Scaffolding Reflective Journal Writing with the 4Rs Model of Reflective Thinking (bain et al., 1999; Carrington & Gitta, 2010)

I came across what I thought was a really accessible model of reflective thinking which has been designed to prompt and guide students towards a deeper level of reflective thinking. The model introduces a common language that can be used by students and academics, and makes explicit the issues that students need to consider and address in their reflections. It may be used by students reflecting on critical incidents and by students who are keeping reflective logs/journals. This model can form the basis of grading systems for assessment tasks, and can be included in assessment criteria.
Source: Teaching and Assessing Reflection Highter Education Newsletter, Issue 4, June 2011
4Rs Model
Level 1 Reporting & Responding
Report what happened or what the issue or incident involved.
Why is it relevant?
Respond to the incident or issue by making observations, expressing your opinion, or asking questions.
Level 2 Relating
Relate or make a connection between the incident or issue and your own skills, professional experience, or discipline knowledge.
Have I seen this before?
Were the conditions the same or different?
Do I have the skills and knowledge to deal with this? Explain.
Level 3 Reasoning
Highlight in detail significant factors underlying the incident or issue.
Refer to relevant theory and literature to support your reasoning.
Consider different perspectives. How would a knowledgeable person perceive/handle this?
What are the ethics involved?
Level 4 Reconstructing
Reframe or reconstruct future practice or professional understanding.
How would I deal with this next time?
What might work and why?
Are there different options?
What might happen if ....?
Are my ideas supported by theory?
Can I make changes to benefit others?

Good News from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR)

"The recent AGR survey* shows that graduate vacancies are predicted to increase by 2.6% this year. This follows an increase of 8.9% in 2010, and signals sustained recovery of the graduate recruitement market.
The average starting salary has also increased slightly by (2%) to £25,500, the first increase since 2008."

Source: Graduate Recruiter, Issue 61, Pub: AGR


*The 2010-2011 AGR survey is based on responses from 202 AGR graduate recruiters in the UK across 20 sectors which will provide an estimated 21,507 graduate vacancies in 2011.