Reflective writing for design and technology : Shifting the focus from justification to critique

Reflective writing in Design and Technology (D&T) is usually undertaken towards a project’s completion. However, reflective writing limited to the post-analysis phase is not conducive to the higher order thinking which contemporary pedagogical theory (in particular, Inquiry Based Learning, or IBL) aspires to. This paper suggests that when reflective writing is only incorporated immediately prior to summative assessment – a phase in which the student typically has no agency and is certainly preoccupied with essential criteria – it becomes a mere justification of the students’ decision making and outcomes, instead of a critical, embedded analysis of the design project, enabling future learning.