cornflakes, and a cup of black coffee with three sugars), I had missed my bus (thats the number 9a, picked up at the bus stop remote Halfords), which had left on time (just for a change).So I got to University, and by the time I had found the right room, I was over 30 minutes late for the OOPR2 Exam. Unfortunately, the invigilator wouldnt let me take the exam because it was against University regulations. Didnt he realise how important it was for me to pass that exam? My overall grade depends on it, and now I stand to have a resit in September when I wanted to have my holiday in Ibiza. 2 .I was over 30 minutes late for my exam, which meant I was not allowed to sit it. This will have repercussions on my degree mark, and on my holiday plans. This is the first time I have actually missed an exam, but not the first time Ive actually been late to exams and important interviews. I have learned that I need to improve my time-keeping for critical events The University has stiff rules governing late arrivals at exams I need to be better preparedThe reasons that I arrived late were My alarm clock didnt ring because I forgot to limit its time after daylight saving on Saturday night (although I had reset all the other clocks in the house). I totally rely on the alarm clock ringing I have no back-up system I rely on my bus a break down or it leaving early would also cause me to be late I did not know in which room the exam was if I had, I would still have been a few minutes late, but at least I could have sat the exam.In order to improve the situation for next year, I plan t o Have a process to check all the clocks in the house when the clocks are due to change diagnose sure I have a back-up alarm system (using my digital watch) for all days when its important to get up early On exam day, aim to catch the earlier bus its only 20 minutes earlier. Possibly consider missing breakfast, and buying a sandwich on the way from the bus to the exam room. I do believe that a good breakfast is important though Make sure I know the correct room well in advance of the exam, by checking each room number when I first get the timetable.I suspect I need to reflect more on my priorities this degree is really very important to me.