How to write an Excellent reflective Essay 150-500 Words|Definition|Outline|Steps|Format|Examples|Tips
Definition of a Reflective Essay
A reflective essay is an essay that demonstrates your understanding of a subject, and how it has changed over time. It is important to be able to identify key events within the topic, and explore these in detail. The reflective essay usually demonstrates enough understanding of the topic at hand for the reader to understand why you would arrive at certain conclusions about it.
The Purpose of a Reflective Essay
The purpose of a reflective essay is to present reflective writing, and this can be done in two ways:
– exploring a topic over time (usually with one or more specific example essays)
– exploring yourself through your opinions on a topic.
How to think about reflective essay topics:
When you are choosing a reflective essay topic, it’s important that you have enough material to write a reflective essay of 150 – 500 words, which is generally between two and five pages long. If the subject matter of the reflective essay does not lend itself well to being presented in multiple key stages, then your reflective essay will become cumbersome, repetitive and incoherent if it focuses solely on the opinions of one person on a single event or instance. In addition, if you plan to write about a reflective essay in a reflective essay, you must ensure the topic is broad enough to warrant an in-depth reflective essay.
Six Main Steps for Writing a Good reflective Essay are:
Step 1: Choose an event or series of events that have had an impact on you or your opinion on something. Explain what this experience mean to you? Why was this event significant? How did this make you feel? Expound on whether you had more than one particular incident which made you aware of something? How have you changed your opinion on things since?
Step 2: Give the main points of view involved in this situation? How have they changed or altered your views? Do you think that experiences will change your opinion again in the future, and why?
Step 3: Explain how you behaved in response to this event. It is important to demonstrate insightful thinking, rather than just stating facts about what has happened.
Step 4: Explain how you feel about it now, and what insight into yourself or the world around you it has given you.
Step 5: Expand upon any judgements that may occur within the reflection. State more specifically why certain events occurred and put across a balanced argument. What factors were important in leading to this situation? Do you think it could have been avoided? How do you feel about these factors now?
Step 6: Conclude the reflection by summarizing what has occurred, how it has altered your views or behavior. Link together all aspects of the reflection and make appropriate conclusions.
Format and Structure of a Reflective Essay
The reflection paper format (4 to 5 double-spaced pages) should include:
Introduction
An introductory paragraph which states the reflective essay topic and shows where it has come from. Explain how your reflective essay topic came about and why you feel strongly about reflective essays (this makes it easy for reflective essays to relate to).
Body of Information
The body paragraphs should include
-A description of an event or series of events that have had an impact on you or your opinion on something.
-What this experience mean to you? Why was this event significant? How did this make you feel?
-Your reflective response, including insights into yourself and/or others involved in the reflection essay topic.
-The main points of view involved in this situation? How have they changed or altered your views?
Conclusion
Do you think that experiences will change your opinion again in the future, and why?
Conclude the reflective essay by summarizing what has occurred, how it has altered your views or behavior. Link together all aspects of the reflective essay and make appropriate conclusions.
In addition, reflective essays can allow us to learn from our reflective essay topics to help us become better reflective readers and writers.
Examples of Reflective Essays
Sample 1: How-I-Changed-My-Opinion-on-Gay-Marriage|Gay-Rights-4.pdf
1 Year Ago: How I Changed My Opinion on Gay Marriage/Gay Rights
Name
Institution, Department
Course Name; Course Number
Instructor
Date
1 Year Ago: How I Changed My Opinion on Gay Marriage/Gay Rights
It has been a year since my parents first brought up the idea to me that gay marriage should be legal, not only in America but also around the world. Even though I am straight, this was an issue that really hit home for me because it impacted people who are close to me and people whom I do not even know personally but still have strong opinions about their rights as human beings to marry whomever they want no matter if they are the same sex or not. This shows how vast this social movement is and how all kinds of people feel strongly about the issue, myself included.
When I first heard this idea I was shocked and amazed that something like this could even be talked about. My parents and many others around the world were growing tired of waiting to see if gay marriage would one day become legal in America, so they decided to take matters into their own hands and try to change the law themselves through peaceful protesting. The goal was for gay people who wanted to get married not only in America but also those who lived within other countries as well as those living off U.S. soil but were still being denied certain rights by the land they live on because of its laws – mainly gay marriage – should have a right to have a ceremony performed in the town they live in. This would give them legal protection and rights that a wedding entails such as medical care, inheritance, property ownership, etc.
I remember being confused at first because when you hear the word “marriage” most people think of a Christian wedding by law where one man and one woman are pledging their lives to each other through Jesus Christ. When I thought about this issue more deeply with my parents and pondered on it long after our discussion had ended, I realized that what they were trying to do was not going against God’s will but rather showing love for fellow human beings who want nothing more than to feel accepted in society instead of isolated from it because of something they have no control over: the fact that they are gay.
This topic still affects my life to this day because it made me realize how important equal rights are for all people, not just those who happen to be straight or Christian. I thank my parents for making me think about this issue and helping me understand the struggles that other people face around the world on a daily basis. What this reflective essay has taught me is that no matter what religion you follow – if any – one should always remain open minded and willing to learn more about topics which cause others pain or distress. It also opened up a dialogue between myself and my parents over a serious issue, allowing us to have healthy discussions from time to time instead of only talking about superficial things such as pop culture or entertainment.
I learnt that it is important to keep an open mind at all times and that there are always other people out there who feel the same way as you do about certain issues. These reflective essay topics can help us become better reflective readers and writers because they encourage us to think critically, challenge our own beliefs, form opinions, learn from others’ opinions, etc. Reflective essays are valuable tools for any reflective reader or writer because they teach persistence and patience when trying to achieve a goal such as passing laws through peaceful protesting against those who discriminate against specific groups of people simply due to their sexual preference or skin color. This reflective essay allowed me to look back on my life and reflect upon where I was in my life then and how I’ve grown to where I am now, ready to take on whatever reflective essay challenges come my way.
The reflective essay topic on gay marriage still plays a big part in the things I do today because I feel it gives me an opportunity to be an active reflective citizen by pushing for equal rights everywhere possible. This reflective essay can also affect others around me because they might gain knowledge of why someone is upset or struggling with something which makes them lash out verbally or physically against those who are different from themselves. Although this reflective essay does play a role in the choices I make day-to-day, it mainly affects me through the conversations that stem from it, allowing me to understand more clearly what certain people are going through and why they might be feeling the way that they are.
In conclusion, this reflective essay taught me that you should never take people’s feelings for granted and if someone is hurting, there may be a method to their madness. I would advise others to remember this reflective essay topic because it can change lives – especially those of others – if we play our cards right and treat everyone equally as we should. Sometimes things happen which puzzle us but if we keep calm and open our eyes, we will find the answers we seek in time.
Tips of a Reflective Essay Outline
- Start your reflective essay by stating what your reflective topic is and why you chose it. In order to do this, try starting with “I have chosen the subject of…” or “This reflective essay will look at…”
- Give a brief overview of how your opinions have changed over time – choose two dates that demonstrate significant changes in opinion on a particular subject matter and ‘snapshot’ how you felt about it at these points in time. For example: “This reflective essay will explore my thoughts on gun control laws in America from when I first learnt about them in year eight, until now in first year university.”
It might also help to give a brief background on why your opinion has changed. For example: “I come from an English National Curriculum school where we were taught about gun control laws in America at least once a year, so I have always felt strongly about them being too lenient, but after visiting the States for three weeks last summer, I realized just how important guns are to protecting people’s liberty and safety.”
- Demonstrate how your opinion has evolved and provide evidence for your reflective essay. You should avoid including quotes or direct speech though, as this will make you reflective essay too wordy.
- Finally, conclude your reflective essay by summarizing what you have said and what you feel about the subject matter now. Hopefully, your reflective essay should resolve any confusion the reader had previously (if they were not already aware of why your opinion evolved) and make clear precisely what you feel about the topic now. Again, focusing on how it has changed over time is one effective method of concluding a reflective essay. For example: “I think I could never be totally happy with America’s gun control laws, but after my experience there last summer I understand better why Americans think that having firearms at home keeps them safe.”
- For reflective essays where you look at yourself through your opinions of a topic, the reflective essay structure is not required to be chronological; however, it should make clear how your personal opinions on the subject matter have developed.