Why do we use reflective writing exercises? (Reading)

You will find a set of self-reflective questions at the end of each module. Participants consistently report that although writing reflections can be effortful, the benefits are far greater than simply thinking or talking about their experiences. As researchers of reflective writing have found (Bolton, 2010), writing down reflections concretizes our experience and enables us to make sense of it in a way that is rather harder to do by just thinking about it. Furthermore, writing provides a more permanent record of our thinking. We can go back to our writing, reflect on it, add to it, and build upon our understanding. For groups of practitioners undertaking SP/SR, written reflections serve yet another function: They allow group members to learn from one another through sharing reflections, enabling group members to see to what extent their experience of a particular strategy is similar to or different from the experiences of their colleagues.