PSKC Week 4

Reflection
Made by Dr Taimur Khan
Module Leader: Gayathri Senanayake
[email protected]

May 2024
Learning Objectives

To understand the following:

• What is reflection?
• What are the major models of
reflection?
• What are some of the tools that aid
reflection?
What is reflection?

Reflection is “the act of thinking about our experiences to learn from them for
the future”. It is looking back and forward.

Reflection is ‘self-talk’ to learn from real-life experiences

(The University of Cambridge, 2023)

Why reflect?

“An experience that is repeated without reflection is just a repetition, which does
not help you to learn.” (The Open University, 2023)
• An experience without reflection is forgotten quickly
• An experience without reflection loses its learning potential
• An experience with reflection (active learning) generates concepts and
generalisations that can be used effectively in new situations
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 14)
Models of reflection

• ERA Cycle
• Driscoll’s What Model
• Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle
• Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

(Note: You are encouraged to use Driscoll’s model if you are new to reflection.
You can use Kolb’s and Gibbs’ models as you become more experienced)
The ERA Cycle Model

The ERA cycle has three stages:

• Experience
• Reflection
• Action

(Jasper, 2013; The University of Cambridge, accessed 2023)

 • The cycle begins with an experience
• The experience can be new or something we
experienced before
Experience:
• The experience becomes the basis for the
The ERA Cycle next stage
 Reflection follows an experience and involves
the following:
• Thinking about the experience
Reflection: • Analysing the experience
The ERA Cycle • Examining the feelings about the experience
• Learning from the experience
 Action is the next and final stage of the ERA
cycle and involves:
• Taking action in the light of the experience
and reflection
Action:
• This action will lead to another experience
The ERA Cycle which will become the basis for a new ERA
cycle
Driscoll’s What Model

Driscoll’s model consists of three

What’s
• What?
• So What?
• Now What?
(Driscoll, 2007)
What?: • What was the experience about?
Driscoll’s • What was the context?
Model
So What?:
Driscoll’s • What did I learn from the experience?
Model
 • What action will I take on the basis of what I
Now What?: learned from the experience?
Driscoll’s • Will I change my behaviour?

Model • Will I try something new?

Kolb’s Experiential
Learning Cycle

See Week 1 material for Kolb’s

Experiential Learning Cycle
Gibb’s Reflective
Cycle

Gibb’s cycle contains six stages:

• Description
• Feelings and Thoughts
• Evaluation
• Analysis
• Conclusion
• Action Plan
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 49)
 “What happened? Don’t make judgements yet
or try to draw conclusions; simply describe.”
• What was the situation?
Description:
• Who was involved?
Gibb’s Cycle
• What did I say or do?
• What did I see or hear?
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 49; Lovelock, 2020)
 “What were your reactions and feelings?
Again, don’t move on to analysing these yet.”
Feelings and • What was I thinking at the time?
Thoughts: • What were my expectations?
Gibb’s Cycle • How did I feel?
• How do I think others felt?
(Gibbs, 1988, p.49; Lovelock, 2020)
 “What was good or bad about the experience?
Make value judgements.”
• Did I enjoy it?
Evaluation:
• What was good and/or bad?
Gibb’s Cycle
• How did the reality compare to the
expectation?
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 49; Lovelock, 2020)
 “What sense can you make of the situation?
Bring in ideas from outside the experience to
help you. What was really going on?”
• Why did I feel that way?
Analysis:
• Why did I act that way?
Gibb’s Cycle
• Why did things go well/not so well?
• What else do I know that helps me to make
sense of this situation?
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 49; Lovelock, 2020)
 “What can be concluded, in a general sense, from
these experiences and the analyses you have
undertaken?”
“What can be concluded about your own specific,
unique, personal situation or way of working.”
Conclusion: • What will I do differently/the same?
Gibb’s Cycle • How will I develop the skills I have identified?
• How will I put into practice the conclusions I
have made?
• How will I apply what I have learned?
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 50; Lovelock, 2020)
 “What are you going to do differently in this
Action Plan: type of situation next time? What steps are
you going to take on the basis of what you
Gibb’s Cycle have learnt?”
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 50)
How to increase awareness of an experience?

Following are some of the tools that aid reflection

• Log books
• Diaries
• Portfolios
(Gibbs, 1988, p.38, 44)
 Log book records what is happening during an
experience
• It captures fleeting emotional responses,
ideas, plans
Log books
• It provides material for subsequent
reflection and analysis of an experience
• For instance, making notes during the class
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 38)
 Unlike logs, diaries are written after the
experience rather than during it.
They are written preferably at the end of the day
(recollection of details fades within 24 hours). A
Diaries strict routine for regular entries is important.
Diaries can be used to record the following:
• Immediate experiences and feelings
• Analysis of these experiences
(Gibbs, 1988, p. 44)
 A portfolio is an organised record of your
academic experiences.
It can include the following:
• Documents that illustrate the variety and
Portfolios quality of work you do
• Reflection on these documents
• Reflection on your development over time.

(Gibbs, 1988, p. 38; The University of Technology Sydney, 2023)

 • Mind maps

Some other • Lists and bullet points

tools of • Video/audio recordings

• Any creative representations
reflection
(The Open University, 2023)
How to eat an elephant? Bite by
bite
CW1 Assignment
• The tutor opens the CW1 Assignment brief and discusses it
line by line.
• The teacher encourages students to use any of the reflection
models (recommended one is Driscoll’s) for their own
reflection on their academic journey.
• Encourage them to create logs, diaries, portfolios, mind-map
or any other method they like to aid reflection.
 Class Activity:
Reflection
• CW1 and CW2: Each
student writes a reflective
paragraph about what they
have learned in class today.
• CW2: Each student collects
and stores a photo/screen
grab/log or any other
format as a piece of
evidence that demonstrates
what they have learned in
class today.
Blackboard
Each student logs in to the Blackboard and downloads today’s lecture material.
https://my.bucks.ac.uk/
 References

• COTTRELL, S. 2021. Skills for Success: Personal Development and Employability, London, Macmillan.
• Driscoll, J.J. 2007. Supported reflective learning: the essence of clinical supervision? In Practising Clinical Supervision: A Reflective Approach for
Healthcare Professionals (2nd edition). London: Bailliere Tindall. Pp 27-‐50.
• GIBBS, G. 1988. Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods, Oxford, Oxford Brookes.
• JASPER, M. 2013. Beginning Reflective Practice, Andover, Cengage Learning.
• LOVELOCK, C. 2020. Be a Better BA Through Reflective Practice [Online]
https://www.batimes.com/articles/be-a-better-ba-through-reflective-practice/ [Accessed 3 April 2023].
• SCHON, D. A. 1983. The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action, New York, Basic Books.
• THE OPEN UNIVERSITY. Be Aware of Your Habits [Online] https://help.open.ac.uk/be-aware-of-your-habits [Accessed 2 April 2023].
• THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. Reflective Practice Toolkit [Online] https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/reflectivepracticetoolkit/models [Accessed 21
March 2023].
• THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM. 2007. Reflection Model, Driscoll [Online]
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/library/documents/academicskillstoolkit/reflective-writing-model-driscoll.pdf [Accessed 21 March 2023].
• The UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY, Developing an Academic Portfolio [Online]
https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/learning-and-teaching/scholarship-and-research/scholarship-learning-and-teaching/developin
g-academic-portfolio
[Accessed 15 March 2023]