Reflective Writing
Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
‘It is not sufficient simply to have an
experience in order to learn. Without reflecting
upon this experience it may quickly be
forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is
from the feelings and thoughts emerging from
this reflection that generalisations or concepts
can be generated. And it is generalisations that
allow new situations to be tackled effectively.’
(Gibbs, 1988)
What is reflective writing?
Reflective writing is evidence of reflective thinking. It
involves:
1. Looking back at something (often an event, i.e.
something that happened, but it could also be an idea
or object).
2. Analysing the event or idea (thinking in depth and
from different perspectives, and trying to explain,
often with reference to a model or theory from your
subject).
3. Thinking carefully about what the event or idea means
Hampton, M. (n.d.) Reflective writing: a basic introduction. Available at:
for you and your ongoing progress as a learner and/or
[Link]
[Link]
practising professional.
(Accessed: 17/01/2019)
TWO
REFLECTIVE
MODELS
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Kolb’s Learning Cycle (1984) contains four elements in a
loop which you can start at any point, although you
normally start with a specific experience:
Fig. 1: Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
So, there are four elements to Kolb’s Learning Cycle:
1. Experience – doing something;
2. Reflective Observations – reviewing and reflecting
on the experience;
3. Development of ideas – learning from experience;
4. Testing ideas in the future – planning and trying out
what you have learned.
Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
Lia, P. (n.d.) Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. Available at: [Link] Accessed: 12 November 2018
Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
Gibbs’ reflective model (1988), based on Kolb’s (1984)
learning cycle, has six stages:
1. Description: what happened?
2. Feelings: what were your feelings? How did you react?
3. Evaluation: What was good and bad about the
experience?
4. Analysis: What sense did you make of the experience?
5. Conclusion: What have you learnt from reflecting on the
experience?
6. Action Plan:
Lia, P. (n.d.) UsingWhat
Gibbs’ Reflectivewill you
Cycle. Available do next?
at: [Link] Accessed: 12 November 2018
4) How do COMMON PROBLEM:
you know it Addressing only the first two circles.
works?
It is CRUCIAL to provide a RATIONALE
3) Why do as well as a way to EVALUATE what you
you do it? describe:
2) How do
Why are you doing X?
you it? What happened when you didn’t do X?
What were you doing instead and what
were the outcomes?
What triggered the change? How did you
1) What do decide to try X (e.g. after reading
you do? relevant literature, talking to colleagues,
CPD, etc.)?
WHAT?
I plan writing sessions that have subject/ discipline-specific material (also known as
Writing in the Disciplines / Writing Across the Curriculum).
HOW?
This type of approach necessarily involves interaction with the subject specialists,
i.e., the module leaders, for effective planning. For instance, I have worked closely
with the programme leader for Advertising to devise a series of workshops for L4
students…
WHY?
Based both on my previous teaching experience as well as on existing research
(e.g. McLeod, 2001). Discipline-specific writing tasks introduce students to the
practices and conventions of their own discipline and I have found that students are
much more engaged when we work on their own field instead of providing them
with generic writing material.
HOW DO I KNOW IT WORKS?
Working in conjunction with the module leader and creating resources and tasks
that were directly relevant to them made them engage with our services beyond
the 4 scheduled sessions. Students contacted me to ask for appointments, as well
as attending drop-in sessions, neither of which they had done before.
Rolfe et al (2001)
So Now
What?
what? what?
Rolfe et al (2001) – WHAT?
WHAT…..
• is the problem/difficulty/ reason for being stuck/reason for
feeling bad/reason we don’t get on?
• … was my role in the situation?
• … was I trying to achieve?
• … actions did I take?
• … was the response of others?
• … were the consequences for the student? Myself? Others?
• … feelings did it evoke in the student? Myself? Others?
• … was good/bad about the experience?
From: [Link]
Rolfe et al (2001) – SO WHAT?
SO WHAT…..
• … does this tell me/teach me/imply/mean about me/my
class/others/our relationship/my patient’s care/the
model of care I am using/my attitudes/my patient’s attitudes?
• … was going through my mind as I acted?
• … did I base my actions on?
• … other knowledge can I bring to the situation?
• … could/should I have done to make it better?
• … is my new understanding of the situation?
• … broader issues arise from the situation?
From: [Link]
Rolfe et al (2001) – NOW WHAT?
NOW WHAT…..
• … do I need to do in order to make things better/stop being
stuck/improve my
teaching/resolve the situation/feel better/get on
better/etc., etc.?
• … broader issues need to be considered if this action is to be
successful?
• … might be the consequences of this action?
From: [Link]
Some prompts to get you started….
Think of a time when you questioned, adjusted or
changed your approach to teaching or changed the
way you support others in learning and teaching:
Trigger: what prompted you to make the change? How did
you feel about making the change? Was there anything
about your personality or previous experience that made
this change challenging?
Planning and introducing the change: How did you go about
planning the change? How did you feel about this? Was
there anything that made this difficult?
Some prompts to get you started….
Analysing the change: what worked? What didn’t? Why?
What did you learn? What did that mean for your
practice?
What next? What is your current practice like? Have you
discussed your insights with your colleagues? What
goal/s do you have for this aspect of teaching / support
role?
Some prompts to get you started….
Your teaching self:
• Where do your teaching beliefs and preferences come from? What
do you consciously and unconsciously gravitate towards and why?
• How do you learn best? How might this impact the way you
teach / support learning and teaching and the choices you make
in your work?
• What did learning and teaching look like when you were a
student? How did this impact you as a teacher / support person?
• What practices were useful? Which ones were maybe less useful,
but felt familiar and therefore you reproduced them? Did you
question this?
Some prompts to get you started….
For those supporting learning and teaching:
• What advice do you give to the academics and students you work with,
about ways to use new learning systems and tools? What do you base
this advice on – experience? Best practice? Research (including your
own)?
• What methods do you use to explain how something might work in an
online unit or in a classroom setting – one on one meetings, workshops,
writing FAQs or similar? Why do you choose one method over another?
• How does your personal experience as a learner or your personal
preferences impact the decisions you make in your work?
• Do you use your conversations with students/staff as an opportunity to
inform them about services/tools, etc. that they may not have been
aware of? How do you decide what information to give?
[Link]
References
Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. GB: FEU.
Hampton, M. (n.d.) Reflective writing: a basic introduction. Available at:
[Link]
[Link]
(Accessed: 17/01/2019)
Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential Learning – Experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall.
Lia, P. (n.d.) Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. Available at:
[Link] (Accessed: 12 November 2018)
Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
