What Is Gibbs' Reflective Cycle?
Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a popular framework for reflection that provides a clear and systematic approach for students to reflect upon their experiences. It was intended to help you think clearly and systematically about what has occurred, how you were feeling, what went well, what did not go well and what you did differently next time. The model encourages you to consider the situation from all perspectives in order to learn and develop from every experience.
This model is widely used in UK universities, particularly for any assignment that puts a critical lens on a topic or requires personal reflection. If you are studying in the areas of healthcare, education, business, or social science, there is always a high chance you will be asked to reflect on your learning, and in those instances, this is when Gibbs' model of reflection can be very helpful.
In this blog, we will explore what the Gibbs model of reflection means, what happens in each stage of the cycle, the Gibbs Reflective Cycle pros and cons, and how you can follow and use the cycle to guide reflection for your assignments or any academic experience on a day-to-day basis. If you are not sure about your assignment on this and are unsure of where to begin, Locus Assignments is here to help you with that.
What is a Gibbs Model of Reflection?
The Gibbs reflective cycle is an established, well-documented model of structured reflection, developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988, a widely accepted and popular reflection model. The model serves as a representative 'map' that takes you through an experience, helping you to analyse it systematically, process it and make sense of it, and then learn from it. Reflection is not just about thinking about your experience; it's about analysing the thoughts you had, the feelings you experienced, and the actions you took, and then planning for how you can improve moving forward.
The main goal of the Gibbs reflective model is to motivate people to go through a systematic process of learning from one's experiences. The cycle is particularly valuable because it generally positions the topic of reflection as a journey, with self-reflection not being a one-off event but a continuous improvement. This reflection model is also widely popular in all fields, including education, health, and professional development.
Why Use Gibbs' Reflective Cycle?
You might ask, "Why do I need to use a structured cycle to think about what happened?" While this is a good question, there are numerous advantages to using this model that go well beyond basic reflection. This model directs wandering thoughts into learning.
Promotes Deeper Learning and Self-Awareness: In the reflective cycle, you do not just think but explore the 'why' behind events and your reactions, which can lead to a very deep level of understanding about yourself and the way you learn.
Identifies Strengths and Development Areas: The cycle will allow you to assess what worked well and what did not work well in ways that help to promote your strengths and identify areas that you would like to develop in the future, i.e., public speaking, time management, and/or critical analysis.
Provides a framework for systematically examining experiences: Reflecting doesn't have to be a vague and unhelpful process. The experience cycle gives a clear and well-structured process, which allows you to approach their experience systematically and ensure you cover each aspect of their experience, meaning you can pay attention to relevant issues you might otherwise overlook.
Improves Problem-Solving Skills: When you analyse difficult situations, you are able to become more familiar with the underlying factors which create the problems, and you can create more productive strategies to deal with similar situations in the future.
Improves Academic Performance: Using the cycle for your assignments, presentations, or group work will help you, which in turn will help you get better marks and have a stronger understanding of your work. If you need help with my assignment in the UK at any point, understanding this cycle can even help you communicate your learning more effectively.
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The Six Stages of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
This model usually takes the form of a six-stage process, from initial experience to a plan for future action, with each stage building on the previous one. It provides a structured and thorough process of learning. Let’s now explore each stage briefly and offer some guiding questions to help you get started. The structured nature of this model helps you ensure you cover all aspects of thinking.
1. Description (What happened?)
When you have finished experiencing the event and are ready to move to reflecting on it, your first step is to write your description without judgment or evaluation and simply state what happened.
This is your starting point – it is your opportunity to recount the experience objectively. The important part of this first stage is that you are simply describing the situation. You are not analysing anything.
So, what happened? Try to capture as many details as possible, as if you are telling a story to someone who was not there.
Who was involved in the situation? Were there other people involved? What were their roles?
Where and when did it happen? What was the scenario? Getting your thoughts down can provide you with the opportunity to remember important aspects.
What did you do during the experience? Describe your actions and contributions.
What was the outcome of the situation?
2. Feelings (What were you thinking and feeling?)
Now, let's review your feelings and thoughts about the event. Again, be as honest as possible with yourself about Gibbs’s reflective cycle and your feelings, and they will be informative.
What were your first thoughts and feelings as the event began? Were you surprised, anxious, or excited?
What thoughts and feelings were you experiencing during the event itself? Did your feelings fluctuate as the event went on?
What thoughts and feelings were you having after it was over? Were you relieved, disappointed, pleased, or angry?
Did your feelings ever affect your actions or decisions? How?
What thoughts were you having throughout the process? Were they positive, negative or neutral?
3. Evaluation (What was good and bad about the experience?)
In this step, you are evaluating the positive and negative aspects of the experience, or weighing what went well and what did not. To begin with, you are simply assessing a possible balance sheet.
What went well in the experience? What were the successes, or the positive outcomes of it?
What did not work well, or what were the negative aspects of the experience?
What part of your contribution was positive? Did your action contribute to a "positive" outcome?
What part of your contribution was negative, or what could you have done better?
Were there any external factors that positively and negatively affected the event?
4. Analysis (What do you make of this situation?)
This is usually thought of as the deepest level of the Gibbs model of reflection because you are trying to make sense of why things happened the way they did. You will tie your experience to a bigger knowledge base, theories, or previous learning.
Why do you think things happened the way they did? What were the causes?
Can you connect this experience to any theories, concepts or knowledge you have studied?
What was your particular role in the situation, and how did this influence the outcome?
What could you have done differently to either arrive at a better outcome or to strengthen anything positive?
This experience tells you more about yourself, your competencies or the way you interact with others. What did this experience teach you?
5. Conclusion (What else might you do?)
You conclude what you have learnt from the experience based on your analysis. This step synthesises your learning and will provide you with general principles to follow in the future.
What is the most important thing you have learnt from this particular experience?
If you found yourself back in the same circumstance or situation again, what would you do differently?
What did you learn about your behaviours, skills, or knowledge gaps?
Are there any principles or lessons that you take away from this experience that are generalisable to other aspects of your life or study?
What specific skills or knowledge do you now realise you need to develop in more detail?
6. Action Plan (What will you do differently next time?)
The last stage is all about how to put your learning into action. This is where we create a solid plan for how we will take forward what we have learnt into the next situation. In this sense, Gibbs' reflective cycle has a clear and actionable endpoint.
What will your next specific action steps be if you meet a similar circumstance in the future?
How will you build on your learning to enhance or change your performance or actions?
What evidence, tools, or support would you need to carry out this action plan?
When will you see how you are progressing with this action plan and whether it is on course to succeed?
How will you sustain action, which will remember and make use of the new learning?
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Example of Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
Now, let's get practical and apply it to a student scenario. Let's say that you have just completed a group project, and part of your coursework is to reflect on your experience.
Description: There were four of us in a group who created the marketing presentation. Over three weeks, we met twice a week at a time we agreed on. We did our presentation on the last day of the session. The presentation itself went well, but our group did not use the time well.
Feelings: I felt good at the beginning because I was excited to be working with new people. But as we got closer to our deadline, I started to feel stressed and was worried if we could finish.
Evaluation: Firstly, I thought that there were some really good aspects to our work. Everyone contributed ideas, and I was proud of the final presentation – it did go well. The problem was that sometimes we could not agree on times to meet and left too much to the last minute.
Analysis: I think the problem was that we didn't create a shared plan or schedule at the beginning, so when it came to getting things done, we rushed and got what we needed finished in the last few hours. Also, some members of the group were working part-time, which made the coordination challenging.
Conclusion: In future, I will encourage creating a shared timetable at the beginning and see if we can revisit it regularly.
Action Plan: In future group work, I will suggest that we meet weekly to share our progress and use online resources to plan scheduling.
You can use the Gibbs model of reflection to navigate any academic or personal experience.
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Gibbs Reflective Cycle Pros and Cons
It is worth knowing the advantages and disadvantages before using the Gibbs reflective cycle in your assignments:
Pros include the following:
Simple to use and understand, even for beginners.
Encourages good reflection as it covers different aspects of an experience.
Widely used in British universities and professional training.
Helps you structure your thoughts, which can make writing reflective assignments easier.
Supports continuous personal and academic development.
Cons include the following:
times
It can feel repetitive to do so many stages of the model lots of times or with simple experience.
It can sometimes concentrate too much on negatives, which can make it a little depressing.
It can lead to too much overthinking if you are stuck on one of the stages of reflection.
It does not fit all assignment types and all subjects.
You need to be honest and self-aware, and that can be challenging for some students.
Conclusion
So, there you have it: a complete summary of the Gibbs reflective cycle. This information can be used for more than just an academic task: once you learn to reflect, you have developed a lifelong skill that enables you to learn from every experience, regardless of its significance. By moving actively and deliberately through aspects of description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action planning, you will learn to transform vague experiences into learning experiences that matter.
Using the Gibbs model of reflection will not only improve the academic work you do, it will also enhance your self-awareness, critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities – all of which are valued in any occupation. Locus Assignments is your trusted assignment helper in the UK. Whether you need help with reflective writing, coursework, or presentations, we're here to support your academic journey.
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