1.4 Reflective practice in business – examples of reflective activities in business transcript
Examples of types of reflection you’re likely to do in your studies and future career:
Write a reflective journal or blog
A common task for students undertaking internships, industry placement, or work-integrated learning is to write a reflective journal or blog. This generally involves writing about their work experiences and what they have learned, how their knowledge from class is relevant, and what they’ll do in similar situations in the future.
Film a reflective vlog
In some courses, students film and upload reflective vlog (video blog) on their experiences. This could be a weekly reflection on what they learnt during work experience, or it might be a discussion on what they gained from a uni course over a teaching period.
Receive feedback from your peers, educators, mentors, coaches, and managers
You get the most out of the feedback by reflecting on it – considering its value and how you can apply it to future work. It’s easy to react defensively to criticism, but if it is constructive feedback, you’ll gain much more from reflecting on it and looking at things from other perspectives.
Write an academic reflection
An academic reflective writing task often takes the form of an essay. The essay might be on a learning experience, a course, or a specific question about your learning. You will link your theoretical knowledge and the academic sources and theories you have studied during the course with your personal experience and reflections.
Write or film reflections on learning for ePortfolio
ePortfolios showcase the experiences you’ve had and the skills you’ve developed. During your course, you’ll collect items to include in your ePortfolio like project plans, photos, videos and presentations you’ve created, and feedback you’ve received. Reflections give these items context, by explaining the experience, what was learnt, and how it helped you develop your skills.
Demonstrate how classroom knowledge was used in a professional setting
When you do your internship or professional placement, you’ll have the opportunity to see how what you’ve learnt in class is practically applied in the real world of work. A common reflective task for students is to discuss or write about how they felt their classroom learning aligned with their professional experience.
Write a reflection on a case study
Case studies simulate real-world scenarios that students can learn from. During your studies, you might need to reflect on the decisions made by an individual or a company, analyse and evaluate the outcomes, and propose alternative strategies they could have used. This helps you understand the complexities of the topic.
Report on the ‘lessons learnt’ of a project
Projects with defined conclusions give you the opportunity to reflect and report on the successes and challenges of the project, the lessons you learnt along the way, and what you’d do differently next time. These reflections can guide future projects to greater success.
Comment on a group assignment
Collaboration is an important part of working in business. Courses often use group assessments to simulate workplace collaboration. You might be asked to reflect on how your group worked together, and where there were challenges. This helps you understand group dynamics and demonstrates your learning to your educator.
Discuss a mistake or something which went wrong
Turning mistakes or ‘failures’ into valuable learning experiences is one of the biggest benefits of reflective practice. You’ll do this as both a student and a professional. Reflecting on what went wrong during an assessment or work process can lead to valuable insights which can prevent the same thing from happening again.
Write about what you learnt from a guest speaker in class or by attending an industry meeting
Hearing about professionals’ authentic experiences in the business world is a great learning opportunity. You can get more value out of the experience by reflecting on it and writing about what surprised you, what intrigued you, how your understanding has changed or grown, and what actions you’ll take based on the experience.
Plan and review your career goals
Creating and monitoring SMART goals is a great example of using reflective practice to reach your career objectives. Reflecting on how coursework, experiences at uni and professional experience, and your current skills align with your professional goals will help you see the areas you need to work on and plan your next steps.
Consider team problems to improve leadership strategies
You might encounter situations in your career when you’re in a leadership position and problems arise with your team members or employees. Reflecting and planning a strategy which considers the problem from different perspectives will help you in situations like this. Taking time to reflect on the causes of an issue is integral to good leadership.
Have a performance review
Performance reviews are a chance for managers to talk to employees and give them advice and feedback on their professional objectives and progress. Being able to reflect on your strengths and weakness and what you need to do to succeed will help you during your performance reviews and give you a better chance of applying for promotions.
