Many students as well as people find that they get best learning from their past experiences. However, if students do not self-reflect on their own experiences and not think consciously regarding their better performance during next time then it becomes typical for them to learn anything at all. Therefore, it is not enough to have an experience for the purpose of learning as a student may quickly forgot or potentiality of its learning may also get lost without reflecting on its experience.
This is where the model of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle is useful for students who are studying within universities of Australia or people who are working within Australia-based organizations. They can use it in making sense of the situations at their academic as well as professional level respectively. This will provide assistance to them in gaining the understanding what they did well and could perform better within the future period of time.
Gibb’s Reflective Cycle
The model of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle is useful for the students as well as people in learning from their situations that they are experiencing on a regular basis. This kind of self-reflection model was introduced in the year 1988 by Graham Gibbs. The personnel advocated its use within the repeated situations but different stages of this model apply equally well for individual experiences to. This model is considered as an effective way to work through the past experiences.
There are six main stages within the Gibbs Reflective Cycle that help the people to think upon how they deal with the situations, so that they can be able to gain the understanding about what they did well, and can self-reflect on where they need to improve. The six different stages of Gibb's Reflective Cycle are shown as follows in the below figure.
Gibbs Reflective Cycle Example
The different stages of Gibbs Reflective Cycle are explained as under through an example of the students who are studying within the universities of Australia and are learning from their past experiences with the help of this self-reflection model:
- Description:At this stage of Gibbs Reflective Cycle, the students are required to identify the areas or skills in which they are lacking. For instance, a student who is studying in university can describe at this stage that it is weak at academic skills like time management skill. This stage will help the student in describing its situations and carrying out possible solutions for improving its time management skill. Preparation of time-table will help the student in showing what exactly is to be done at a particular time. It also facilitates it in managing proper time in proper manner and will also assist it in coordinating its daily activities in a properly managed way.
- Feelings: At this stage of Gibbs Reflective Cycle, the student felt that it was not managing its time and daily activities properly before preparing the time-table. But after preparing it, the student observed that its daily-routine activities are properly managed and organized within the particular time. Student also felt that this time-table has helped it in preventing the wastage of its time and energy. Now, the learner is feeling that preparation of time-table is not only useful for it but this will also help it in improving its time-management skills.
- Evaluation: Framing time-table is a very complex thing as one does not know whether it will be followed properly or not. At this stage of Gibbs Reflective Cycle, the student has evaluated that it was very nervous before preparing it that whether it will properly follow the timetable or not. Many of the papers got wasted in the process of framing time-table however, a student prepared it finally. But meanwhile preparing the time-table, the student was evaluating that if it could not follow it then its time would be waste and the results would be nothing. But when the student prepared the time-table, it felt encouraged and can properly follow this time-table easily by maintaining and coordinating its daily-routine activities.
- Analysis: By preparing time-table, the student analyzed that it would help it a lot in management of activities within a specific period of time. Framing of time-table was a complex process and process of following is more complex than framing it. But after framing time-table, student examined that it can easily manage time for a particular activity. The student can also analyze that by following time-table it can improve its time-management skills that will help it in building the self-confidence too.
- Conclusion: With the help of Gibb's reflective cycle, student is able to improve its time-management skills through covering various aspects. This reflective cycle has made it developed proper structure that has helped the student in making analysis about loopholes that were there within time-table. This model also helped student in improving its time-management skills and helped it in thinking clearly and systematically about learning experiences.
- Action Plan: This is the last stage of Gibbs Reflective Cycle and at this stage the student can take action on the areas for its improvements. In this way, the student will be able to give better performance during next time and can gain a competitive edge within its university.
In this way, all the six different stages of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle can help the students in better learning from their experiences so that it will provide assistance to them in improving those areas at which they are weak.
Students living in Australia should definitely opt for our Case Study Help services from experts writers, as we have the best assignment writing services at affordable prices.
Questions which can frequently be asked by students
1. Why self-reflection is important for a student?
Answer: Self-Reflection is important for a student because it helps in improving its memory along with keeping its mind active and is ideal for a student to look back on its learning.
2. Give some limitations of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle.
Answer: Some of the limitations of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle are as follows:
- It is reactive instead of proactive approach
- No reference to critical thinking
- Do not analyses situation from a different perspective
3. Describe significance of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle for a student.
Answer: Gibb’s Reflective Cycle is significant for a student as it offers student a framework to examine experiences and allow it to learn and plan from their past experiences.