phrases to start a reflective essay

Reflective prompts. • What did I learn from the experience? What surprised me? • What went well and what didn’t? • How did I act and why? • What are my own strengths and weaknesses? • How does my experience compare to the literature? • What research/theories/models can help me make sense of this? • Could I have responded in a ...

By definition, a reflective essay is an essay where the writer describes an event or experience (or series of events or experiences) and then discusses and analyzes the lessons they derived from their experience.

Following are some suggestions for phrases that may be useful, set out in a three-part structure: Description, Interpretation & Outcome. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure story: select words or phrases to describe or analyse the event or experience.

If you have ever read reflective essay examples, you would know that these types of written works examine the writer’s life experiences. When you write a reflective paper example, you write about your own experiences and explore how you’ve changed, grown or developed because of those experiences.

It's a common task during both work and study from appraisal and planning documents to recording observations at the end of a module. The following pages will guide you through some simple techniques for reflective writing as well as how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

Below are 70+ samples of reflective sentence starters/frames. I wonder,… I discovered,... I ponder,… I think,… I learned,… I've reflected on,... After further reflection I,... What I thought (believed) was wrong,... My imagination was on fire after,... I know my understanding is,... My mind was changed after reading,...

In this article, I share tips and examples on how to write a reflective essay either as an academic assignment or as a way to reflect on your life.

In this guide, we explore in detail how to write a great reflective essay, including what makes a good structure and some advice on the writing process. We’ve even thrown in an example reflective essay to inspire you too, making this the ultimate guide for anyone needing reflective essay help.

Description of the Experience. The second element of a reflective essay is a description of the experience that you are reflecting on. This includes providing details about the experience, such as where it took place, who was involved, and what happened.

Do you need to write a reflective essay as part of your training or as a college exercise? Then check out our tips on writing a reflective essay.