Prompts
This collection of reflective writing prompts has been curated from BYU faculty and online sources. These examples are designed to spark ideas and guide you as you develop your own reflective writing assignments.
Stand Alone Reflection
- Reflect on a practical insight you gained today. Why is it valuable, and how will it benefit others or shape your future as a student or employee?
- Identify a challenge you have faced in the past. Why was overcoming this challenge significant, and how will it improve your future communication or documentation skills?
- Think about a learning moment that surprised you. Why was it unexpected, and how will this surprise shape your approach to similar situations in the future?
- Think about someone who could benefit from learning about X. What could the impact be if they learned X?
- Describe a professional skill you developed this week. What experience led to this development, why is it valuable, and how will you apply or refine it in future projects or career opportunities?
- Think about a concept or technique you learned. Why is it essential in your field, and how will you apply it to future professional scenarios?
- Write a description of how someone else (a good, smart person) could arrive at a different decision than you. Assume they have the same understanding and acceptance of the science and their decision comes from a different weighing of values or different contexts.
- What is your own impression of yourself as a student? Describe your character in detail. What do you like and what might you like to change or improve on?
- What do you hope to get out of this internship experience?
- What are your professional goals that this experience will help you meet? What experiences have you had that may help you fulfill your goals?
- Evaluate your internship provider in terms of clarity of expectations, lines of communication, and respectfulness.
End of Semester Reflection
- Before you took this class, you had a theory of writing. (Review p. 13 in Mindful Writing for a discussion on “theory.”) Describe how your theory of writing has changed in at least two ways since taking this class. In your answer, describe how you have changed as a writer during the semester.
- Describe two principles you’ve learned in this class that will help you succeed in (a) future classes, (b) your profession, and (c) your personal life. Be specific about which principles and how they might apply in those three areas.
- What did you learn about essaying and yourself this semester? What did you learn about your relationship to X, Y, and Z during this semester? How do you intend to connect to and utilize X, Y, and Z in the future?
- Reflect on a moment from this experience that you believe will stay with you for the next ten years. Why is this moment significant to you, and how might it shape your future decisions, values, or behaviors?
- Identify a moment during this course that challenged your perspective. Why was this challenge important, and how will it affect you long term?
- Describe how you adapted your learning process during this course. Why was this adaptation necessary, and how will it improve your future learning efficiency?
- If you are missing specific assignments, describe what you did instead to learn about the practice and theory of writing. Then, based on this careful and honest evaluation, assign yourself a grade.
Assignment Specific Reflection
- As you begin X, what are you looking forward to and what are you anxious about?
- After completing this activity in conjunction with class lectures and reading, how, if at all, has your understanding of X changed?
- Beyond this context, where could the knowledge you gained or reinforced in this activity be applied elsewhere
- Write a 500-word letter to future students of Writing 150 about one of the three major assignments. Explain to them what you did to prepare for the writing task, what strategies you found effective, what you wish you’d done better, and what you learned from writing it. Remember to be specific as you answer.
- What details stood out to you from what X just read? What does this show you about X?
- Describe a specific insight you gained from the reading. Why is this insight meaningful to you, and how does it impact your future?
- Submit a final paper that synthesizes the feedback you received and presents a profile of your core strengths, explaining how those strengths can help you become your best self.
- Reflect on a moment of teamwork during your project. Why was this collaboration important, and how will it shape your approach to future team-based tasks?
- What opportunities for teamplay presented themselves, and how did you or did you not capitalize on them?
Prompt Advice
Do’s
- Be specific: Guide students toward meaningful reflection by framing prompts around particular experiences, concepts, or decisions.
- Include all three components of reflection:
- Description – What happened?
- Interpretation – Why does it matter?
- Application – How will it impact future thinking or behavior?
- Align with course goals: Ensure prompts support your learning outcomes and disciplinary thinking.
- Encourage personal connection: Ask students to relate content to their values, identity, or lived experience.
- Incorporate verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy:
- Remember: Define, List, Identify, Name, Recall
- Understand: Explain, Summarize, Interpret, Classify, Describe
- Apply: Implement, Use, Demonstrate, Solve, Execute
- Analyze: Differentiate, Organize, Compare, Deconstruct, Examine
- Evaluate: Critique, Judge, Assess, Argue, Validate
- Create: Design, Construct, Develop, Compose, Generate
Don’ts
- Use vague or overly broad questions: These can confuse students or lead to superficial responses.
- Rely on factual recall alone: Reflection is not about regurgitating information.
- Ask yes/no questions: These limit depth and exploration.