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Reflection Toolkit

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

One of the most famous cyclical models of reflection leading you through six stages exploring an experience: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan.

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle was developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 to give structure to learning from experiences.  It offers a framework for examining experiences, and given its cyclic nature lends itself particularly well to repeated experiences, allowing you to learn and plan from things that either went well or didn’t go well. It covers 6 stages:

  • Description of the experience
  • Feelings and thoughts about the experience
  • Evaluation of the experience, both good and bad
  • Analysis to make sense of the situation
  • Conclusion about what you learned and what you could have done differently
  • Action plan for how you would deal with similar situations in the future, or general changes you might find appropriate.

Below is further information on:

  • The model – each stage is given a fuller description, guiding questions to ask yourself and an example of how this might look in a reflection
  • Different depths of reflection – an example of reflecting more briefly using this model

This is just one model of reflection. Test it out and see how it works for you. If you find that only a few of the questions are helpful for you, focus on those. However, by thinking about each stage you are more likely to engage critically with your learning experience.

A circular diagram showing the 6 stages of Gibbs' Reflective cycle

This model is a good way to work through an experience. This can be either a stand-alone experience or a situation you go through frequently, for example meetings with a team you have to collaborate with. Gibbs originally advocated its use in repeated situations, but the stages and principles apply equally well for single experiences too. If done with a stand-alone experience, the action plan may become more general and look at how you can apply your conclusions in the future.

For each of the stages of the model a number of helpful questions are outlined below. You don’t have to answer all of them but they can guide you about what sort of things make sense to include in that stage. You might have other prompts that work better for you.

Description

Here you have a chance to describe the situation in detail. The main points to include here concern what happened. Your feelings and conclusions will come later.

Helpful questions:

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

Example of 'Description'

Here you can explore any feelings or thoughts that you had during the experience and how they may have impacted the experience.

  • What were you feeling during the situation?
  • What were you feeling before and after the situation?
  • What do you think other people were feeling about the situation?
  • What do you think other people feel about the situation now?
  • What were you thinking during the situation?
  • What do you think about the situation now?

Example of 'Feelings'

Here you have a chance to evaluate what worked and what didn’t work in the situation. Try to be as objective and honest as possible. To get the most out of your reflection focus on both the positive and the negative aspects of the situation, even if it was primarily one or the other.

  • What was good and bad about the experience?
  • What went well?
  • What didn’t go so well?
  • What did you and other people contribute to the situation (positively or negatively)?

Example of 'Evaluation'

The analysis step is where you have a chance to make sense of what happened. Up until now you have focused on details around what happened in the situation. Now you have a chance to extract meaning from it. You want to target the different aspects that went well or poorly and ask yourself why. If you are looking to include academic literature, this is the natural place to include it.

  • Why did things go well?
  • Why didn’t it go well?
  • What sense can I make of the situation?
  • What knowledge – my own or others (for example academic literature) can help me understand the situation?

Example of 'Analysis'

Conclusions.

In this section you can make conclusions about what happened. This is where you summarise your learning and highlight what changes to your actions could improve the outcome in the future. It should be a natural response to the previous sections.

  • What did I learn from this situation?
  • How could this have been a more positive situation for everyone involved?
  • What skills do I need to develop for me to handle a situation like this better?
  • What else could I have done?

Example of a 'Conclusion'

Action plan.

At this step you plan for what you would do differently in a similar or related situation in the future. It can also be extremely helpful to think about how you will help yourself to act differently – such that you don’t only plan what you will do differently, but also how you will make sure it happens. Sometimes just the realisation is enough, but other times reminders might be helpful.

  • If I had to do the same thing again, what would I do differently?
  • How will I develop the required skills I need?
  • How can I make sure that I can act differently next time?

Example of 'Action Plan'

Different depths of reflection.

Depending on the context you are doing the reflection in, you might want use different levels of details. Here is the same scenario, which was used in the example above, however it is presented much more briefly.

Adapted from

Gibbs G (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford.

essay reflective cycle

  • Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

May 9, 2023

Delve into Gibbs' Reflective Cycle, a powerful tool fostering critical thinking, deep learning, and professional growth through reflection.

Main, P (2023, May 09). Gibbs' Reflective Cycle. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/gibbs-reflective-cycle

What is Gibbs' Reflective Cycle?

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is a popular model for reflection, acting as a structured method to enable individuals to think systematically about the experiences they had during a specific situation.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a widely used and accepted model of reflection . Developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 at Oxford Polytechnic, now Oxford Brookes University, this reflective cycle framework is widely used within various fields such as healthcare, education, and management to enhance professional and personal development . It has since become an integral part of reflective practice, allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences in a structured way.

The cycle consists of six stages which must be completed in order for the reflection to have a defined purpose. The first stage is to describe the experience. This is followed by reflecting on the feelings felt during the experience, identifying what knowledge was gained from it, analyzing any decisions made in relation to it and considering how this could have been done differently.

The final stage of the cycle is to come up with a plan for how to approach similar experiences in future.

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle encourages individuals to consider their own experiences in a more in-depth and analytical way, helping them to identify how they can improve their practice in the future.

A survey from the British Journal of Midwifery found that 63% of healthcare professionals regularly used Gibbs' Reflective Cycle as a tool for reflection.

"Reflection is a critical component of professional nursing practice and a strategy for learning through practice. This integrative review synthesizes the literature on nursing students’ reflection on their clinical experiences." – Beverly J. Bowers, RN, PhD

The Six Stages of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

The Gibbs reflective cycle consists of six distinct stages: Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan. Each stage prompts the individual to examine their experiences through questions designed to incite deep and critical reflection. For instance, in the 'Description' stage, one might ask: "What happened?". This questioning method encourages a thorough understanding of both the event and the individual's responses to it.

To illustrate, let's consider a student nurse reflecting on an interaction with a patient. In the 'Description' stage, the student might describe the patient's condition, their communication with the patient, and the outcome of their interaction. Following this, they would move on to the 'Feelings' stage, where they might express how they felt during the interaction, perhaps feeling confident, anxious, or uncertain.

The 'Evaluation' stage would involve the student reflecting on their interaction with the patient, considering how they could have done things differently and what went well. In the 'Analysis' stage, the student might consider the wider implications of their actions and how this impacted on the patient's experience.

Finally, in the 'Conclusion' stage, the student would summarise their reflections by noting what they have learned from the experience. They would then set an 'Action Plan' for how they will apply this newfound knowledge in their future practice.

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is a useful tool for nurses to utilize in order to reflect on their past experiences and improve their practice. By using reflective questions , nurses can actively engage in reflection and identify areas for improvement. 

  • Description : Start by objectively recounting the experience. Helpful questions to ask include: What happened? Who was involved? When and where did this occur?
  • Feelings : Capture your emotional response to the experience. It's essential to acknowledge both positive and negative emotions, as they significantly affect our interpretation of the event.
  • Evaluation : Assess the good and bad aspects of the experience. What worked well, and what didn't? What were the positive impacts and negative consequences?
  • Analysis : Dig deeper into understanding why things unfolded as they did. This analysis stage is where you draw on relevant literature and professional knowledge to interpret the experience.
  • Conclusion : Determine what you could have done differently and what you've learned from the experience.
  • Action Plan : Develop a plan detailing what you'll do if a similar situation arises in the future.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Examples of the Reflective Model in Practice

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle, a model of reflection, can be a powerful tool for learning and personal development across various vocations. Here are five fictional examples:

  • Nursing : A nurse named Jane had a challenging interaction with a patient. Using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, she first described the situation and her initial reactions. She then reflected on her feelings, identifying negative emotions that arose. During the analysis stage, she realized that her communication skills needed improvement. She concluded that better communication could have led to a more positive outcome. Finally, she developed a personal development plan to improve her communication skills, demonstrating the positive impacts of deep level reflection.
  • Teaching : A teacher, Mr. Smith, had difficulty managing his classroom . He used the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to reflect on a particularly chaotic day. He identified negative aspects of his classroom management strategy and, through critical thinking, realized that he needed to set clearer expectations for his students. He then developed a plan to implement these changes, showing how the approach to reflection can lead to actionable improvements .
  • Customer Service : Sarah, a customer service representative, received constructive feedback from a customer who was dissatisfied with the service. She used the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to reflect on the interaction, identifying her feelings of disappointment and analyzing what went wrong. She concluded that she needed to improve her problem-solving skills and developed a plan to do so.
  • Management : A manager, Tom, struggled with delegating tasks to his team. He used the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to reflect on a project that was delayed due to his reluctance to delegate. He identified his fear of losing control as a negative emotion and realized during the analysis stage that trust in his team was crucial. He then developed a plan to practice delegation in future projects.
  • Counseling : A counselor, Dr. Lee, felt that her recent sessions with a client were not productive. She used the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to reflect on these sessions . She identified feelings of frustration and, upon analysis, realized that she needed to adjust her counseling techniques to better suit her client's needs. She then developed a plan to implement these changes.

These examples illustrate how the Gibbs Reflective Cycle can facilitate learning and reflection across different vocations, leading to personal and professional growth.

An Exploration of Gibbs' Model

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle offers a structured approach to reflection, making it a helpful tool for educators and learners alike. The model encourages critical reflection , stimulating the ability to analyze experiences through questions and transform them into valuable learning opportunities.

Experiential Learning , a concept closely tied with reflection, suggests that we learn from our experiences, particularly when we engage in reflection and active experimentation . Gibbs' model bridges the gap between theory and practice, offering a framework to capture and analyze experiences in a meaningful way.

By using Gibbs' model, educators can guide students through their reflective process , helping them extract valuable lessons from their positive and negative experiences.

Gibbs reflective cycle

Application of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle in Real-World Scenarios

The flexibility and simplicity of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle make it widely applicable in various real-world scenarios, from personal situations to professional practice.

For instance, Diana Eastcott, a nursing educator, utilized Gibbs' model to facilitate her students' reflection on their clinical practice experience. The students were encouraged to reflect on their clinical experiences, analyze their reactions and feelings, and construct an action plan for future patient interactions. This process not only enhanced their professional knowledge but also fostered personal growth and emotional resilience.

In another example, Bob Farmer, a team leader in a tech company, used Gibbs' Cycle to reflect on a project that didn't meet expectations. He guided his team through the reflective process, helping them identify areas for improvement and develop strategies for better future outcomes.

These scenarios underline the versatility of Gibbs' model, demonstrating its value in both educational and professional settings.

  • ( Gibbs Reflective Cycle , University of Northampton, https://www.northampton.ac.uk )
  • ( Gibbs' Reflective Cycle , Oxford Brookes University, https://www.brookes.ac.uk )
  • ( Reflective Practice , San Francisco State University, https://www.sfsu.edu )

essay reflective cycle

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle for Personal and Professional Development

The use of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle can have profound effects on personal and professional development. It aids in recognizing strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, providing an avenue for constructive feedback and self-improvement.

In the context of professional development , Gibbs' model promotes continuous learning and adaptability. By transforming bad experiences into learning opportunities, individuals can enhance their competencies and skills , preparing them for similar future situations.

Moreover, the reflective cycle promotes emotional intelligence by encouraging individuals to explore their feelings and reactions to different experiences. Acknowledging and understanding negative emotions can lead to increased resilience, better stress management, and improved interpersonal relationships.

Implementing Gibbs reflective cycle

Transforming Experiences into Learning: The Role of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is a practical tool that transforms experiences into learning. It incorporates principles of Experiential Learning and emphasizes the importance of abstract conceptualization and active experimentation in the learning process.

In the field of education, Gibbs' model can significantly influence teaching methods. It encourages educators to incorporate reflective practices in their teaching methods, promoting a deeper understanding of course material and facilitating the application of theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios.

Moreover, the model can be used to encourage students to reflect on their experiences, both within and outside the classroom, and learn from them. This process fosters critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and personal growth, equipping students with the skills they need for lifelong learning.

Embracing Gibbs cycle in your organisation

Here's a list of guidance tips for organizations interested in embracing Gibbs' Reflective Cycle as their professional development model.

  • Understanding the Gibbs Reflective Cycle : Before implementing, ensure that everyone in the organization understands the Gibbs Reflective Cycle model. This model consists of six stages: Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan. The goal is to encourage deep level reflection on experiences to foster learning and improve future actions.
  • Promote a Culture of Reflection : Encourage everyone in the organization to incorporate reflection into their daily routine. Reflection should not be seen as an added task, but rather as an integral part of the professional development process.
  • Use Real-Life Situations : For the methods in education to be effective, use real-life situations when applying the Gibbs Reflective Cycle. This way, employees can relate to the experiences, making the reflection process more relevant and meaningful.
  • Encourage Sharing of Reflections : Create a safe space for individuals to share their reflections. This could be through team meetings, one-on-one sessions with managers, or through online platforms. Sharing allows for collective learning and may provide different perspectives on the same situation.
  • Integrate Reflective Practice in Training Programs : Use the Gibbs Reflective Cycle in training programs. After each training session, encourage participants to go through the reflective cycle. This can help them understand the training content better and apply it in their work.
  • Link Reflection to Personal Development : Connect the outcome of the reflection to personal development plans. The Action Plan stage of the cycle should feed into the individual's personal development plan, helping them identify areas of strength and areas needing improvement.
  • Provide Guidance and Support : Provide guidance and support in the early stages of implementing the Gibbs Reflective Cycle. This could include providing templates or guides, or offering training on how to use the model effectively.
  • Continuous Review and Feedback : Regularly review the use of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle in your organization and provide feedback. This will help ensure that the model is being used effectively and is helping individuals in their professional development.
  • Model Reflective Practice : Leaders and managers should model reflective practice themselves. This shows that the organization values reflective practice and can motivate employees to engage in it themselves.
  • Celebrate Success : Recognize and celebrate when reflective practice leads to positive changes or improvements. This can motivate employees to continue using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle in their professional development.

essay reflective cycle

What is the Difference Between Kolb's and Gibbs' Reflective Cycle?

Both Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and Gibbs' Reflective Cycle are influential learning methods used extensively in education and professional development. While they share similarities, such as promoting a cyclical learning process and fostering a deeper understanding of experiences, there are key differences.

Kolb's cycle consists of four stages: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. It focuses more on the transformation of direct experience into knowledge, emphasizing the role of experience in learning.

On the other hand, Gibbs' cycle, with its six stages, places a greater emphasis on emotions and their impact on learning. For example, a team leader might use Kolb's cycle to improve operational skills after a failed project, focusing on what happened and how to improve. However, using Gibbs' cycle, the same leader would also reflect on how the failure made them feel, and how those feelings might have influenced their decision-making.

Other notable Learning Methods and Cycles

Please note that each of these theories or models has been developed and refined over time, and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses depending on the specific learning context or goals.

Adopting the Cycle in Education

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is an invaluable tool for nurturing professional skills and fostering personal growth. By systematically integrating this reflective model into educational practices, institutions can significantly enhance their students' professional development.

Here are seven innovative ways educational institutions can harness the power of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle to boost skill acquisition , operational proficiency, leadership capabilities, and personal skills mastery.

  • Incorporate Reflective Practice in Curriculum: Educational institutions can incorporate Gibbs' Reflective Cycle into their curriculum, making it a regular part of learning. This can encourage students to develop professional skills by continually reflecting on their experiences and learning from them.
  • Real-World Scenarios: By using real-world situations or case studies, educational institutions can provide practical instances for students to apply the reflective cycle. This will help them understand the type of situation they might encounter in their professional life and how to handle it.
  • Promote Skill Acquisition: Gibbs' cycle can be used as a tool for skill acquisition. By reflecting on their performance in various tasks and projects, students can identify their strengths and areas that need improvement. This can aid in the development of operational skills, leadership skills, and personal skills.
  • Professional Development Workshops: Educational institutions can organize workshops that focus on the application of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle for professional development. These workshops could provide hands-on training on how to use the cycle effectively.
  • Reflective Journals: Encourage students to keep a reflective journal. This practice can help students regularly apply Gibbs' cycle, promoting introspection, and the development of key leadership skills.
  • Mentorship Programs: Implement mentorship programs where experienced professionals guide students in applying Gibbs' Reflective Cycle. This can provide students with valuable insights into how reflective practice can enhance their professional skills.
  • Assessments Based on Reflection: Design assessments that value reflective practice. Instead of solely focusing on theoretical knowledge, consider students' ability to reflect on their experiences and learn from them. This approach can make learning more engaging and relevant to real-world situations.

In the journey of life and work, we continuously encounter new situations, face challenges, and make decisions that shape our personal and professional trajectory. It's in these moments that Gibbs' Reflective Cycle emerges as a guiding compass, providing a structured framework to analyze experiences, draw insights, and plan our future course of action.

Underlying the model is the philosophy of lifelong learning. By encouraging critical reflection, it empowers us to not just passively experience life, but to actively engage with it, to question, and to learn. It's through this reflection that we move from the realm of 'doing' to 'understanding', transforming experiences into knowledge.

Moreover, the model emphasizes the importance of an action-oriented approach. It propels us to use our reflections to plan future actions, promoting adaptability and growth. Whether you're an educator using the model to enhance your teaching methods , a student exploring the depths of your learning process, or a professional striving for excellence in your field, Gibbs' Reflective Cycle can be a powerful tool.

In an ever-changing world, where the pace of change is accelerating, the ability to learn, adapt, and evolve is paramount. Reflective practices, guided by models such as Gibbs', provide us with the skills and mindset to navigate this change effectively. They empower us to learn from our past, be it positive experiences or negative experiences, and use these lessons to shape our future.

From fostering personal growth and emotional resilience to enhancing professional practice and shaping future outcomes , the benefits of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle are manifold. As we continue our journey of growth and learning, this model serves as a beacon, illuminating our path and guiding us towards a future of continuous learning and development.

  • Reflection in Learning and Professional Development
  • The Reflective Practitioner
  • Reflective Practice: The Teacher in the Mirror
  • The Impact of Reflective Practice on Teaching Effectiveness
  • Reflective Practice: A Guide for Nurses and Midwives
  • Reflective practice in nursing
  • Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods
  • Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

essay reflective cycle

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72 John Driscoll’s “What?” Cycle of Reflection

The previous chapter on reflection, “Writing About Writing: Becoming a Reflective Practitioner,” offered an introduction to reflective writing and explained how critical reflection is so important to the learning process. This chapter will look more closely at one of the most common and simplest models for how to practice the kind of reflection that fosters “reflective practitioner” attitude: John Driscoll’s cycle of reflection, which follows a “What, So What, Now What” process. The end of this chapter offers an example assignment based on the Driscoll model.

What? So What? Now What?

John Driscoll originally developed the “What?” cycle of reflection for healthcare practitioners, but it has since been picked up by many different kinds of learners. The model includes three very basic steps:

  • WHAT? Describe what happened.
  • SO WHAT? Analyze the event.
  • NOW WHAT? Anticipate future practice, based on what you learned.

Each step requires both different rhetorical strategies and distinct forms of cognition. Step  1, “What?”, challenges the learner to recall what happened as objectively as possible, without critiquing anything that happened. Step 2, “So what?”, requires the learner to slow down and begin looking for patterns or moments of significance. Here, the key is to bring in concepts that help shed light on what’s going on. In a writing course, for example, a student might learn different rhetorical terms that relate to persuasion, such as  logos ,  pathos , and  ethos . Analyzing the experience according to anyone of those terms is a form of analysis. Finally, Step 3, “Now what?”, encourages the learner to begin  transferring new knowledge to future situations and other contexts. As the introductory chapter to this section explains, transfer is key to becoming a reflective practitioner.

Here’s a video of that carefully illustrates each step, published by the McLaughlin Library at the University of Guelph:

Example of the Driscoll Cycle of reflection

The following example of the Driscoll cycle was developed by a student at The Robert Gillespie Science of Learning .

The trickiest step for those new to practicing this kind of critical reflection is moving from the straightforward objectivity of Step 1 to the more analytical kind of writing that happens in Step 2. As the commentary for Step 2, “So what?” explains, the second paragraph practices analysis by comparing current experience with an earlier one. Comparison and contrast brings in external content (the other experience) to help do the analysis. There are other ways to accomplish this cognitive move, however. As mentioned above, another strategy for analyzing content is to map experiences to key concepts or ideas picked up from the lesson material.

Sample Assignment: “ Ceasefire  Reflective Essay”

The following assignment was developed for English 101: Writing and Rhetoric I at the College of Western Idaho.

Assignment Directions : Write a reflective essay that 1) narrates and describes your engagement on the Ceasefire platform and also 2) critically reflects on that experience.

Purpose : The goal of this Unit is to practice discussing difficult issues in a civil manner, and to identify what kinds of behaviors and communication strategies work best to effectively engage with others in public and professional environments.

Genre : This is a Reflective Essay that fosters a “reflective practitioner” approach to learning. The use of the first person (I, me, mine) is encouraged. The essay should narrate and describe your Ceasefire participation, while also reflecting more generally on how the experiment might help in future situations and different contexts.

Audience : While the Ceasefire experiment and reflections are intended to benefit the writer, the writing should be directed towards other students and teachers who are not familiar with the materials in this Unit. Provide sufficient context, define important terms, and write in a style that conveys professionalism.

Basic Requirements :

  • At least 4.5 pages double-spaced
  • Formatted in MLA Style, including in-text citations and a Works Cited page
  • Revision Cover Letter
  • When participating on the Ceasefire website, you will be expected to post a position or question, as well as respond to at least two other posts.

Background on the Ceasefire experiment

While this essay will have a traditional introduction, body and conclusion (like any academic essay), the body will be composed of two main kinds of content. A considerable portion should be dedicated to describing and narrating your experiment with engaging others on the Ceasefire website. At the same time, however, you will be expected to use lessons from this Unit, including the Open Mind learning modules, to critically reflect on that engagement, explaining what it taught you about engaging other beliefs in a civil environment.

Ceasefire Website

Ceasefire is a website whose stated goal is to “improve the world’s discussions.” The mission goals of the website point out that, as our society becomes increasingly polarized, most online discussions have been limited to social media platforms. The end result is even more polarization and “heightened tensions,” rather than understanding and empathy. The Ceasefire website evolved as a solution to that problem. It aims to provide an online space “devoted to the exploration of views” in a civil environment. In this Unit you will be asked to engage with Ceasefire.

Students will be expected to register for a free account and post one of the following two options:

  • Opinion: Present an opinion you hold or lean towards to test your understanding of the issue and potentially discover flaws in your thinking.
  • Question: There may be an issue you wish to explore but have no clear stance on, perhaps due to conflict thoughts or a general lack of understanding. You can ask a question to launch a discussion about it.

In addition to creating a unique post, you will be expected to respond to at least two other posts published to Ceasefire .

OpenMind Learning Modules

In order to prepare for civil engagement on Ceasefire  , we’ll start the Unit by completing Steps 1-5 of the OpenMind educational platform. OpenMind is “an interactive platform that equips people with a set of practical tools to think clearly and communicate constructively across differences.” The learning modules are based on certain psychological principles intended to help depolarize educational, corporate, and civic communities. In addition to preparing us for difficult discussions, the platform will also provide us with a variety of key rhetorical and psychological principles to help analyze our experience.

Getting Started with OpenMind & Ceasefire

There are a number of steps we’ll follow in order to get started on our “ Ceasefire Reflective Essay”. We’ll complete these steps over the course of two weeks:

Step 1: Sign up for an OpenMind account, join our group, then take the 5 modules. These modules will train us to spot cognitive bias and become familiar with moral reasoning. The “moral matrix” from will provide us with some analytical terms you may want to use when reflecting on your Ceasefire  experience.

Step 2: Sign up for a Ceasefire  account. As a class, we’ll also look at the site rules and examples of strong posts.

Step 3: Develop a Ceasefire post and respond to at least two others. As you engage with Ceasefire , take notes on the process. These notes will help you write part 1 of your Reflective Essay.

Step 4: Become familiar with the Rhetorical Appeals, as well as kairos and exigence . In addition to the OpenMind’s “moral matrix,” these rhetorical concepts will help you critically reflect on the Ceasefire  experiment.

Step 5: Draft and revise your Reflective Essay. Use the Outline included in this prompt to help structure your essay.

Essay Outline

The following Outline uses Driscoll’s “What, So What, Now What?” structure as a way to critically reflect on our experiment with civil engagement.

Write What Matters Copyright © 2020 by Joel Gladd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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  • Cambridge Libraries

Study Skills

Reflective practice toolkit, introduction.

  • What is reflective practice?
  • Everyday reflection
  • Models of reflection
  • Barriers to reflection
  • Free writing
  • Reflective writing exercise
  • Bibliography

essay reflective cycle

If you are not used to being reflective it can be hard to know where to start the process. Luckily there are many models which you can use to guide your reflection. Below are brief outlines of four of the most popular models arranged from easy to more advanced (tip: you can select any of the images to make them larger and easier to read).

You will notice many common themes in these models and any others that you come across. Each model takes a slightly different approach but they all cover similar stages. The main difference is the number of steps included and how in-depth their creators have chosen to be. Different people will be drawn to different models depending on their own preferences.

ERA Cycle

  • Reflection 

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 to the final element of the cycle - taking an 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. 

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

Driscoll's What Model

Driscoll's What Model

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 is important to remember that there may be no changes as the result of reflection and that we feel that we are doing everything as we should. This is equally valid as an outcome and you should not worry if you can't think of something to change. 

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's Experiential Learning Cycle

Kol's Experiential Learning Cycle

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

The model argues that we start with an experience - either a repeat of something that has happened before or something completely new to us. The next stage involves us reflecting on the experience and noting anything about it which we haven't come across before. We then start to develop new ideas as a result, for example when something unexpected has happened we try to work out why this might be. The final stage involves us applying our new ideas to different situations. This demonstrates learning as a direct result of our experiences and reflections. This model is similar to one used by small children when learning basic concepts such as hot and cold. They may touch something hot, be burned and be more cautious about touching something which could potentially hurt them in the future. 

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

Gibb's Reflective Cycle

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

  • Description
  • Action plan

As with other models, Gibb's 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. 

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

Think about ... Which model?

Think about the models outlined above. Do any of them appeal to you or have you found another model which works for you? Do you find models in general helpful or are they too restrictive?

Pros and Cons of Reflective Practice Models

A word of caution about models of reflective practice (or any other model). Although they can be a great way to start thinking about reflection, remember that all models have their downsides. A summary of the pros and cons can be found below:

  • Offer a structure to be followed
  • Provide a useful starting point for those unsure where to begin
  • Allow you to assess all levels of a situation
  • You will know when the process is complete
  • Imply that steps must be followed in a defined way
  • In the real world you may not start 'at the beginning'
  • Models may not apply in every situation
  • Reflective practice is a continuous process 

These are just some of the reflective models that are available. You may find one that works for you or you may decide that none of them really suit. These models provide a useful guide or place to start but reflection is a very personal process and everyone will work towards it in a different way. Take some time to try different approaches until you find the one that works for you. You may find that as time goes on and you develop as a reflective practitioner that you try different methods which suit your current circumstances. The important part is that it works - if it doesn't then you may need to move on and try something else.

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Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

What is the gibbs' reflective cycle.

The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a Tool that helps professionals Grow and Learn from their past Experiences .

To do this, it proposes to analyze the Situations in which someone wants to Improve.

  • Drawing Conclusions that allow us to do things better in the future.

It consists of  6 Repetitive Steps (a cycle):

  • Description .
  • Evaluation .
  • Conclusion .
  • Action Plan .

This cycle must be repeated until Obtaining the Desired Results .

The Six Steps of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

1. Description : Describe in detail the Situation in which you want to improve .

  • A Negotiation, A Decision you made, a Discussion with your employees, etc.

2. Feelings : Reflect on How you Felt in that Situation, How you Coped with it.

  • Did you feel Insecure? Did you feel Determined? Did you Hesitate?

3. Evaluation : Evaluate the Experience and its Outcome , Objectively.

  • What Consequences did it have, What worked, What did not, etc.

4. Analysis : Analyze the Reasons that explain the Result of this Situation.

  • Why something worked or didn’t work. Why you Made that Decision, etc.

5. Conclusion : Get the Lessons from this Analysis; How to do things better.

  • What could have been done better? What could be done in a different way?

6. Action Plan : Develop and Implement a Plan to do things better.

  • Applying the Conclusions obtained in this Cycle.

Repeat the Cycle until Reaching the Desired Results .

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle Template

Now, before sharing some examples , we want to explain one important thing:

  • How to use this Cycle .

We know that it can get a bit Confusing (Feelings, Action Plan, etc).

That is why we’ll offer you a Guideline that you can Follow .

  • It can be used for your Personal Analysis or, in Coaching Situations.

How to use the Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Description : Details are important, as is the Context of any Situation.

  • The Place and People Involved.
  • What Interactions happened.

Feelings : They Can give us a Clue as to what we need to Improve .

  • If we feel Insecure, it is usually because we do not know the Subject well enough.
  • What made you feel Uncomfortable?
  • What made you feel Determined?

Evaluation : Here, you should not try to find Reasons , only Facts .

  • What worked, What didn’t work, and under What Circumstances.
  • The Outcome: What happened After the Situation?

Analysis : Now it is the time to find the Whys .

  • Why is the Reason something Worked? The Root Cause.
  • Potential Root causes causing you a Problem.

Conclusions : Time to “Connect the Dots” and obtain Solid Conclusions .

  • What Solid Conclusions have you Obtained?
  • What Could have been done better?

Action Plan : Now, you have to put things into Practice .

  • Set Specific, Measurable, Realistic and Time-Related Goals.
  • Use Objective Metrics.

Let’s see some examples:

Gibbs Reflective Cycle examples

Now, let’s Imagine that you have recently been Promoted to Manager .

You are very happy about it, but you do not feel very Comfortable when you face your employees .

  • Sometimes you have to impose yourself, so that what you say is done.

Also, it is something you would like to Improve on .

That is Why you decided to use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle .

Let’s see How you use it:

Description - Gibbs Reflective Cycle example

The Situation in which you want to Improve :

  • It is You and your Employees (no matter Who).
  • You are In front of them alone or in a collective meeting.
  • You Want things to be done in a New way.
  • You Tell them how they have to do things from now on .

Feelings - Gibbs Reflective Cycle example

After thinking Carefully about it, you Discover that you Felt :

  • Anxious about Compelling People to do Something.
  • Insecure about you Authority.
  • Determined about the Need of doing the Things in a New Way.

Evaluation - Gibbs Reflective Cycle example

You then Evaluate what happens in these Situations :

  • You Compel your employees to do what you say.
  • They obey you.
  • Those who know you best Respond much better to your Commands .
  • Those who don’t know you are more Reluctant to change .

Analysis - Gibbs Reflective Cycle example

Now, you start thinking about the Whys :

  • This makes you Feel Insecure.
  • They don’t make you Feel Anxious or Insecure .
  • That and , the fact that you are New in the Position .

Conclusion - Gibbs Reflective Cycle example

You Obtain important Conclusions from this Analysis :

  • Or People that don’t know your Skills when making decisions.

This People are Reluctant to “obey” you, and make you Feel Insecure and Anxious.

  • So they will Trust you more.
  • And they will Trust your Authority more.

Action Plan - Gibbs Reflective Cycle example

Finally, you decide to Develop an Action Plan :

  • Starting with those who know you least.
  • Comparing the Previous Results with the Current ones.

You Estimate that you will need 2 months to have met with all your employees.

  • And decide if you need to repeat this Cycle again.

The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a Tool that helps professionals Grow and Learn from their past Experiences.

Consists of 6 Repetitive Steps that must be repeated until getting the desired Results:

  • Description : Describe in detail the Situation in which you want to improve.
  • Feelings : Reflect on How you Felt in that Situation, How you Coped with it.
  • Evaluation : Evaluate the Experience and its Outcome, Objectively.
  • Analysis : Analyze the Reasons that explain the Result of this Situation.
  • Conclusion : Get the Lessons from this Analysis; How to do things better.
  • Action Plan : Develop and Implement a Plan to do things better.
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Reflective writing: ERA

  • What is reflection? Why do it?
  • What does reflection involve?
  • Reflective questioning
  • Reflective writing for academic assessment
  • Types of reflective assignments
  • Differences between discursive and reflective writing
  • Sources of evidence for reflective writing assignments
  • Linking theory to experience
  • Reflective essays
  • Portfolios and learning journals, logs and diaries
  • Examples of reflective writing
  • Video summary
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On this page:

“When you are new to reflective practice, a simple. straightforward model can be a useful way of helping you get started; the ERA model (Jasper, 2013) is one of these” Bassot, The reflective journal

The ERA Cycle

The ERA stands for  Experience, Reflection, Action . This simple framework was developed by Jasper (2013) and is based around building understanding from experience. The key component is that of action, as this feeds learning through reflection forward into future experiences. 

There are obvious parallels with the Kolb cycle.

Experience>Action>Reflection>Back to experience

ERA: The ERA approach asks is structured around  Experience, Reflection, and Action.

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  • Self-introspection and Improvement with ERA Reflective Cycle
  • Exploring Different Types of Reflection Models with Examples

Jessica Robinson - Image

ERA cycle first came into light through the book, “Beginning of Reflective Model” written by Melanie Jasper in 2013. This is the simplest model which works quite similar to Kolb’s reflective cycle but only contains 3 stages to self-introspect naming

These three components form a building block of reflective practices and underline the major occurrences from the topic for us to reflect upon. Irrespective of good or bad experiences, we might feel the need to introspect some crucial experiences that need our attention. This is where out of all the reflection models ; the ERA cycle can effectively assist you in self-introspection.

Table of Contents

  • Stages of ERA cycle
  • Example of ERA cycle

Through the ERA cycle, Jasper suggested that first, You experience something unusual or something happened to you for the very first time in your regular occurrences. Once you have experienced something that needs your attention after it has happened, you start reflecting upon the experience meticulously. You start introspecting the feelings you felt during that particular experience. Based on your reflection and self-analysis, you prepare for the next steps that could lead to your self-improvement while experiencing similar situations in the future.

Three stages of ERA cycle

Stage 1: experience.

This is the stage where you need to draw out all the minute details of the experience. So, some questions that can assist you with the same will be

  • What, where, and when did this happen? In this you will give the readers all the factual information about the event that will help readers understand the context of the situation.
  • What other aspects were involved? In this, you will highlight the different aspects that were involved in the situation and contributed to getting the obtained result.
  • Was the situation contextual? In this you will specify whether the situation was dependent on the circumstances or not.
  • How did you and other involved people react? In this, you will answer by explaining the reaction of other people that were involved in the situation.

Stages of ERA reflective cycle

Stage 2: Reflection

This is the analysis phase. In this, you will effectively analyze your actions. So, questions that will help you in analyzing the situation are

  • What did you feel at that point in the situation? In this, you will highlight your feelings of the time when you were experiencing the situation you are reflecting upon.
  • Could you have responded in some other way instead of how you did react? In this, you will highlight the alternatives of your actions or reactions in the place of action you took in the situation.
  • Do you need to improve any of your skills to improve your reaction in this situation? In this, you will present the requirement of skills that could assist you in reacting more efficiently to similar situations in the future.
  • Can you draw out any learnings from this situation? In this situation, you will highlight your learning from the situation you are using this reflection model in.
  • What was the reason that things went well or bad? While answering this question, you will present the main reasons behind the success or failure of your actions in the situation.

Stage 3: Action

After all the introspection, through this stage, you will develop an action plan for the future occurrence of a similar situation. A few questions that can assist you at this stage are

  • What would you do if a similar situation comes up again? In this part, you will explain the future actions you will take to respond to a similar situation.
  • At what point will you use the learnings? In this, you will explain the implementation of the learnings you gained from the whole situation.

Now that you have effectively understood the model and its all-main components, the next section will shed light on the reflection of my nursing experience during my first OPD in the hospital.

ERA reflection cycle’s framework example in nursing

Case assessment - This reflective example will highlight the experience of a nurse conducting OPD after her placement in hospitals. This reflective experience will draw out her challenges and her future action plan for improving her performance.

After my placement in one of the biggest hospitals in the city, after months of practice, it was the first time I was directly going to consult a patient in the Outpatient Department (OPD). I was supposed to detect the symptoms and come up with a diagnostic plan for the patient. A 50-year-old came to the OPD with an issue of low energy and fainting from time to time. Through the symptoms, I found out that there is a good possibility of low blood pressure in the patient. However, as it was my first OPD, I wanted to be double sure of every step that I was going through. So, I kept on checking my notes and I eventually got panicked and confused. Even the patient detected my nervousness and became uneasy himself. This was impacting mine as well as the performance of the hospital. Satisfaction of the patient is a core tool for tracking the performance of the hospital as well as the service that they are providing to the patient (Hussain et al., 2019). My senior was supervising my consultation and by detecting a chaotic situation, she decided to step in and finish the consultation herself.

Reflecting upon my experience, I felt that to get the consultation right, I thought it would be good that I would follow the exact template. But being under the pressure of getting things right and my supervisor standing right next to me, made me doubt my knowledge, and eventually, I started checking my notes. This is where the lack of confidence made me nervous and I got confused during the consultation. Additionally, my supervisor also gave me the same feedback that I was doing well but due to a lack of self-confidence, I got anxious and messed up during the consultation. She further added that being double sure was good, but as every patient is different, you need to keep high self-confidence. I feel that my lack of confidence and anxiousness were the main reasons I feel things went in a bad direction.

From my reflection, I learned that I would be calmer the next time during my consultation. For this, I would prefer taking deep breaths to calm myself down in case of any sort of anxiety experience. During my next consultation, I would keep confidence in myself and would trust my knowledge and expertise to plan out the diagnostic action plan for any patient. However, I also learned that I would keep revising my notes at regular intervals so that I would not need notes to be double sure at the time of consultations. This would also assist me in building self-confidence. Secondly, keeping the feedback of my supervisor in mind, I understood that every patient is different and we do not need to follow the same framework of questions while providing consultation to every patient. So, from next time, I will ensure to treat every patient as per their requirement.

Is ERA similar to Kolb?

No, ERA is not the same as Kolb's experiential learning model . While both focus on learning through experience, Kolb's cycle includes four stages: experiencing, reflecting, thinking, and acting. In contrast, ERA emphasizes the importance of reflection and action as crucial components of experiential learning, without distinct stages.

Limitation of ERA cycle?

ERA's limitation lies in its potential vagueness due to the absence of structured stages like other models such as Kolb's reflective cycle , Gibb's reflection model , etc. Without clear steps, learners may find it challenging to apply the theory effectively or integrate it into their learning experiences. Additionally, ERA's practical implementation and its impact on various learning contexts might require further exploration.

What kind of experiences can I reflect on using the ERA model?

You can reflect on various experiences, including work-related situations, personal interactions, challenges, successes, or even everyday events.

Previous Model

Low blood pressure (hypotension) (2022) Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/low-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20355465 (Accessed: November 10, 2022).

Hussain, A., Asif, M., Jameel, A., Hwang, J., Sahito, N., & Kanwel, S. (2019). Promoting OPD Patient Satisfaction through Different Healthcare Determinants: A Study of Public Sector Hospitals. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 16(19), 3719. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16193719

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Critic’s Notebook

How Did Wagner Want His ‘Ring’ Cycle to Sound?

With a team of researchers and dedicated musicians, the conductor Kent Nagano is taking a historically informed performance approach to Wagner’s epic.

A wide shot of a concert hall shows audiences, obscured in the foreground, facing performers onstage: singers and seated orchestra players. Behind them are more seated audience members and a large pipe organ.

By Joshua Barone

Reporting from Amsterdam

What began as a flippantly offered pipe dream, on second thought sounded too good to resist.

Kent Nagano was leading the period-instrument ensemble Concerto Köln in concert performances of Mozart’s “Idomeneo” in 2016 when one musician suggested he come back for more, and with new repertoire. Because Nagano was conducting the “Ring” at the time, he lightheartedly said, “How about Wagner?”

They laughed at the idea of taking on Wagner’s four-opera, 15-hour epic, Nagano recalled in a recent interview. Not just playing it, but devoting years of research and practice to a historically informed performance of it. Then they realized that this was rich terrain; installments of the “Ring” had been given this treatment before, but they didn’t know of any complete cycle. Now, after years of study and partnerships across universities, orchestras and cities in Germany, Nagano and his collaborators are in the middle of presenting their findings.

And just in time: In 2026, it will be 150 years since Wagner premiered the full “Ring” at his festival in Bayreuth, Germany. Each year until then, Nagano and the Concerto Köln — with the addition of Dresdner Festspielorchester for “Die Walküre” — are touring installments of their historically informed “Ring” operas: last year, “Das Rheingold,” and now “Die Walküre.”

Heard in the acoustically generous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on March 16 as part of the NTR ZaterdagMatinee series, “Die Walküre” took on such clarity that no supertitles were necessary to understand the singers. And, yes, the score sounded different from a typical modern performance.

This is Wagner without constant vibrato, and sometimes without traditionally operatic singing. But mostly, the difference in sound comes from the instruments themselves, both originals from the 19th century and reproductions. Historical, often temperamental winds and brasses have a milder timbre, similar to the gut strings used throughout the orchestra, which here is tuned to 435 hertz — Wagner’s preference, slightly lower than the frequency of 440 Hz used by most players today.

The result may sound shockingly quiet to listeners who have come to equate Wagner with immensity. Culture — cinema, Broadway, pop concerts — is often so loud, it distorts our expectations for acoustic music, which is also louder than it was in the past. Conductors, helped by powerful modern instruments, often inflate Wagner, forcing singers to nearly bark to be heard. Audiences, in turn, get to hear a “Ride of the Valkyries” that matches “Apocalypse Now.”

That’s not necessarily a bad thing; interpretation is the essential ingredient of a living art form like opera. And you can look at historically informed performance as just another mode of interpretation.

Nagano didn’t arrive at his approach alone. His “Ring” has an organizational arm, called Wagner-Lesarten , or Wagner Readings — now called the Wagner Cycles — which has brought together minds from music, science and history to approximate the composer’s musical world. (Much of the research and its results are or will be available to the public, through discussions, publication and, eventually, recordings.)

In the interview, Nagano said period performance with the “Ring” isn’t easy, because the work doesn’t represent a moment in history so much as a rapidly changing era in music. “It was written during quite a large period of time,” he added, referring to a gestation period of more than two decades. “There were major developments of instrumental technique and vocal stylistic development.”

Fortunately, he added, Wagner was a prolific writer. ( Too prolific, some might say .) He left behind his thoughts on conducting, singing, dynamics and instrumental articulation like portamento, sliding from one note to another. “From all this,” Nagano said, “it’s clear that Wagner was very much impressed and influenced by bel canto style from Italy, but also that bel canto style combined with parlando style — highly lyrical moments, but also declamation, and screaming at times.” During Brünnhilde’s entrance in the concert “Die Walküre,” for example, she ended her “Hojotoho!” with a seemingly crass upward whip on the last syllable, like a war cry.

The question for Nagano and his team was how to apply these period touches, and how often. For voices, the goal was clarity. Wagner’s theories about music-drama — a term that puts the two forms on equal footing — called for the orchestra to support singers in ways that, Nagano found, included rubato, or slightly bent tempo, to make room for the natural flow of storytelling. Instrumental ornamentation took on dramaturgical purpose; portamento was emotional, and vibrato was no longer a given.

Training the musicians took about two years for “Das Rheingold” and a year for “Die Walküre,” unheard-of amounts of time for concert opera. But the process required some artistic rewiring. For the singers, consonants that might have been unvoiced in a modern Wagner performance would be voiced here, and drawn out. Rolled R’s, usually an interpretive choice, became standardized.

In a documentary about the project, the cellist Wener Matzke said: “Something I didn’t personally realize, for example, when it says ‘piano dolce,’ that means it’s done with a relatively quick and fluid bow stroke. Today we use as much bow as we have. Whereas in the past, people used as much bow as they needed. And that’s a totally different approach.”

Nagano used the same rehearsal method as Wagner. The text, or what Wagner called the poem, was written before the music, so the singers approached it with a similar trajectory. When they first gathered, they spoke the libretto as if it were pure theater, Nagano said, “with a strong emphasis on punctuation marks, commas and agogic accents” — accents that also prolong a note — “and correct pronunciation of certain dialects.”

Next, the artists would again speak their lines, but with music underneath. Only at the end would they sing their notated parts. The aim is for a strict attention to the text, with performances that follow the dramatic design of Wagner’s words. By the time cast members are singing, they also know the material extremely well. It’s no surprise that at the Concertgebouw, no one relied on a score.

A sense of inhabiting the work extended to the concert, even if the historically informed approach, in drawing attention to itself, sometimes came off as more dissertation defense than drama. (That might also be because it wasn’t staged beyond some gestures.)

The expressive portamento was persuasive, and the sparer ornamentation, combined with skilled playing, gave the score a transparency that’s rare in Wagner performance. Ric Furman’s Siegmund, Sarah Wegener’s Sieglinde and Claude Eichenberger’s Fricka may have been small in size, but they were rich in characterization. Lower voices can be the most difficult to understand, yet Patrick Zielke’s Hundig was intelligible in each syllable; the same could be said for Welton’s Wotan. Only Christiane Libor, as Brünnhilde, was hard to follow, her control unwieldy and her pitch imprecise.

Brisk tempos kept the running time far shorter than a typical “Walküre,” and they were never breezier than in long solos. Wotan’s reflective monologue in Act II, the heart of the “Ring,” was more like a lyrical speech, with the rubato adding emotional emphasis on Brünnhilde’s name as he described how she was born.

The comparative softness in the brasses — their somewhat wan heroism compared with what we’re used to — raises questions about what “Siegfried” will sound like next year. On balance, though, this “Walküre” was an enlightening glimpse into a possible past that could have broader applications for the future of Wagner performances.

It may even have a lasting effect on Nagano, who will return to these operas later with modern orchestras. In the interview, he recalled a recent performance that he had led of Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony, which was composed as Wagner was premiering the “Ring.”

“Historically informed performance practice had quite a strong interpretive effect on that Bruckner symphony,” Nagano said. “Once one has the access to this knowledge, the inspiration and perspectives that are brought on by source materials, it’s an important part of your life as well. So I’m curious what will happen now.”

Joshua Barone is the assistant classical music and dance editor on the Culture Desk and a contributing classical music critic. More about Joshua Barone

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Gibb’s Reflective Cycle in Nursing Leadership Essay

Introduction.

In the healthcare setting, nursing leadership plays a critical role in influencing the overall health outcome. The activities involved in patient care are repetitive and tiresome, which sometimes makes nurses exhausted and unable to deliver the best quality services. In such conditions, they require a nurse manager able to inspire and motivate them to work towards achieving the objectives set. To ensure all the processes run effectively in the organization, the leader must reflect on the various encounters to improve the aspect of decision-making and management. By relying on Gibb’s Reflective Cycle, the nurse manager will have the ability to effectively scrutinize experience and establish a proper action plan necessary for better service delivery.

Description

One night at around 11 pm, when I was at home relaxing, I received a phone call from a nurse who was part of the night shift team informing me that other providers refused to attend to the patients. I had already planned the schedule and assigned each of the practitioners their roles (Tawanwongsri & Phenwan, 2019). I was forced to report and assess the situation at the hospital immediately. Several patients did not receive their routine medication, and I had to give it to them despite lateness.

I felt scared knowing how missing medication could worsen the condition of patients. Before I left the healthcare facility, I was confident knowing that I had arranged the night shift program for the providers on duty. The nurse who reported was confused and overwhelmed with duties during the situation. The scenario made the majority of the patients feel that care services were not properly given. During the phone call, I thought most sick individuals would be reactive due to poor services. Later I asked the nurses why they did not attend to the patients, and they said they were tired.

The occurrence made some of the patients change their medication to enable them to reverse the condition. The incident made me understand the value of motivation to staff workers and how it affects their performance (Markkanen et al., 2020). When I arrived, I found the active nurse had given the majority of patients their evening doses. As the nurse manager, I convinced and promised the providers to go slow and better working conditions to improve their participation.

Work burnout is a serious issue in the healthcare setting, and it is upon management to formulate effective ways to manage it. Without proper motivation, providers are more likely to become unresponsive (Dall’Ora et al., 2020). From the incident, I realized that it is important to cater to the well-being of nurses to keep them inspired. Nurse leaders should always be within the facility to intervene immediately in case of such situations.

If I had acted before to motivate the nurses either through a balanced work schedule or other benefits, the incident would not have occurred. It is now clear to me that I failed to act on my capacity to create proper working conditions to prevent work stress that limits providers’ participation. I have realized that as a leader, I must support and ensure nurses’ needs are met to enable them to remain active and ready to work.

Based on the incident, I will ensure to motivate and engage staff members by inquiring about the challenges they are facing that might hinder their service delivery. Such involvement will allow me to prevent the occurrence of such situation that risks the lives of patients. I will further establish a proper routine so professionals have adequate time to relax and refresh their minds to lower issues of burnout.

Dall’Ora, C., Ball, J., Reinius, M., & Griffiths, P. (2020). Burnout in nursing: A theoretical review . Human resources for health , 18 (1), 1-17. Web.

Markkanen, P., Välimäki, M., Anttila, M., & Kuuskorpi, M. (2020). A reflective cycle: Understanding challenging situations in a school setting . Educational Research , 62 (1), 46-62. Web.

Tawanwongsri, W., & Phenwan, T. (2019). Reflective and feedback performances on Thai medical students’ patient history-taking skills . BMC medical education , 19 (1), 1-8. Web.

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"Gibb’s Reflective Cycle in Nursing Leadership." IvyPanda , 11 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/gibbs-reflective-cycle-in-nursing-leadership/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Gibb’s Reflective Cycle in Nursing Leadership'. 11 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Gibb’s Reflective Cycle in Nursing Leadership." March 11, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gibbs-reflective-cycle-in-nursing-leadership/.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Gibb’s Reflective Cycle in Nursing Leadership." March 11, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gibbs-reflective-cycle-in-nursing-leadership/.

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COMMENTS

  1. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    Overview. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle was developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 to give structure to learning from experiences. It offers a framework for examining experiences, and given its cyclic nature lends itself particularly well to repeated experiences, allowing you to learn and plan from things that either went well or didn't go well.

  2. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle in Healthcare Essay

    Healthcare givers utilize Gibbs' reflective cycle to develop a learning structure from experience. It was created in 1988 by Graham Gibbs and has been very critical in the field of medicine (Ezezika & Johnston, 2022). Repeated experiences and encounters with the patients in the hospital enable nurses to be familiar with different conditions ...

  3. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    Introduction. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle was developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 to give structure to learning from experiences. It offers a framework for examining experiences, and given its cyclic nature lends itself particularly well to repeated experiences, allowing you to learn and plan from things that either went well or didn't go well.

  4. Gibbs

    Gibbs' Reflective Cycle. Similar to Kolb's Learning Cycle, Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle also provides a structure for a reflective essay. The structure of a piece of reflective writing, whether it be an essay or learning log entry, might consist of six components or paragraphs that follow Gibb's cycle:

  5. Communication in Nursing Practice: Gibbs' Reflective Cycle Essay

    The cycle is composed of six stages (description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan), on which the reflection regarding the personal experience will be based (Markkanen et al., 2020). The paper's principal objective is to outline a challenging situation from personal practice using Gibbs' Reflective Cycle.

  6. The ultimate guide for understanding Gibb's Reflective Cycle

    It is a widely prominent reflective cycle that helps individuals to work through past experiences and improve future practices. Gibbs' The reflective cycle was developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 with the main aim of structuring individual learnings from past experiences (Markkanen et al., 2020). Effective utilization of this cycle offers a wide ...

  7. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is a popular model for reflection, acting as a structured method to enable individuals to think systematically about the experiences they had during a specific situation.. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is a widely used and accepted model of reflection.Developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 at Oxford Polytechnic, now Oxford Brookes University, this reflective cycle framework is ...

  8. Reflective Essay: A Comprehensive Guide

    A reflective essay is a personal essay that goes far beyond the traditional confines of academic writing in its tonality, and writing style. ... Gibbs' reflective cycle, Kolb's experiential ...

  9. Kolb

    Kolb's Cycle of Reflective Practice. Kolb's (1984) cycle of reflective practice is a model designed to help people learn from their experiences. It can be used as a basis for the structure of a reflective essay, or as a way to structure your thinking. Kolb's model is based on four stages, requiring you to work through each one before the cycle ...

  10. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is an evidence-based self-reflection tool that can help people to examine their experiences and identify new measures for improving them and acquiring additional ideas (see Figure 1). This framework has become essential in the fields of nursing and healthcare delivery (Doolen, 2017).

  11. John Driscoll's "What?" Cycle of Reflection

    Cycle of Reflection Joel Gladd. The previous chapter on reflection, "Writing About Writing: Becoming a Reflective Practitioner," offered an introduction to reflective writing and explained how critical reflection is so important to the learning process. ... Assignment Directions: Write a reflective essay that 1) narrates and describes your ...

  12. PDF Reflective Writing

    Reflective writing is different from most other assignments because it is probably the only time you will be required to use "I" and "me" in an essay. You will be writing about your own personal experience and feelings, and in reflective writing it is important to tell the reader what you think and feel about things. Many

  13. Development and Implementation of a Reflective Writing Assignment for

    An example of a study that examined the impact of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle on medical students was documented in Dhaliwal et al. (2018) where they piloted a reflective assignment in which medical students were introduced to Gibbs' Reflective Cycle during a half-day workshop and subsequently submitted reflective narratives based on a doctor ...

  14. LibGuides: Reflective Practice Toolkit: Models of reflection

    Gibb's Reflective Cycle. The final model builds on the other three and adds more stages. It is 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. Gibb's cycle contains six stages: Description; Feelings; Evaluation; Analysis; Conclusion; Action plan

  15. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle explained with lots of Examples.

    The Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is a Tool that helps professionals Grow and Learn from their past Experiences. To do this, it proposes to analyze the Situations in which someone wants to Improve. Drawing Conclusions that allow us to do things better in the future. It consists of 6 Repetitive Steps (a cycle): Description. Feelings.

  16. Sample Essay Using Gibbs' Reflective Model

    This essay aims to critically reflect on an encounter with a service user in a health care setting. The Gibbs' Reflective Cycle will be used as this is a popular model of reflection. Reflection is associated with learning from experience. It is viewed as an important approach for professionals who embrace lifelong learning (Jasper, 2013).

  17. Gibb's Reflective Cycle: Analysis

    Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is essential in providing assessments and evaluations for a patient. The process entails six stages of exploring an experience, including; description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan (Li et al., 2020). This reflection is essential to me as it relates to the challenges that can occur if ...

  18. A complete guide to writing a reflective essay

    Here's a recap of the contents of this article, which also serves as a way to create a mind map: 1. Identify the topic you will be writing on. 2. Note down any ideas that are related to the topic and if you want to, try drawing a diagram to link together any topics, theories, and ideas. 3.

  19. ERA

    The ERA stands for Experience, Reflection, Action. This simple framework was developed by Jasper (2013) and is based around building understanding from experience. The key component is that of action, as this feeds learning through reflection forward into future experiences. There are obvious parallels with the Kolb cycle.

  20. In-depth explanation of ERA Cycle of Reflection Writing

    ERA cycle first came into light through the book, "Beginning of Reflective Model" written by Melanie Jasper in 2013. This is the simplest model which works quite similar to Kolb's reflective cycle but only contains 3 stages to self-introspect naming. These three components form a building block of reflective practices and underline the ...

  21. Gibb's Reflective Cycle

    Therapeutic interaction in nursing. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. This essay, "Gibb's Reflective Cycle" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your own paper. However, you must cite it accordingly .

  22. How Did Wagner Want His 'Ring' Cycle to Sound?

    Wotan's reflective monologue in Act II, the heart of the "Ring," was more like a lyrical speech, with the rubato adding emotional emphasis on Brünnhilde's name as he described how she was ...

  23. Gibb's Reflective Cycle in Nursing Leadership Essay

    Reflective and feedback performances on Thai medical students' patient history-taking skills. BMC medical education, 19 (1), 1-8. Web. This essay, "Gibb's Reflective Cycle in Nursing Leadership" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your own paper.