1.4 Reflective thinking and practice – models of reflection slideshow transcript

This page offers information on the following models of reflection:
The ERA Cycle
Discoll’s ‘What?’ Model
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle
Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

ERA Cycle

The ERA cycle (Jasper, 2013) is one of the most simple models of reflection and contains only three stages:

• Experience
• Reflection
• Action

The cycle shows that we will start with an experience, either something we have been through before or something completely new to us. This experience can be positive or negative and may be related to our work or something else. Once something has been experienced, we will start to reflect on what happened. This will allow us to think through the experience, examine our feelings about what happened, and decide on the next steps. This leads us to the final element of the cycle – taking action. What we do as a result of an experience will be different depending on the individual. This action will result in another experience and the cycle will continue.

Driscoll’s What Model

Another simple model was developed by Driscoll in the mid-1990s. Driscoll’s ‘What?’ model is based on the key questions asked by Terry Borton in the 1970s:

• What?
• So what?
• Now what?

By asking ourselves these three simple questions we can begin to analyse and learn from our experiences.

Firstly, we should describe what the situation or experience was to set it in context. This gives us a clear idea of what we are dealing with. We should then reflect on the experience by asking ‘so what?’ – what did we learn as a result of the experience? The final stage asks us to think about the action we will take as a result of this reflection. Will we change a behavior, try something new, or carry on as we are? It’s important to remember that if everything is working the way it’s meant to, we might not need to make any changes after reflecting. This is equally valid as an outcome, and you shouldn’t worry if you can’t think of something to change.

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

Kolb’s model (1984) takes things a step further. Based on theories about how people learn, this model centres on the concept of developing understanding through experiences and contains four key stages:

• Concrete experience
• Reflective observation
• Abstract conceptualization
• Active experimentation

Kolb’s model begins with the awareness that an experience we’re having is a learning opportunity – either a repeat of something that has happened before or something completely new. The next stage involves reflecting on the experience and noting anything about it which we haven’t come across before. We then start to develop new ideas by asking ourselves guiding questions, such as ‘Why did this work so well?’, ‘What did I do differently this time and what was the result?’ The final stage involves us experimenting by applying our ideas to different situations to improve them. This demonstrates learning as a direct result of our experiences and reflections.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

The final model builds on the other three and adds more stages. It’s one of the more complex models of reflection but it may be that you find having multiple stages of the process to guide you reassuring. Gibbs’ cycle contains six stages:

• Description
• Feelings
• Evaluation
• Analysis
• Conclusion
• Action plan

As with other models, Gibbs’ begins with an outline of the experience being reflected on. It then encourages us to focus on our feelings about the experience, both during it an after. The next step involves evaluating the experience – what was good or bad about it from our point of view? We can then use this evaluation to analyse the situation and try to make sense of it. This analysis will result in a conclusion about what other actions (if any) we could have taken to reach a different outcome. The final stage involves building an action plan of steps which we can take the next time we find ourselves in a similar situation.

Sources

Jasper, M. (2013). Beginning Reflective Practice. Andover: Cengage Learning.

Borton, T. (1970) Reach, Touch and Teach. London: Hutchinson.

Driscoll, J. (ed.) (2007) Practicing Clinical Supervision: A Reflective Approach for Healthcare Professionals. Edinburgh: Elsevier.

Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Gibbs, G. (1998) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechic.

Attribution

 This chapter includes content adapted from “Reflective Practice Toolkit “ by Cambridge University Libraries licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0