Gibbs Reflective Cycle: Know Its Origin, Stages, Pros and Cons

Have you ever thought about learning from your experiences to do better next time? You probably have at some point in your life. That's what Gibbs Reflective Cycle helps you achieve! Yes! It is no mathematical equation that is not easy to crack. It is simple model created by Professor Graham Gibbs. This powerful tool is used worldwide to reflect on past events to handle challenges effectively in future. Whether you're a student, professional, or simply curious about self-improvement, the Gibbs cycle of reflection works wonders. This guide will take you through its origin, steps, advantages of Gibbs reflective cycle and drawbacks in an easy-to-understand way. Let's dive in!

What Is Gibbs Reflective Cycle and How Did It Originate?

Professor Graham Gibbs introduced Gibbs's Reflective Cycle in his 1988 book Learning by Doing. He also supported "experimental learning" and was inspired by the Kolb Learning Cycle. Gibbs designed this model to help people learn from their actions. It is a tool that helps people think about their experiences, analyze them, and learn for the future. It is like your daily conversations with your best friend, where you talk about something with complete details. The only difference is that the Gibbs cycle requires an in-depth analysis of a particular experience. That is it. To give you a Gibbs reflective cycle example, you can use it for any situation, like solving a problem or improving at a task.

The goal of this model is to help people reflect step-by-step and understand what went well, what did not, and how to improve. If you learn to apply it correctly, it is a great way to avoid repeating mistakes. Moreover, to build confidence to handle similar situations better in future. This model became a popular tool over time, especially in nursing, to help students and professionals reflect on their patient care experiences. Students who need an A+ paper on the Gibbs model written by professionals seek Nursing assignment help. Using this method, they can turn failures into lessons and improve their ability to handle challenging tasks. As a result, the following section is the most important one in this article. Read it thoroughly.

What Are the 6 Stages of Gibbs Reflective Cycle?

A management and self-reflection tool. To critically engage with the learning experience and draw conclusions, practice-based learning enables people to think logically and methodically about their various adventures. There are six steps in the Gibbs reflective model. The first three steps are concerned with what took place during the experience that is being studied. The final three steps address how you can enhance your knowledge for similar situations you may encounter in the future.

1. Description

You have to describe the experience in the initial phase. Provide background information and a factual account of the incident's specifics. Setting the stage for later analysis and evaluation, this step of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle functions similarly. To provide clear, accurate information to facilitate understanding. You might inquire as follows:

• What happened?
• When and where did it happen?
• Who was there?
• What did you do?
• What did other people do?
• What was the result of this situation?
• Why were you there?
• What did you want to happen?

Example of Gibbs Cycle of Reflection- Description: My group, which consisted of three other students from my course, and I divided the various sections between us so that we would only have to research one component each for an assessed written group-work assignment. We didn't schedule a time to sit down and write the work together because we thought we could piece it together in the afternoon, the day before the deadline. But as soon as we sat down, We had allotted ourselves enough time before the deadline to write our sections independently, but we still needed to budget a lot of time to rewrite in case something went wrong. So that the assignment could be completed in time for the deadline, two members of the group had to cancel their evening plans.

2. Feeling

Discuss your feelings, actions, and thoughts about the experience in step two of the Gibbs cycle. Never attempt to evaluate or judge the senses. Indicate them. Recall your emotions before, during, and following the incident. It may be hard sometimes to express your feeling, so it is best to seek online management assignment help from experts, to get a better approach at this.

• What emotions did you have before the event?
• What did you think during the crisis that took place?
• What do other people experience?
• What were you thinking during the case?
• What did you feel after the event?
• What do you believe other people are currently thinking about the situation?
• What are your current thoughts about the situation?

Example of Gibbs Model of Reflection - Feeling: I was content and thought we had divided the work up wisely before we got together and realised we still had a lot of work to do. I became quite irritated when we realised we couldn't turn in the assignment as is. I needed more motivation to do the rewriting because I was confident it would be successful. It is because a few group members had to postpone their plans, I felt pretty guilty, which motivated me to work harder and finish the work earlier in the evening. I'm glad we chose the effort-related course of action in retrospect.

3. Evaluation

The evaluation of the circumstances is the focus of this step. Whether they were good or bad, your experiences must be described. Be clear on the main goals as you assess the situation, highlighting the successes and failures. To write a stellar evaluation section just like how we provide assignment help, you must elaborate on the points listed below:

• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• Was the situation resolved afterwards? Why or why not?
• Things that went well in the situation
• Something that didn't go well in the situation
• What positives or negatives did you contribute?
• What positives or negatives did others provide?

Gibbs model of reflection example of evaluation: The fact that each group member delivered high-calibre work by the set deadline was one of the things that worked well. In addition, the fact that two group members had to postpone plans inspired us to work harder that night. That enhanced the group's commitment to hard work. On the other hand, we assumed that everyone would write in a different style, which made the group's overall time plan ineffective.

4. Analysis

This Gibbs Reflective Cycle is the best opportunity to make sense of what happened and determine what lesson you have learned. You had been concentrating on the specifics of the situation until this point, but you now have the opportunity to conclude it. By doing this, you'll be prepared to handle the same situation effectively. First, list the good and bad things that occur to analyse both properly. Then, you can consider the following queries:

• Why did things go well in this situation?
• What are the reasons for the mistakes that occurred during the crisis?
• What sense can one make of the problem?
• What knowledge is required to understand the problem?
• What knowledge of other people helps to understand the problem?

Gibbs Reflective Cycle Example - Analysis: After some reflection, I concluded that I should have researched cooking times and used a timer to aid in my planning. Overall, though, the evening was enjoyable, and while some attention was paid to my food, that was not our only goal. After the event, I spoke with a few of my friends, and their encouraging comments helped me realise that my outgoing nature made them feel comfortable and helped them enjoy the evening.

5. Conclusion

You can now conclude what transpired. You can do that by reflecting on how you felt at the time and imagining what else you could have done. You will significantly benefit from the knowledge gathered as you strive to improve yourself. To improve the outcome in the future, you summarise your expertise and highlight the changes in this step of the Gibbs reflective model. Keep in mind that it ought to be a natural reaction. You may find these questions helpful in this regard:

• What skills can you learn to enhance them?
• Can you use those skills now?
• If you faced the same situation, what would you do differently?
• How are you planning to turn the adverse outcomes into positive ones?

Gibbs Model Of Reflection Example - Conclusion: When a group wants to divide work into sections, we must first decide how each area looks and feels. If we had done this, it would have been possible to put the teams together and submit them without doing much rewriting. In addition, I'll keep asking people to identify their strengths, and for longer projects, I might suggest using the "Belbin team roles" framework. Finally, I discovered that sometimes we question our group's choices to ensure that we are not just making these choices.

6. Action Plan

It is the final action. Be proactive and outline your plans for putting them into action. Based on your findings, make the necessary adjustments to position yourself for the next instance of the same circumstance. In case, you face issues in jotting it jotting it down, it is best to use our AI Essay Typer tool.

It will create an outline for you and give your content a kick-start. For citation guidance, refer to the Gibbs model of reflection or seek professional assistance.

• What did you learn from the situation?
• What skills do you need to develop to become a better person?
• What could have been a more favourable situation for everyone out there?
• What else could have been done?

Gibbs Cycle of Reflection Example - Action Plan: The following time I host an evening, I should practise beforehand so I can use a tried-and-true method. Thanks to this, I'll feel more organised and confident as the event approaches. And tried methods could also ask someone more accustomed to doing this for advice.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Gibbs Reflective Cycle?

There are many Gibbs reflective cycle example for students that can help them understand the benefits and drawbacks better. However, we have still listed a few pros and cons below, that you can go through to understand the model even better.

Advantages of Gibbs Reflective Cycle

• The theoretical model is simple to use and comprehend.
• The procedure enables you to apply the technique repeatedly and with various outcomes.
• You get better at it as you practise more.
• You gain more excellent equilibrium and more reliable judgement through practice.

Disadvantages of Gibbs Reflective Cycle

• It takes a reactive approach rather than a proactive one.
• Since there is no mention of critical thinking, many people consider it superficial.
• There are no empirically supported questions in the model.
• It can be difficult for many people to express their emotions. This model cannot be used there.
• A novice may need help to carry out the study successfully without a guide or experienced practitioner.

Knowing where to begin the reflective process can be challenging if you are not used to it. Fortunately, there are many models you can use as a framework for your reflection, such as the Driscoll reflective model, the Era cycle, Kolb's experiential learning cycle, etc., to help you approach your reflection better.

Also Read: Reflective Journal: A Guide on Writing Reflection-On-Action with Few Examples

How to Reference Gibbs Reflective Cycle?

If you want to give Gibbs' Reflective Cycle reference in your work, give credit to Graham Gibbs, as he is the one who created it in his book "Learning by Doing" in 1988.

Here's How to Do It: When writing about it, use the referencing style your school requires, such as APA or Harvard.

 For APA style:

 For Harvard style:

However, if you learned about Gibbs' Cycle from another book or website, mention that source too. For example, write, "As described by Smith (2020), based on Gibbs (1988)." This shows you are using someone else's explanation of Gibbs' work.

Note: Always follow the rules your professor provides for referencing to ensure accuracy. Moreover, try not to  forget including all your sources at the end of your assignment and ensure to run it on plagiarism checker for authenticity.

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