5. Theory – How to write a reflection
Theory – How to write a reflection
#1 What is the purpose of a reflection?
you are evaluating the creative and thinking process of your own work, so it’s essentially something written for yourself, but it is also something for the marker to know the depth of your critical thinking and self-evaluating skills.
#2 Content
• How writers:
o Use language creatively and imaginatively for a range of purposes
o Express insights
o Evoke emotion
o Describe wonder of the natural world
o Shape a perspective
o Share aesthetic vision
• Study of enduring, quality texts of past
• Appreciate, analyse and evaluate:
o Versatility
o Power
o Aesthetics
• Reflect on complex and recursive processes of writing to develop their self-expression
• Apply knowledge of textual forms and features in sustained, cohesive compositions
Justify use of:
| Stylistic feature | The ways in which aspects of texts (such as words, sentences, images) are arranged and how they affect meaning. Style can distinguish the work of individual authors (for example, jennings’s stories, lawson’s poems), as well as the work of a particular period (for example, Elizabethan drama, nineteenth-century novels). Examples of stylistic features are narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, juxtaposition. |
| Literary device/element | A technique a writer uses to produce a specific effect in their writing. |
| Linguistic device | Plays with language itself vs literary device (e.g. Pathetic fallacy orhistorical allusion) which can just play with meaning. |
| Aesthetics | Engaging with aesthetic texts “allows us to rehearse different ways of seeing the world and different emotional reactions” and suchengagement is crucial for the development of empathy. In senior english, students are given opportunities to create their ownaesthetic features in persuasive and imaginative tasks in order to position readers/audiences. Students are also given opportunities to evaluate the aesthetic features of texts and their effects onreader/audience positioning. This can be done in the expository mode and may involve student reflection on personal emotional and critical responses to texts. |
| Structural device | Structure, or form, is the arrangement of story elements according to purpose, style and genre. Structure doesn’t just happen on it’s own. Rather, it’s carefully considered by the author to make sure their intended meaning is conveyed. |
#3 Structure
Structured as an essay, with a substantial introduction and conclusion as well as three body paragraphs with different points
- Explain the intention (What did I want to achieve?)
- Feelings and thoughts about the experience (was it successful?)
- Evaluation
- Conclusion + Action plan (What will I do in the future?)
#4 Voice/Stance
Needs to be formal and contemplative, yet also critical about your creative and thinking process and experience.
#5 Language
It is best for you to write formally.
Write in first person with a writing style that is succinct. Discuss and evaluate your
own use of stylistic, figurative or linguistic features and techniques in your piece.