Using critical reflection and
analysis for successful
assignment writing at level 6
Mel Gill
Student Support & Guidance
Tutor – School of Education
Level 4 - Support
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Knowledge and Understanding –
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Knowledge – facts concepts
terminology
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Ethical issues - awareness
Cognitive and intellectual Skills –
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Analysis – using given principles with
guidance
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Synthesis – collecting ides in
predictable format
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Evaluation – reliability of data with
guidance
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Application – using given tools/methods
Transferable Skills –
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Group – meets obligations to others
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Resources – access range
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Self-evaluation – against external
criteria
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Managing information – simple research
tasks with guidance
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Communication - effective
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Problem-solving – using given
tools/methods
Practical Skills –
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Application- defined contexts
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Autonomy – limited within defined
guidelines as directed
Level 5 - Choice
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Knowledge and Understanding –
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Knowledge – variety of ideas contexts
frameworks detailed theories
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Ethical issues – wider social
implications debate
Cognitive and intellectual Skills –
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Analysis – compare alternative methods
with minimum guidance
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Synthesis – adapt format for purpose
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Evaluation – relevance and
significance of data
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Application – choose appropriate
tools/methods
Transferable Skills –
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Group – interaction modifying
responses
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Resources – manage
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Self-evaluation – develops own criteria
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Managing information – select
appropriate data
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Communication – variety of formats
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Problem-solving – choose appropriate
tools/methods
Practical Skills –
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Application- variety of contexts
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Autonomy – defined guidelines
minimum guidance
Level Six Learner – ‘Critic’
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Knowledge and Understanding –
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Cognitive and intellectual Skills –
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Analysis – without guidance uses appropriate techniques
Synthesis – transform data and concepts for purpose with minimum guidance
Evaluation – critically evaluate evidence
Application – confident flexible problem solver
Transferable Skills –
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Knowledge – comprehensive knowledge specialisation provisional
Ethical issues – personal critical responsibility
Group – leadership conflict management
Resources – professional minimum guidance
Self-evaluation – confident reflection against self-criteria seeks feedback
Managing information – competent research with minimum guidance
Communication – debate in professional manner
Problem-solving – confident and flexible
Practical Skills –
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Application – unpredictable contexts
Autonomy – agreed guidelines minimum supervision critical responsibility
10% rise per level!
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If you got 63% for a piece of work at level 5
and produce work of the same academic
level for a piece of work that should be at
level 6 you can expect to gain a mark of 53%.
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So you need to ‘raise your game’ by at least
10% just to maintain the same grade.
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Also, remember that the pass mark for level 6
is 40% and for level 7 it is 50%!
Moving forwards
The aim is to achieve…
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Autonomous
Independent
Active
Critical reflection
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Comprehensive knowledge
Appropriately referenced
Contribution to a “professional discourse”
Independent Critical Reflection
Observation and
experience
Reading
Theory
Context
Critical
Reflection
Practice
Reference list building
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Be thorough
Variety of resources/sources
Keep a reading journal
Never keep a quote without reference
Keep a strict list
De-select (edit) works you have not referenced
at least indirectly
Harvard system – Brighton SoE guidelines
Levels of Reflectiveness (1)
1.
Habitual action:
providing material without any sense of the
meaning.
2.
Understanding:
can demonstrate understanding but has
difficulty applying it because it remains a
theoretical concept and does not show how it
might be used in practice.
Levels of Reflectiveness (2)
3. Reflection:
can relate concepts and ideas to own
experience, and writing is illustrated with
examples from practice.
4. Critical reflection:
this implies a change or transformation of
perspective. Recognises own assumptions and
can critically review them.
Kember et al (2008)
Profound reflection:
(Moon, 2001, pp.3-4)
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Is there relevant formal theory?
Are there ethical / moral / wider social issues to explore?
How are your perceptions of the issue present in your
writing?
Are there alternative interpretations or different points of
view to consider?
In what way(s) might you have tackled the task
differently?
If you ‘step-back’ from this issue, does it look different?
Are you aware of your feelings changing over time –
possibly in the course of writing?
Kolb’s Experiential Learning
Cycle
Adapted from KOLB, D. (1984) Experiential Learning New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Concrete
Experience
Planning
and
Experimentation
The
Learning
Cycle
Critical
Analysis
Personal
Reflection
Academic key words
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Analyse: Examine in very close detail; identify important
points and chief features.
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Critically evaluate: Weigh arguments for and against
something, assessing the strength of evidence on both
sides. Use criteria to guide your assessment of which
opinions, theories or models are preferable.
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Describe: Give the main characteristics or features of
something, or outline main events.
Cottrell, S. (2013) The Study Skills Handbook (4th Ed) Macmillan
Press: Basingstoke.
You need to......
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Reference recent and relevant literature to
build your arguments and support your
claims
Use your own experiences to additionally
strengthen arguments and claims.
Demonstrate critical reading, thinking,
writing
Assess the extent to which authors have
provided adequate justification for the
claims they make
Assignment Planner (2000 words)
Intro - 200 words
Theme 1 – 500 words
Theme 2 – 500 words
Theme 3 – 500 words
Conclusion – 300 words
Ideas/points (relate to
assessment criteria)
References (theory/policy)
Critical reflection on Writing
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Structure
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Development of argument
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Do sections relate chronologically or rhetorically
(argument or narrative)?
Deductive reasoning – from positions to cases
(tendency to confirm)
Inductive reasoning – from cases to positions
(tendency to explore without clear conclusion)
Quotations
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Justification, persuasion, illustration
Proof-reading
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Sentences
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Length
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Variety of construction
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Syntactical function
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Verbs (please vary - they do nice things for meaning)
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Subject-verb agreement (is/are)
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Appropriate use of pronouns
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Expectations of use or non-use of subjective phrases (I feel/I think/I believe)
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Accuracy of expression rather than literary eloquence
Punctuation
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The comma – a case of neglect
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The apostrophe – a victim of abuse
Words
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Mixing up homonyms (their/there)
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Non-Standard forms of English (“It could of…”/It could have…)
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Their iz no excuzes for submiting werk with incorect speling...
 Spell-checkers
 University support
Referencing – see handbook/studentcentral
The importance of punctuation
Punctuate this sentence correctly:
A woman without her man is
nothing
Punctuation changes meaning!
A
woman: without her, man is
nothing.
A
woman, without her man, is
nothing.
Incorrect use of commas
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He has lost interest in education, I feel
frustrated by this.
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I ask him if he wants to give up smoking, his
reply was no.
Importance of Proof Reading
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht
oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat
ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can
be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it
wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the
huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter
by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Grading criteria 60-69%
A good response to the task: all learning outcomes have been met
fully and many have been achieved at a good or very good
standard.
The work demonstrates all or most of the following characteristics in
relation to those expected at the given level of study:
 A standard and comprehensive approach to the devising and/or
execution of the work
 Very good understanding and exploration, some insight and/or
thorough research
 No significant inaccuracies or misunderstandings
 Some high quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation, critical appraisal
and/or performance
 The specifications for the assessment task, including word limit,
have been adhered to. The work is well organised and the standard
of presentation* is good.
Grading criteria: 40-49% level 6
50-54% level 7
An adequate, but weak, response to the task: all learning outcomes
have been met but at least some barely exceed the threshold
standard to pass the module.
The work may display some strengths (such as those indicated in the
characteristics of higher grades) but the grade is brought down by some
weak features, such as:
Very
basic and/or poorly thought out approach to the devising and/or
execution of the work
Adequate but limited understanding and/or exploration of major ideas
with very little insight and/or minimal research
Some minor inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings
The work is too descriptive, insufficiently analytical and/or poorly
performed in relation to the expectations for the given level of study
Some minor aberrations from the specifications for the assessment task
Poor standard of presentation*
Showing thinking
“How can I know what
I think until I see what I
write?”
(Forster, 1927, p.6)
Showing thinking (referenced)
Indirect Reference
It has been said that writing makes unconscious thought evident to the
writer (Forster, 1927.)
Or
Forster (1927) implies that writing makes unconscious thought evident
to the writer.
Direct Reference
The complex relationship between language and thought takes many
forms, “How can I know what I think until I see what I write?” (Forster, 1927, p6)
Bibliographical acknowledgement
Books
Forster, E. M. (1927), Aspects of the Novel, London: Edward Arnold
Direct long quote
Children also showed different ways of
making sense of the reading process:
Children in the study convincingly demonstrated that
learning how tread bears the stamp of a person’s
individuality... Children in the study all exhibited
likenesses in their physical, emotional and intellectual
functioning.
(Bussis et al, 1985, pp.64-5)
Referencing electronic sources
Author or Editor or Corporate Author. (year), Title
(edition) [online], Place of publication: Publisher.
Available: <URL> [Access Date].
Eg:
Herring, J. (1996) Teaching Information Skills in
Schools [online], London: Library Association
Publishing.
Available:<URL:http://imdept.qmuc.ac.uk/imres/
books/JHbook1_a.htm> [Access date 20th
November 2012].
Mel’s Studentcentral area
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Go to ‘my school: education’
Scroll down pink box and click on ‘SoE
Student Support & Guidance’
See folder called, ‘Useful information for
successful assignment writing.’
And check out the Aspire Study Skills reading
list.
What next?
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What do you need to do now to ensure that
you are writing at the right level?
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Think about this for a moment and then share
your thoughts with the person next to you.