Between the fragmentary and the intangible. Reading and writing reflective essays at university

Resumen

It is often said that the main purpose of the essay is the expression of that which is incomplete, fragmentary, and experimental. It is no wonder then that the genre is quite difficult to define. In fact, several authors have pointed at its mutable, hybrid and intangible character (Arenas Cruz, 1997; Gómez Martínez, 1987; Iozzi- Klein y Cavallari, 2015, among others). The goal of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we aim at a key characterization of the essay which allows us to think, plan and carry out the teaching of the reflective essay in a university context. Secondly, our goal has to do with the teaching practice and the learning experience of the genre. We will present a didactic sequence through which we promote familiarization and development in the context of collaborative, critical and creative work with the use of several texts and multimedia resources. The tasks include the exploration of reflective texts by acclaimed professional authors, and both former and current students of the subject. Based on this diversity of texts and voices and through the use of digital tools, we foster personal reflection in an atmosphere of trust and collaborative work among peers and instructors.