Writing the Reflective Essay

The reflective essay is the major component of your ePortfolio. It is your opportunity to describe and document your growth as a student during your time at UMD. View this reflective essay as writing an essay to the formative assessment reviewer, and the subject of your essay is your portfolio. Your purpose in writing to the reviewer is to guide him/her in reading your portfolio and to describe your development over a period of time.

Questions to guide your writing:

• What does your portfolio reveal about the artifacts you have chosen to present? 
• How did you choose these artifacts?  What is important about each one?   How has each one evolved since you first started working on it?
• In what ways does this portfolio represent your accomplishments?  In what ways did you stretch yourself in these completing these assignments?  What is new for you in these assignments?  What should I notice in the portfolio that you will take away with you from this year?
• What does your portfolio reveal about the challenges that you face as a student?   Where are you still having difficulties? 
• How is the artifact meaningful or how does it contribute to your understanding of learning?
• What are some alternative viewpoints or perspectives that you now have and/or what are some changes/improvements you might make based on the experiences you have had?