1. A reflection paper is your identification of the main themes of the readings integrated with your classroom experience and how both affect your thinking and practice.
2. A reflection paper is your chance to add your thoughts and analysis to what you have read and experienced. It is meant to illustrate your understanding of the material and how it affects your ideas.
3. Unlike research papers, reflection papers are written in a less formal style, with the author’s ideas and perspective being the focus of the essay. To substantiate these ideas, you must also incorporate supporting evidence from the article you have chosen and/or outside sources into your reflection paper.
3. Begin by jotting down some of the reading material and class experiences that stand out in your mind. Decide why they stand out to you.
4. Using the first person singular (I), relate the readings and classes to your previous knowledge and experience and consider if and how what you have read and learned changes your thinking on the particular topic. How so?
5. In your first two paragraphs, you must identify the readingss that you will be reflecting on (state name of authors and title of readings). Briefly discuss the subject of the articles and talk about your preconceptions of the subject, as well as a brief summary of your initial reaction.
6. In the body of the essay, you can discuss the articles one at a time. You can discuss the first article and then in your discussion of the second, make connections or engage with the first article. Or, you can choose to discuss 2 to 3 main points that are made in both articles that are similar or maybe they are different arguments. What do you agree/disagree with? You can make links with your own personal lives, events in your communities, events in the news etc. You can also draw on a class film/documentary. Remember, a good compare/contrast essay doesn’t only point out how the subjects are similar or different (or even both!). It uses those points to make a meaningful argument about the subjects.
7. As you conclude your essay, discuss what you learned from the readings? What questions did the readings raise? What are the implications of what you have read?
8. If you include any other articles, please cite them. Include in-text references and a reference page for any materials you cite using APA or Chicago Manual of Style citation formatting.
– Chicago Manual of Style: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02/