Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle
Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle is a popular model for reflection. The model includes 6 stages of reflection and is presented below.
Description In this section, you need to explain what you are reflecting on to your reader. Perhaps include background information, such as what it is you’re reflecting on and tell the reader who was involved. It’s important to remember to keep the information provided relevant and to-the-point. Don’t waffle on about details that aren’t required – if you do this, you’re just using up valuable words that you’ll get minimal marks for. Feelings Discuss your feelings and thoughts about the experience. Consider questions such as: How did you feel at the time? What did you think at the time? What did you think about the incident afterwards? You can discuss your emotions honestly, but make sure to remember at all times that this is an academic piece of writing, so avoid ‘chatty’ text.
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Evaluation For your evaluation, discuss how well you think things went. Perhaps think about: How did you react to the situation, and how did other people react? What was good and what was bad about the experience? If you are writing about a difficult incident, did you feel that the situation was resolved afterwards? Why/why not? This section is a good place to include the theory and the work of other authors – remember it is important to include references in reflective writing. Analysis In your analysis, consider what might have helped or hindered the event. You also have the opportunity here to compare your experience with the literature you have read. This section is very important, particularly for higher level writing. Many students receive poor marks for reflective assignments for not bringing the theory and experience together. Conclusion In your conclusion, it is important to acknowledge: whether you could have done...