• Definition: A reflective essay is a subjective and introspective form of writing that analyzes and interprets an event or experience from one’s own perspective.
• Writing Process: The page outlines a five-step process for writing a reflective essay, which includes brainstorming, reflecting, organizing, writing, and revising.
• Structure: The page explains the standard structure of a reflective essay, which consists of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. It also provides tips and examples for each part.
• Tips: The page offers some helpful tips for writing better reflective essays, such as being genuine, showing rather than telling, being concise, engaging the reader’s emotions, seeking feedback, and reflecting on one’s reflection.
• Topics: The page suggests some possible topics for reflective essays, such as engaging with art, a life-changing journey, mentorship and learning, overcoming a challenge, life milestones, career transitions, a turning point, relationships, ethical dilemmas, and volunteer or community service.

The P.O.W.E.R. writing process

The P.O.W.E.R. writing process is a helpful method for organizing your thoughts and creating effective written content. Let’s break down each step:

1. P = Prewriting:
   • Collect information: Make a list, create a mind map, or engage in free-writing. You can also conduct more formal research at the library or online.
   • Remember to save details about any external sources you use (books, websites, etc.) so you can cite them later.
2. O = Organization:
   • Take the information you’ve gathered and create a map for your essay. This could be a formal outline, a graphic organizer, or a simple list with related items grouped together.
   • Check for missing information and start to see the flow of your essay.
3. W = Writing:
   • Fill in the gaps! Add supporting details such as descriptions, facts, figures, reasons, explanations, and definitions.
   • Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or word count at this stage. The goal is to get everything from your mind onto paper.
4. E = Evaluate:
   • Stop and think critically about what you’ve written.
   • Ask yourself:
     • Did I explain everything in detail?
     • Is everything related to my topic?
     • Does it flow well?
     • Is it logically ordered?
     • Does it make sense?
     • Have I cited my sources?
   • Seek feedback from peers, teachers, or tutors to improve content and organization.
5. R = Revising and Editing:
   • This step has two parts:
     • Revising: Make significant changes. Add, delete, or move words, sentences, or paragraphs.
     • Editing: Focus on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
   • Remember that rewriting is natural and necessary in the writing process.

By following the P.O.W.E.R. method, you’ll not only write faster but also create content that others can better understand. Happy writing! 📝✨

For more details, you can refer to the source¹.

CHOOSING YOUR TOPIC

In your English classes, you are instructed to choose a topic for any essay you write. Some professors give you some ideas with a list. Below are some examples revolving around technology.

• How 3D Printing Could Change the Fashion Industry
• Uses of the iPad For Pedagogical Purposes in Early Childhood Education in the U.S.
• Benefits of Technology in the Fight against Breast Cancer
• The Role of Contemporary Technologies in the Music Festivals Industry of the 2020s
• If Space Travel Would Be Common, What Would Happen?
• Cloud Accounting – Accounting of the Future

Choose a topic that you want to write about.

Here is a sample research proposal in the form of a brief email from a student to an instructor:

Hello,

Here is my proposal for a research topic for Level 8 Writing.

I am interested in writing about the fashion industry.

I want to learn more about the effects of 3D printing on fast fashion.

Please let me know if this topic works for this project.

Thank you.

In the example above, you can see that fashion is the career of this student, and 3D printing is the technology they want to research and write about.

NARROWING YOUR TOPIC

Some text has been adapted from Advanced Writing Handbook for ESOL, Fourth Edition, by John Sparks, Portland Community College

Narrowing the topic of your paper is an important skill to practice. It means making your topic more specific. And it makes your job as a writer easier, but it also makes your writing more interesting and useful for your reader. If you choose a very general subject, you might end up writing a whole book! Imagine an assignment to write about your city. There is way too much to say about Portland for a research paper of only a few pages. The result would be too vague (general and unclear) to be interesting or useful. Therefore, you must narrow your topic so that you can tell your reader as many interesting details as possible.

Example #1: My city

Step 1: Portland
Step 2: Portland: downtown
Step 3: Portland: downtown: waterfront park
Step 4: Portland: downtown: waterfront park: summer
Step 5: Portland: downtown: waterfront park: summer: during a festival
Step 6: Portland: downtown: waterfront park: summer: during a festival: at night

Notice that even steps 2 and 3 are still too vague. Will your paper be about shopping? Protests and demonstrations? Homeless people? Recreation? Litter? It’s unclear. However, by step 6, you now have a more specific topic that is interesting and useful to your reader: Portland’s downtown waterfront park in summer during a festival at night.

Example #2: Technology in my career or hobby

Step 1: Teaching
Step 2: Teaching English
Step 3: Teaching English remotely
Step 4: Using Zoom to teach English remotely
Step 5: Using Zoom to teach English grammar remotely
Step 6: The best ways to use Zoom to teach English grammar remotely

Do you see how Step 6 is a much more focused, useful, relevant, and interesting topic for a short essay? You know exactly the information that you need to research, and you know exactly the information that you are going to share with your readers.

Example #3: Technology in my career or hobby

Step 1: Clothing
Step 2: Technology in clothing
Step 3: Technology in clothing to stay healthy
Step 4: Technology in clothing to measure vital signs to stay healthy
Step 5: Future technology in clothing that measures vital signs to stay healthy
Step 6: What are examples of future technology in clothing that measures vital signs in order to stay healthy?

Practice

Choose one of the following options to practice narrowing the topic:

Option 1: Social Media
Option 2: Family
Option 3: Entertainment (music, movies, books, art, etc.)

Apply

Think about the technology that you chose to write about. Now use this method to narrow your topic further.