Reflective Practice 2: Learning from experience
A reflective writing must lead to a set of possible changes one could make in one's approach to improve the outcome.
Based on your learning from Resources 1, 2, 3 and 4 and from discussion with your mentor ONLY, analyze the three written samples in Resource 6 and state differences in the quality of reflection therein.
Based on your learning from Resources 1, 2, 3 and 4 and from discussion with your mentor ONLY, analyze the three written samples in Resource 6 and state differences in the quality of reflection therein.
- Measure responses in Resource 6 against the reflection cycle given above and check whether authors learned anything from reflecting on their experience.
- An important component of reflective practice is considering the event from point-of-view of other people that are (or were) part of the event. (This particular point is mentioned in the figure above.) Include this aspect of reflection in your assessment of the given samples.
- Use the analysis given toward the end of Resource 5 as a guide to inform your analysis.
Submission deadline for Primary Section -- 23rd November, 2019 (Saturday).
Submission deadline for Secondary Section -- 27th November, 2019 (Monday).
Submission deadline for Secondary Section -- 27th November, 2019 (Monday).
Resource 6- Marianne's reflective writing on a presentation. Sample 1
ReplyDeleteThere is not much of reflection in this writing. Initially she talked about relying on her acting skills to present the presenation which, we get to see, didnot help her much. However she did spend some time preparing the Power Point presentation .But nothing much is said about the Power Point presentation. She believed that only having some figures in the Power Point would be enough to answer the queries and probably that would satisfy the audience. However she doesn't worked on the various questions that could have been asked by the audience. It seems that she felt only presenting the Power Point presentation itself will clear all the doubts. Her presentation didn't go well which is clearly evident in these sentences -" I noticed that people seemed not to understand what I was saying despite the Power Point ." "I realised they were all waiting for me to speak and my nerves made my voice wobble. " This shows that she was not confident enough for the presentation. After her boss answering for her, she felt uncomfortable and upset and later spoke to her about the presentation, who then gave some suggestions to improve on the presentation in future.
Here, however there is no evidence of her being analytical or reflective on her own presentation. We donot get to see any such thought process that involves reflective thinking. She didn't think much about why did she go wrong? Where did she go wrong? How to improve on it? What should have been done? We donot get to see any such questions made by her that would prompt reflective thinking. So there is not much of self-analysis here in this writing. We cannot term it as a good reflective writings as the criteria for that is not fulfilled .
Thanks for the timely response!
Delete"She didn't think much about why did she go wrong? Where did she go wrong? How to improve on it? What should have been done? We donot get to see any such questions made by her that would prompt reflective thinking. So there is not much of self-analysis here in this writing. We cannot term it as a good reflective writings as the criteria for that is not fulfilled ."
I think you have pointed out the lack of reflection in this sample quite well!
In addition to the points you have mentioned, we could also say that Marianne also did not consider the way event influenced her behaviour and she also did not try to think of the event from other people's point of view.
From surashree
ReplyDeleteSample 2 - There is a lot of reflective writing involved in this writing compared to the first one. Although for her Power Point presentation, she relied on her acting skills (which has to do with clear voice and she relied on that before as well when she was a student ) but here we get to see that she reflected and realised the difference between the two situations. The presentation she used to do earlier and the presentation she would be doing - " I did realise that there were considerable differences between then and now. "
ReplyDeleteFor her Power Point Presentation, she did spend a lot of them to prepare it . She has also clearly stated the reason for involving so many datas and numbers in the presentation as she thought that at any stage any questions that could be asked by the audience could involve requests for data. So here we get to see that she has thought from other 's perspective as well. This explanation of involving figures in the presentation makes it a better reflective writing than the previous one. She has also putforth her state of mind or what was going on in her mind while preparing the presentation which is again an evidence of a good reflective writing. She knew what she wanted out of the presentation -" I was desperately trying to prove that I could make a presentation as well as my colleagues. " " I wanted to impress everyone. "
This writing involves a lot of self -analysis and realisation that are evident from these statements -" Trying to pretend that I was cool and confident made the situation worse because I didn't admit my difficulties and asked for help. " She has also spoken about her emotional state of mind here after the presentation didn't go well.
One very important point that we get to see here is that during the presentation she started realising somehow what went wrong from the questions that the people present there, were asking. She realised that they were asking for clarifications and not the figures that were presented in the Power Point. After talking with her boss about the presentation, she reflected on it and thought about the areas that could have been been included to improve her presentation. She has also mentioned about the points that she recognized and realized that would help her to better her work. She tried to find out the solution - she spoke about- she needed to learn more about Power Point, and to practice it as well. She also realised that a presentation requires more than just a clear voice - it requires thorough knowledge about the subject that one is supposed to speak. And also just relying on figures in the Power Point would not be much helpful either. She retrospected and found out a solution that next time she would put the figures on hand outs and not in the Power Point. All these clearly shows that it is an impressive reflective writing. Reflective writing usually involves the process of thinking and learning and this writing clearly shows that.
From surashree
" Trying to pretend that I was cool and confident made the situation worse because I didn't admit my difficulties and asked for help." This is what she thought. But how did she find out that her confidence was making the situation worse? It could be that its only she feeling this way but her colleagues may have felt a different way. She could have found out how the presentation really went by taking her colleagues' feedback. This kind of feedback is included in the third sample, and it made it clear to Marianne that it was really only she who was feeling bad about the presentation; Her colleagues thought that she conducted herself and handled Mrs Shaw's interruptions quite well.
DeleteTo measure the effectiveness of any event, it is important to view the event from other people's point of view. One way to do this is by soliciting their feedback.
Thanks for your response!
Resource 6 . The presentation
ReplyDeleteThe presentation 1
It is based on an experience of giving a presentation written by Marianne . Who is in her first job after graduation was asked to make a presentation using PowerPoint and she relied on her acting skills and also made use of many figures which gave her confidence . It is very descriptive and little reflective. It describes what happened, sometimes mentioning the past experience, sometimes anticipating the future in the form of event . It refers to Marianne emotional reaction .Ideas are taken up without questioning them or considering them in depth , without giving a thought for questioning herself . She takes up ideas and considers that it will be successful . It is written from Marianne’s point of view. External information is mentioned about her boss but its impact on her behaviour is not considered .Suggestions are also given to her. Generally one point is made at a time and ideas are not linked .
The presentation 2
It is more reflective than the first presentation . There are descriptions of events which she analyses with her last presentation and was critical on her thinking which she realised from her mistakes by reflecting her past experience . She also found new ways to implement on them . She was honest enough to admit her weakness , abilities and capabilities required for a good presentation . It shows the overall effect of the presentation which went wrong for her emotions ,confidents and behaviour. Hope and anticipation is shown for better out come. There is willingness to be critical for her own self .
The presentation 3
It shows quite deep reflection of thoughts and emotions as she compares from her past events and also does self analysing and thinking. Mixed and disturb emotions are reflected .It reflects on her ideas which she had before at looking the events and now how her perception has changed at looking at the same events .So she is understanding how to look at things and how this changes has changed her though process . She is asking many questions and talking to her self which shows her state of mind and emotions . She compares her own behaviour and has different views of her own and also others point of you . Marianne considers about others view and motivation .Suggestions of others and what she thinks for it. She does lots of self reflection which is very evident . She helps herself to learn from her past experiences which she faced so self realisation and motivation is seen which changed her emotional state in acquiring new knowledge of information which would help in changing ideas and reviews for people .
Thank you Ms Sonal for a comprehensive analysis. I think you have done well in identifying the relative level of reflection in the given three samples. I can see that you have tried to address important aspects -- such as viewing the event from a different perspective and at a different time -- that make a reflective writing good. I think if you better articulate your ideas, your will be better able to convey your ideas. We will work on it.
DeleteThank you sir
DeleteMs. Nital Ashar
ReplyDeletePresentation 1 - The purpose of the reflection of the event and the issues related to it are stated with good observation of oneself. Marianne has described the issues she faced during the power point presentation (idea taken up from someone) where in she has relied on her acting skills. She has commented not only on her behavior but also her feelings. When she started she was confident but then with the progress of the presentation she became nervous, her voice started wobbling, she was uncomfortable, upset and lastly disappointed. In the end she has reflected and taken suggestions from others on ways to improve her performance. But there is no evidence of reflective actions.
Ms. Nital Ashar
Presentation 2 - This time she has reflected on her past experience and has put in more effort to prepare the power point (her again she has relied on others) with incomplete information about how to use it. Comments on her behavior and feelings like calm, panic, cool, flustered show evidence of self analysis. She thinks critically of the effects of her poor performance and is reinterpreting from different points of view and considering various factors to better her performance. But there is no mention of practice for the same.
Presentation 3 - There is continuous self analysis of the past and present experiences. She is not only commenting on her behavior and feelings but also being introspective. Additional ideas, other relevant knowledge, suggestions and new information are taken into consideration and put in for practice too. She has underscored the points of improvement which shows evidence of her diligence. Here she is being most reflective, finding solutions and reviewing new purpose against original.
Good use of the word "underscored"! :)
DeleteThanks for posting your analysis. I think the differences in the quality of reflections could be analyzed more rigorously. I will post my analysis of these sample later today. Try to go through them when they become available; I think (or hope) they will help you make your analysis more rigorous.
Fauzia Qureshi
ReplyDeleteResource 6 :Presentation 1
It is focused on an event. Marianne was over confident about her presentation. She decided to make a presentation based on the past experience of her colleagues.
She thinks from her point of view only. She was confident on her acting skills, but became nervous seeing the audience .Due to which her voice wobbles and the message was not clear to the audience.
Her boss tried to patronize her by repeating the same said message to the audience for clarity which made her nervous and uncomfortable.
Mrs Shaw briefs her areas for improvement.
She should have taken her advice in a positive way for improving herself to be in a comfort zone.
Presentation 2:
It is more descriptive about her emotions. She wanted to use presentation in Power Point form as others point of view though she realized it not worth.
Just trying to impress others, she did not give importance to learn about it rather than operating it properly.
She pretended to be cool beside audience which failed due to her nervousness in voice.
Her boss substantiated her by clarifying her message to audience.
She was disturbed due to this and began to think how she can be better if given another chance.
She realized that she needs to work more on her voice rather than presentation.
Here there is recognition of disabilities in her behavior.
Presentation 3:
This piece is succinct. It is written after giving a deep thought and time.
The focus is on the attempt of delivering a presentation and to learn from it.It stress more on her actions to be better for her future in order to be effective.
She understands her drawbacks and promises herself to improve positively.
She also comes up how to tackle and find ways to analyse herself for upgrading her presentation skills.
She started working on her speaking skills in an elaborate way, rather than a line.
She analyses in depth and exercises in her reflective writing.
There is also an internal dialogue- a conversation with herself in which she realizes what errors she had done and further reflects on alternative areas for improvement.
She recognizes that there may be no conclusion to this situation but there are still things to be learnt from it.
Thank you Ms Fauzia for posting your analysis!
DeletePresentation 2:
"Just trying to impress others, she did not give importance to learn about it rather than operating it properly.
She pretended to be cool beside audience which failed due to her nervousness in voice." I think we should give Marianne a the credit for admitting the superficiality of her motives and for ignoring relevant details to which she should have paid attention to. Without admitting these, she cannot move on to making improvement in her actions and behavior.
Marianne's reflection 1
ReplyDeleteMarianne's 1st version of reflection points directly at the reason of her selecting of this particular event.
She wishes to address the issue of her poor presentation skills .
Marianne describes the event, her actions and the why's of these actions. Namely, the choice to use Power Point came from her observation of her colleague's successful presentation.
In her description she has outlined clearly the initial nervousness that she felt, which acted against her.
She has been able to observe that this could have caused the audience being unable to comprehend the information she was sharing.
She cites her beliefs about what a good presentation is about. And describes the irritation she felt at Mrs. Shaw's intervention during it.
In her reflection, Marianne has shared the inputs she received from Mrs.Shaw on bettering her skills. The noting down of these inputs, seems to indicate that she agrees with the problem areas identified and plans to work on them.
The presentation (2)
She improves upon her reflection.
She has successfully been able to introspect on why relying on acting skills and Power Point hugely was an error on her part.
She also arrives at the conclusion that pretending and not admitting to having g difficulties with power point , midway through the presentation, was probably not a good decision.
In this reflection, she has clearly identified several things NOT to be done while preparing for her next presentation.
She seems to have ignored reflecting from the point of view of Mrs.Shaw as she seems her intervention inappropriate .
The presentation (3)
This reflection appears to be written in a more detached and objective manner. Marianne appears eager to learn from this experience and has dropped the self-deprecating tone , that might prove to be a real hindrance to her progress.
She is analyzing and sifting through her feelings of incompetency and lack of confidence.
She has successfully described her actions along with reflecting on the why's of these. She objectively arrives at how she might have done that particular action in an alternate manner. She also weaves in the perspective of her colleagues, which is a positive attribute. There is use of meta cognition at various stages , example - Does she kow enough about Power Point , re-reading her earlier reflection on the presentation and re-interpreting her earlier reflection - This cognitive housekeeping is a highly desirable attribute of learning through reflection.
This final exercise has been about methodically arriving at and highlighting areas to improve upon which would assure success in her next presentation.
Sir, above is my comment. Apologies .
DeleteThank you!
DeletePresentation 1: "She has been able to observe that this could have caused the audience being unable to comprehend the information she was sharing." I don't think that she has made this link in her first reflection. Instead, she has pointed out that it was her over-reliance on her voice and acting skills, and her focus on the cosmetic aspects (voice, figures) of the presentation at the expense of in-depth analysis that detracted from the effectiveness of her presentation.
Your use of the word "cognitive housekeeping" tells me that you've read through the reflection cycle.
We will discussion on these samples on Friday.
Presentation 1
ReplyDeleteMarianne was going to present project planning to her team.
Bit nervous but at the same time excited too.
Though she had previous knowledge and experience wherein she relied on her acting skills to present this planning to her colleagues but still she was not confident.
While presenting her Boss Mrs shaws intervention made her upset and she felt disappointed.
Marianne is a keen learner and eager to learn from her mistakes. For this she adopts new techniques which will boost here morale.
She decides to improve on it and present in better way for next session.
Presentation 2
This time Marianne is trying to better her performance by adopting new techniques along with acting skills like PPT.
This times presentation is some what self realisation on part of Marianne based on her earlier work done.
She understands the difference very well.
Extra efforts have been put this time to do better
Mentally prepared to answer audience questions at the end wherein for first presentation Mrs. Shaw had to intervene which made her upset.
This time well preparation with planning for PPT presentation.
Serious retrospection done by Marianne .
Presentation 3
Team meeting agenda
Scared but not relying on ppt solely.
Little bit uncomfortable during presentation.
But good response from her colleagues boosts her morale.
This time her confidence helped her to handle her boss intrusion very well.
Her eagerness to learn has increased by this time to solve her negativity and stand up positively.
A kind of self analyze
Acceptance of her mistakes and her strong determination to improve on it without blaming anyone for her failures.
Thank you sir for your response.
DeleteFrom reading your analysis, I am getting the sense that perhaps you have assumed that the three samples of writing are by the same author at different times describing three different events. In fact, these are three different descriptions of the same event illustrating reflection in different depths. Or maybe I have misunderstood what you are actually trying to convey here. I think it'll be best if we discuss this in person.
In presentation 3, you write, "This time her confidence helped her to handle her boss intrusion very well." I think what she tried to say was that she has come up with a plan to handle her boss's intrusions should they recur again in future. She has not handled the her boss's intrusions yet.
RESOURCE 6- PRESENTATION (1)
ReplyDeleteIn the first version, Marianne mentions about her first job and her experience of giving presentation using power point she has not given her full determination towards what she wanted to convey as she has talked in a very short way.
She had to create a new database for the management information system where she speaks about her acting skills in which she was confident.
Looking at others and her colleague using power point for the presentation and doing well she discovers and decides to use power point for her presentation also and forgets about her acting skills.
She has just mentioned about her acting skills but related to which subject or area is not specified. She also takes the decision to use power point for the presentation and also speaks about spending a long time in the preparation but how did she prepare and the time duration is not mentioned.
She just speaks about what she felt during the presentation, the interference of Mrs Shaw who is her boss, her disappointment as her presentation did not go well but she has not been analytical in identifying what she lack in the presentation and what she had to do for giving the best presentation.
She has mentioned about the suggestion and guidance given by Mrs Shaw but the ideas that she feels that she needs to put in her reflection is not reflected.
Thanks for your posting your analysis! I think you've identified the quality of reflection in the three samples quite well. It is good time for you to try and make your analysis more rigorous. For this, you will need to adopt a systematic approach. We will discuss this in greater detail in the next session.
ReplyDeleteRESOURCE 6- PRESENTATION (2)
ReplyDeleteIn the second version of Marianne, the description is succinct. There is more of a sense of self realisation from the explanation given by her in order to reflect better on her actions.
She is experimenting on her ownself by trying to be calm, pretending to be cool and confident and also not admitting to the difficulties and not asking for help which is not the reality. In front of the others she is trying to present what she is not.
She feels her self esteem is low at work as the presentation did not go well. She goes to talk to Mrs Shaw about the presentation but recognises that it is the behaviour of Mrs. Shaw to infere.
She has also been able to think critically about the other alternative way of doing the presentation and recognises the areas of improvement.
RESOURCE 6- PRESENTATION (3)
In the third version of Marianne, the description is succinct and self explanatory. The entire incident is narrated in a very vividly manner. There is evidence of where the incident was written and when it happened.
Through the self analysis it clearly shows that she has come to a conclusion of using power point for the presentation and not her acting skills but at the same time she is confused also.
It is so much evident from her actions and efforts that she could not give the power point presentation well only because of no practice in the usage of power point as well as she had lost the confidence in her due to the interference of Mrs Shaw, her boss.
She has also been able to think critically about the same presentation and identifies that she has changed her attitude towards it and also comes to a conclusion of handling MrsShaws intrusion if similar type of situation arises. Her vision is very much clear.
She reflects back and analysis not to just rely on the acting skillsfor a giving a good presentation but needs to put in lots of effort.
She comes to a conclusion of using power point again where she decides not to use it as a means of presenting but to be sufficiently confident in its use and also be able to retrieve the situation when things go wrong. Out of the three this is the best reflective writing.
She summarises the entire incident towards the end of the third version. She analysis the same situation in a different way all the three times. The first time, she felt that the presentation was dreadful and there was no other way to do it differently. Second time she realises that she did not know few things about MrsShaws habit of interrupting. She also recognises some of the areas in which she went wrong as she was thinking that her low esteem got in the way and also not to repeat the same mistakes which she had done earlier and to help Mrs Shaw to improve her behaviour towards them. Thirdly see has asterisked all the points which she needed to take care of in order to improve like dealing the situation without the interruption of Mrs Shaw, not to rely on someone else’s way of working but to study in depth and upgrade herself accordingly.
Thank you Ms Rajeshri for your response. I see improvement in your analysis compared to the previous one.
Delete"he first time, she felt that the presentation was dreadful and there was no other way to do it differently. Second time she realises that she did not know few things about MrsShaws habit of interrupting." These two sentences make me think that you are taking the samples as written at two different times by the same author describing two different events. I have a few more questions and I think we should speak in person so that I can fully understand your views on this. Let's try to meet tomorrow.
1:
ReplyDeleteIn this piece, Marianne begins by mentioning the presentation. While she uses acting skills to give the presentation, she could have reflected more on her previous presentation. She could then use those observations to decide what she could do this presentation.
While Marianne decided to use a Power Point because of her colleague, she could have further reflected on why she thought her colleague’s presentation went well during the last team meeting.
Marianne mentions her emotional state during the presentation but it did not explore it further. She could have reflected on the reason for it.
It is written only from one point of view – that of Marianne. She could have tried to reflect on what her boss might have felt and thought during the presentation. She could also think about what she could do in the future to avoid repetition of the same. In addition, there could be reflection on why it made Marianne uncomfortable and upset.
While Marianne talked to her boss, she could have added in her own insight on what she could improve next time and how she could truly feel confident rather than just acting. The role of emotions could be analyzed further.
2:
This piece is a bit more elaborative. There are references to emotional state but they have not been explored. Marianne could have tried to reflect on why she felt the need to do what others did/compare with others/impress other people. She could have asked herself why she was doing what she as doing.
During the presentation, there is some reflection on the role of emotions on her actions. There is a lack of attempt in trying to answer why there was anxiety present and how it could have been effectively tackled. She did reflect on what did not work for her.
There could have been recognition of why a poor presentation led to low self-esteem. Learning can only take place when the emotions are separated from what happened and by truly analyzing what went wrong.
Blaming her boss is not the best way to tackle the situation. The event could have also been mentioned from the point of view of her boss and why she was saying what she did. Marianne could have talked to her boss about the way she felt or tried to figure out how to handle the same situation in the future. Arriving to a solution is the purpose of reflection.
The piece is reasonably reflective, as Marianne has arrived to some solution in the end. However, there has been no significant change, as feelings have not been thoroughly analyzed.
3:
Here, Marianne wrote about how she felt about the presentation after finding about it. There could be further analysis on what made her feel worried. It could be an incident from the past. Further reflection could help to investigate the emotion and, therefore, help her not be as anxious. Marianne used acting as a way to be confident but she could reflect on whether it really helped her be truly confident or whether it was just a façade.
When Marianne chose to use Power Point, there could be further reflection on why she chose it just because she saw others do the same. Was it something she really wanted to do? Was it just to follow the masses?
During the session, Marianne mentioned that she became anxious and it had left her feeling uncomfortable at work. She could ask herself why it had such an impact on her. Maybe it was related to some event in the past.
The text is quite reflective when Marianne analyzes her feelings about the presentation and tries to find a solution to what her boss did. She also speaks to her colleagues which helps her in gaining some insight.
Marianne reflects on the event after a week which helps her gain better insight into what happened. She analyses what happened during the presentation and how she felt. This helps her to arrive to better solutions for the future. She looks at the event from a different perspective and it helps her to improve and prepare for future presentation.
The piece is quite reflective as learning has taken place. Further areas of reflection have also been recognized.
- Neha Britto
Concise and well articulated analysis. In your assessment of the three samples, you have included most of the criteria that are necessary for any writing to qualify as being reflective. Thanks!
DeleteAnalysis on Presentation1
ReplyDelete- This piece is more descriptive.
- It is written from only one point of view that is of Marinne.
- Extraneous information is not added
- It doesn't show any sign of learning.
- Ideas of others are not mentioned
- It doesn't show evidence of standing back from the event and reflecting on it.
Analysis on Presentation 2
- This piece is little reflective.
- Ideas of others are mentioned but not elaborate clearly.
- It shows signs of standing back from the event and to learn from it.
- Extraneous information is added a little.
Analysis on Presentation 3
- It is succint and to the point
- It shows evidence of standing back from the event and reflecting on it.
- Extraneous information is added and clearly elaborate.
- It has conversation between writer n her colleague as well as her boss.
- It also has evidence of looking from others point of view.
- It also shows that how writer's way of think has affected the outcome.
- It also has sign of learning from the event.
By Ms Jasmine Masani.
I see that you have tried a different approach here compared to the previous one. I like this way of presenting analysis as it is terse and yet comprehensive.
DeleteI'm not sure what you exactly mean by "extraneous information" here. "Extraneous" means irrelevant. I think in all of the samples, the information she has narrated is quite relevant to the event and her experience. One of the important functions of reflective writing is to enable the author to try and "discover" connections between seemingly disparate events or experiences. Therefore, there is usually very little scope for "irrelevance" in reflective writing.
Or maybe you meant to say something else and happened to chose the wrong word?
Presentation 1:
ReplyDeleteIt is all about Marianne and her presentation in her very first job after graduating. Here she spoke all about her preparation and working on her presentation topic so that she can standout among her colleagues and extremely perform well. Here she also relates all her presentation skills to her other fellow colleagues so that she can make up the missing points in her. She felt all prepared and started to gain confidence with all the preparation living no coin unturned. But things twisted to her surprise and she became quite nervous and latter by that time went hay way while presenting. Her flow of giving presentation was all lost and by then her peak of voice seems to be disturbed. She started to feel this all but due to her well adapted acting skills tried well to manage to show all calmness in her body language and face expression. It was all because of the intervention of her boss in between for addressing the audience on her behalf. There she felt that she is lacking somewhere in convincing the audience and their questions well. Anyhow, when she was done with her presentation she tried her possible ways to make up with her loose end by conversing about it with her colleagues and boss too. After connecting with them she marked all her errors and weak points to overcome it next time much better.
Presentation 2: Here is again continuation of Marianne presentation. This time her task bit varies with the alteration in topic from her first presentation. However she correlates her previous presentation preparation with this so that she can make considerable improvements which did not went all right with her first presentation. She stick for using the same tool
i. e power point presentation but with much necessary sound changes in it and also with the involvement of figures so that she can present her topics well to the audience. Somewhere again here she was in competative spirit to do comparingly well among her colleagues. She worked on her well adapted presentation and acting skills too. But all in vain as the presentation progressed further. Again she was left with the feeling of nervousness with the intervention of her boss here too. She was quite panicked and all lost with the flow. Later when she again approached her colleagues for review it was disclosed to her and all came as surprise that her boss is the one who always disturb and distracts the presenters. She anyhow marked her error and negative points to come up well prepared next time till then she was having no confidence in her boss. But with positive approach she felt that she can improve her presentation to the much extent with the involvement of other tools help and organizing her topic much better than this.
Presentation 3:
This sample continues with Marianne presentation work. She continued to put necessary efforts to overcome all her errors and mistakes from her previous presentations. One to the extreme point this sample reading, denotes motivational and positivity to the readers as nowhere Marianne felt to give up despite of several efforts giving no results. Every time she tried to stood a little taller by gaining all reviews from her colleagues and present her topic better than the previous one. Nowhere she loses hope, every time it was something new to her experience. After presenting this time she again used her same tactics of taking reviews from her colleagues and to work uopn it. But it all amazed her, because the worst she was thinking about her presentation was not actually that bad to her audiences. Here credit goes to her acting skills and efforts she put into it to improve it everytime. She reviewed her own situations in different 3 situations in detail so that she her self can think back upon it and also can reflect over it. She admits her wrong doing and errors and always willing to work over it and to come much improved and systematically well organized next time whenever she gets an opportunity to present herself.
Presentation 1
ReplyDeleteIn this account, Marianne, writes objectively about the occurred event: the presentation. She describes descriptively and in an orderly manner. She states about her emotional state of being nervous, uncomfortable, upset. However, she fails to analyze them in-depth.
She fails to weigh the pros and cons of using the Power Point and she goes with others experience rather than thinking critically herself.
She accepts the facts or the ideas given by her boss without any further reflection or questioning. Although she mentions, « I noticed that people seemed not to understand what I was saying... » , she does not introspect on the reasons of the situation.
One can state that this account is written descriptively without much reflection. The author has written only from her point of view. The process of thinking and learning is not involved in detail. It is more like a report.
Presentation 2
In this episode, Marianne has written in a reasonably reflective way. She has described the event with some analysis.
She has expressed her emotional state of being calm, cool, panicked, flustered. However she fails to explore her emotional state in detail. Without any further reflection, she accepts that her presentation was poor. She does not critically think over the reasons for the failure of the presentation and the Power Point.
There are instances where she comprehends about the areas of improvement and realizes the elements of learning as she mentions, « I had not realized there was so much to learn... ». Similarly, she also admits that her acting skills were not to be relied upon.
One can understand that this writing is a bit detailed than the previous one, however, this too fails to take into consideration others point of view. The author does not explore or analyze the situation in detail. In the end, the author states about practice which can lead to further area of reflection and learning is involved to a certain extent.
Presentation 3
Here, Marianne mulls around deeply about the occurred event: the presentation. The writing portrays quite deep reflection as she takes into account others perspectives and intentions about her presentation as she mentions about the view of her colleagues, “ Several of my colleagues told me afterwards that Mrs Shaw always steps in to answer questions like that and they commented that I handled intrusion well. That is interesting.”
She writes and thinks about this one event at different time occasions as she mentions, “I am writing this back in my office. It all happened 2 days ago. “ or “I am thinking about the awful presentation again- it was this time last week.” This review at different timelines enables her to reflect upon her emotional state, her learning at various stages and helps her understand better the situation as she states, “ I am reading what I wrote about it earlier about it. Now I return to it, I do have a slightly different perspective.” She is trying to ‘make sense’ or find meaning from her experience.
Also, she takes a step back for analyzing the situation. This allows her to have a clear view on the situation. She ,also, marks the points which she wishes to address later in order to improve. This shows her willingness to learn from the experience which is a crucial part of the process of reflection.
One can understand that this is a classic example of reflective writing as the author involves deeply in the process of thinking and learning by considering the different points of view, suggestions, linking and reinterpreting the event at various timelines, questioning about the areas of doubt, accepting the errors and moving ahead with a positive approach from the occurred event.
Very well articulated. Thanks!
DeleteIn your analysis, you've pointed out important characteristics such as event considered at different points in time and from different view points. Your analysis also looks consistent across the three samples.
Just one suggestion -- when quoting, use " " instead of << >>.
Thank you sir for your feedback. I will keep in mind your suggestion.
DeletePresentation (1)
ReplyDeleteMarianne mentions about her first job experience in PIGG PLC.In this reflective writing, she has mentioned about the strength by which she would be presenting her presentation in front of her colleagues.Considering her thoughts as it is her first job, high on motivation, but as it is her first job she needs to be open minded and understanding new things
As in this reflective passage she expresses admiration to the presentation given by her colleague and she is preparing her presentation comparatively equivalent to her colleague. This is a good point she has stated as it show her determination to improve and learn
In this part of the passage Marianne mentions about her being nervous while giving a presentation in a weekly team meeting, she also stated that she felt embarrassed when her boss, Mrs Shaw replied too few of the queries which was generated during PowerPoint presentation given by her.
Marianne needs to understand that this is her first job and is also in a learning phase, so while being corrected by the boss she should not feel embarrassed
In this reflective passage she did not mention Why she went wrong, reason for incompetence, what measure, she could have taken in avoiding such mishap, any different approaches, having a plan B.
Thanks! Your analysis of Sample 2 and 3 are missing.
DeleteIn the second paragraph, the sentence "...she expresses admiration [to] the presentation given by..." should be "...she expresses admiration for the presentation given by..."
In the first account, Marianne talks about the presentation, she has to give at the weekly team meeting. She decides to use Power Point, as it was the most used application in her office. She decided to put her acting skills to use during presentation. She spent a long time preparing for the presentation and memorizing figures. She became nervous during the presentation after noticing people did not seem to understand what she was saying. She lost her confidence. Her boss answering questions did not help with her confidence and she felt condescended. She talked to her boss after a few days and was given notes on how to improve her presentation skills. She decided to implement a different technique the next time.
ReplyDeleteIn the second account, there is not much difference than her first account . When she recalls her preparation for the presentation she remembers that she was trying impress her everyone rather than learn how to present. Her attempts to calm herself down did not work and it had made the situation worse. She talks about her low self esteem at her work place as a result of her bad presentation. She takes advice from her boss and her colleagues and decides to improve herself for the next time by practicing with her team.
In the third account, we notice the difference in her mindset about her performance. She has a more positive outlook towards the situation. She compares the difference between giving a presentation in college amongst her peers against giving a presentation at her work place. She realizes that her acting skills only helped her to maintain a facade of confidence. She decides to practice and implement Power Point . She talks about the previous presentation being impressive and wanting to be at the same level. She starts thinking about how she could have done things differently in her presentation rather than just accepting that she isn't good at it. He decides to take help from books as well. She says she is still unhappy with her boss' interruption during her presentation. She decides to not just act but give depth to her words. Rather than seeing power point as a supplementary means of communication, she looks at it as a tool to convey her points effectively. She finally feels more positive about this experience and decides to improve herself rather than focus on one bad experience.
Resource 6 ( presentation 1)
ReplyDeleteThe first reflection appears to be neutral and is only objective . Marianne talks about points of improvement given by Mrs shaw but does not list points of improvement which she has arrived upon after her reflection .
Resource 6
( Presentation 2)
In the second reflection Marianne seems to view herself as well as others in a negative light but one good thing is that she wishes to practice with some of the team so that she can improve upon a presentation skills .
Resource 6
Presentation 3
Third reflection is a more balanced (subjective ) reflection . She has taken adequate time to reflect on why presentation which was based on PowerPoint did not fare as well as she would like it. Cineplex that she needs to learn much more about PowerPoint and do some dummy and make sure that she has the laptop to do this dummy runs she also arrived that the success of a presentation depends on external as well as internal factors the external factors being the PowerPoint tool and message shows intervention and the internal factors being a willingness to change true reflection she also identifies a strength weaknesses opportunities and threats hence I feel this is a very good reflection and she will definitely do much better if she relies on the conclusions that she has arrived through this reflection .
Resource 4 (1)
ReplyDeleteBarry reflects on the challenges he faces in his job placement.
When he was asked to serve the clients , his initial reaction is embarrassment which he needs to recover from.
The writer has clearly outlined how his confidence grew with passing time and with better experiences that he had for example the lady who was patient with him and the group of people that were happy after having a satisfactory meal and gave him a handsome tip.
The writer has shown in his essay that regardless of the stature of the job training is a must. And comes to the understanding that in every field we face tricky situations , and what we learn from these and how we deal with them henceforth in a better manner. It is a reasonably reflective writing.
Resource 4 (2)
Kerry reflects that she was late in joining the university, that lead to lack of understanding and she feels like taking the easy approach to quit.
She also reflects that she has not been able to write essays because nobody has taught her to do the same. She realises the problem and takes steps to improve it by buying study skill books and intends to take help to under plagiarism better.
She does not know the extent to which she can use reference books.
She does not know how to get ready for exam but she questions herself and discusses it with her co- students and gets prepared for the exam. But towards the end she reflects that she needs to change her study habit for this and ask for help.
I can see her reflective approach in this.
Her arrival at the correct decision to stay on in the university indicates good use of the reflective approach .
Resource 4 (3)
It appears that Jackie is confident that she has done a good job and does not need improvement in any area concerning her presentation and hence has not reflected much on the matter. This is not a very reflective writing.
The essay is descriptive in nature and talks about the various difficulties she faced , for example, missing the train, not finding the boat, facing the rough sea, encountering the adders , also feeling nervous addressing a new set of people. But inspite of this she is not looking for solutions and hence does not reflect on the same .
Thank you for your response, sir but this link is for Resource 6 and not Resource 4. Please post it in the link for Resource 4.
DeleteI've gone through your comment. We will discuss it in person.