Want to get a HD on your learning journal assignment? If so, you need to write HD-worthy critical reflection posts. And here’s six steps for doing just that.
1. Read the criteria sheet
Have you had a look at the criteria sheet yet? The assessment criteria are really detailed and are the definitive guide to doing a good job of this assignment. Get acquainted with them!
2. Write to topic
Your critical reflection posts must be related to one of the topics for the week. It seems pretty obvious, but it’s easy to go off on a tangent if you don’t keep the topic at the front of your mind.
3. Structure your posts
In this unit, you’re going to create your journal in a discussion forum, but your posts will probably still look like blog posts. Your posts don’t have to be formal, but they should still have structure. There should be a central theory or idea or ‘thesis’ that gives it direction. Each paragraph should focus on one idea and lead into the next. If you need some help with this then I recommend starting with How to Structure Your Posts (and Why You Need To).
4. Give evidence
Your opinion is a critical component of the posts – we want to hear your thoughts and your opinions. But you also need to give evidence. Evidence should not be limited to your own anecdotal experience. At a minimum it should be informed by the learning resources we make available. To achieve the best result it should also be supported by examples or theory sourced from your own independent research.
5. Give credit where it’s due
Cite or attribute other people’s material in your posts. Posts without any citation or attribution
- fail to show evidence
- miss the opportunity to showcase knowledge of the topic and engagement with the learning resources
- fail to take advantage of the medium (ie using links)
- potentially represent academic dishonesty.
The following is an example of a statement that is missing attribution and citation:
We know that Twitter is being used by more and more young people.
We do? How do we know that?
An improvement would be:
Twitter is being used by more and more young people, according to recent Pew Research.
Now we have attribution (albeit not very specific, incomplete attribution).
The correct way to write this would be
Twitter is being used by more and more young people, according to recent Pew Research.
OR
Now we have attribution and citation. You have given credit where it’s due and have backed up your argument with evidence.
Check out the information about referencing and citation in blog posts available from the assessment section of the site.
6. Use the functionality of the medium
It is extremely important to take full advantage of the functionality of the medium. Add appropriate links, embed other media, and include images.