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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWith all its peculiar codes and conventions, essay writing can often be a tricky business. This is why the reflective essay, which is unique even among academic writing, tends to give cause for confusion. All of a sudden students are being asked to turn the lens inward, to examine themselves, their thoughts and feelings, as opposed to some external object or topic. Here is an example of a Reflective Essay which demonstrates such internal examination.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAs the example shows, with a reflective essay, we are essentially dealing with a combination of traditional, objective scholarly analysis and a form of subjective, diarising or reportage. We are looking at how these objective and subjective elements interact. The overall purpose, therefore, is to show how our experiences have influenced our behaviour; what we have learned and how we will change as a result of those lessons. <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSo Close and Yet so Far Away\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCuriously, the subject matter of the self can be a very challenging field of enquiry. You are so close to you that it can be hard to see yourself at a distance, so to speak; and yet you are the only primary resource on your own experiences. Alas, in this instance we cannot simply go to the library and pick up a scholarly edition on the topic \u2013 which is exactly what we would do for any other essay. Thus we are left with the counter-intuitive question: how do I go about studying myself?<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHere are a series of steps to follow which may be of assistance:<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t – Getting Started: Blank Page Anxiety- \u201cHow\u201d and \u201cWhy?\u201d- Breaking it All Down- The Mind Dump- Now Started, Where Next?- Needle and Thread<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetting Started: Blank Page Anxiety\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetting started is always the most difficult part. The blank page is not a very inviting companion when beginning on an intellectual journey. So, don’t look at it. Shut your laptop. Close your notebook. Now \u2013 and this will sound a bit strange, but it pays off, trust me \u2013 start speaking aloud to yourself. Ask yourself: what did I do? Why? How did it feel?<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cHow\u201d and \u201cWhy?\u201d\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cHow\u201d and \u201cwhy\u201d are the key questions. They will lead you through even the most confounding territory. Say for example your Reflective Essay deals with fieldwork experience as in the above sample essay. The first thing you’d want to do is ask: what did I do? Sticking with the same example, you’d say \u201cI interviewed elite slum dwellers and politicians in Rwanda.\u201d Why? \u201cTo find out about how urban policies affect slum residents.\u201d How did it feel? Okay, so this is where it gets a bit more tricky…<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhen addressing your emotional experiences you need to be honest and economical. You are taking the reader on an educational journey, letting them feel what you felt \u2013 but only where this helps to make the overall point.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn the sample essay, the writer observes: \u201cwhile it was a generally enjoyable experience, I did make a number of mistakes during the process\u201d. This a perfect example of how the objective and subjective come together. The writer, we know, had a (subjectively) pleasant time conducting the research and yet they acknowledge that (objectively) errors were made in the process.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAt first it may seem that these two points are unrelated, but they are not. As the writer continues, \u201cI made sure that I was familiar with the topic so that I could comfortably develop a natural rapport with the respondents.\u201d Note that because the writer is conducting interviews face to face, building rapport is an essential component of their methodology. This means the writer’s emotional connection with the interviewees is of the first importance. Consequently, enjoying the process of communication, feeling comfortable, is likely to have an effect on the outcome, the quantity and quality of data collected.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBreaking it All Down\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSo, let’s take this back to \u201cHow\u201d and \u201cWhy\u201d. How did it feel? \u201cEnjoyable.\u201d Why? \u201cBecause I built an emotional connection with the research subjects.\u201d Now we can push this inquiry a bit further by asking how did I build this connection, and why did I do it in that way. When you are able to identify the answers to these questions you may once again pose the \u201cHow\u201d and \u201cWhy\u201d; and then again for the next set of answers, and then again and again. Keep going until you’ve got to a point where you feel the detail is probably becoming excessive.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStop. Take a breath. Congratulations. You have just conducted a dialectic. Also, you’ve engaged in inductive (top-down) reasoning. And all in one sitting.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Mind Dump\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHaving now gotten comfortable with talking to yourself, and hopefully unearthing some insights in the process, your mind should be fairly swimming with ideas and reflections. The objective now is to get all of the information from the mind and onto paper \u2013 a \u201cmind dump\u201d, as it were.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSo, without wasting a single minute, grab back your laptop, re-open the notepad. Now, just write down everything that is on your mind. Let it all spill out. All the things you’ve said to yourself and anything new that occurs in the process of writing (and things will occur). <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNow Started, Where Next?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNow that the conceptual stage of the essay is underway, the hardest part is behind us. Our task now is to manage all this information. The first thing to remember in this respect is that we are still writing an academic composition. Hence we still need an Introduction, Argument Body and Conclusion, and these should fit together in a logical and cohesive way.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy now you should have a page or two of notes, hopefully in the form of \u201cHow\u201d and \u201cWhy\u201d type questions. From these, you will be able to identify broader observations, and these will likely make up the content of the beginning of the essay. The more precision reflections will logically speaking, make up the middle section. Any thoughts resulting from the beginning and the middle are of course best placed at the end of the work.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNeedle and Thread\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSo, now you should have a rough draft of a work, a series of perhaps quickly-written but logically connected analyses and reflections. The task ahead is to sow these all together so that they fit in a verbally elegant and analytically rigorous manner. In which case you are ready for the next step \u2013 the final write up.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStruggling to write your reflective essay?
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEven will all the advice in the world, essay writing can still be extremely challenging for some. Our academics know how to construct the perfect reflective essay to help you achieve the results you need. They’ll provide you with a model essay for you to study and build upon so that you’re ready for your submission date.<\/p>\n
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