Reflection plays a big role in helping us to understand ourselves, works and experiences in a clearer way. Critical thinking on the other hand enables us to create a connection between our ideas and the theories, concepts and ideas of others. Hence, critical reflection essays expect us to consider our experiences, thoughts and ideas and link them with those of others.

We apply critical reflection in our daily lives even without knowing. This is not a difficult task; it only requires a few essentials to carry out perfectly. You must have practiced the skill at school therefore it shouldn’t bother you much at college level. Professional courses that require a lot of self-reflection tend to have a number of critical reflection essays.

These are the essentials of a powerful critical reflection essay:

Your experiences and the experiences, theories and ideas of others

These are the main components of a critical reflection essay; they make up the body of the essay. You need to consider your experiences and check how they relate with a certain theory or a certain subject you may have learnt in class. It requires the application of the things you have read about or learnt in school into your own experiences.

The experiences of other people such as your supervisor and friends can also assist you greatly in this type of essay. Reflective essays differ from other essays that need a more professional touch because they allow you to base your arguments on your own thoughts and ideas.

There are questions that will help you to develop the content of your essay. They include:

• What is the relationship between my experience and the theories in my field of practice?

• What is the relationship between my experiences, thoughts and ideas and those of others?

• How would theorists and other people react to my actions?

• What would change if the same situation repeats itself in future?

Language

The language in a critical reflection essay is a bit different from other academic writings even though it is a professional essay just like the rest. You can use the first person tense and use a calm, relaxed and friendly tone. Do not be worried if your essay has too much of these because this essay is based on your personal experiences.

Introduction and Conclusion

The introduction should provide a brief account of your experiences or thoughts. This generally introduces your ideas to the readers and enables them to follow through with the rest of the essay. The conclusion on the other hand should provide the goals, recommendations and solutions you have derived from the essay.