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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.

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  • Learn From Your Past Experience with Gibb’s Reflective Cycle
  • Exploring Different Types of Reflection Models with Examples

Jessica Robinson - Image

You must have heard about Gibbs' 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 opportunity to examine past experiences and improve future actions.

Table of Contents

Six stages of gibbs' reflective cycle.

  • Example of Gibbs' reflective cycle

Hence, the efficacious use of Gibbs' reflective cycle helps individuals to learn from past experiences that went well as well as past experiences that did not. The 6 stages of Gibbs' cycle include description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan (Smith & Roberts, 2015).

For each step of this framework, you can work on a set of helpful questions given below to properly reflect on your past experiences and situations.

Stage 1: Description

The first step in Gibbs' reflective cycle is a description where you get an opportunity to properly describe a situation based on your experience. The following questions can assist you in describing your experience are

  • What happened? In this, you will explain the factual information about the experience you want to reflect upon.
  • Why did it happen? In this, you will underline the main reason behind the occurrence of the event.
  • What did you do? While answering this question, you will highlight all the actions taken by you.
  • Who was present? In this, you will highlight all the people that were present during the event.
  • What were the major outcomes? In this, you will underline the results of the actions that were taken by you.

Using these questions, you will provide complete background information about an incident as well as a factual description of the event you want to reflect upon.

Stage 2: Feelings

The second step in Gibbs’ reflective cycle is an analysis of your feelings where you can describe your thoughts as well as feelings in detail to reflect on the corresponding experience of your feelings. You can reflect on this phase on the basis of a few assisting questions given below:

  • What did you feel? In this section, you will highlight your feelings during the experience.
  • Why did you feel this way? You will highlight the major reasons behind feeling the way you were feeling.
  • How did other external factors influence your feelings? In this section, you will underline the positive or negative influence of other external factors such as the environment, and other involved people on your feelings.
  • How did other internal factors influence your feelings? In this section, you will highlight the influence of various internal factors such as mindset, attitude, and physical or mental health.

These questions will help you to describe your feelings and the way in detail and will also assist in making the reader understand your emotional aspect from the incident you are reflecting upon.

Stage 3: Evaluation

In the evaluation phase, you get a chance to properly evaluate what worked well and what didn't work well. This phase includes the evaluation of experiences from both good as well as bad points, allowing you to mentally create a report of the experience. Below given are the questions that can be answered in this phase

  • What worked well? In this, you will highlight the positive outcomes of your actions throughout the experience.
  • What didn't work well? This will highlight all the negative outcomes of your actions taken by you throughout the experience.
  • What did you contribute? Through this question, you will highlight your contribution to the whole experience.
  • What did others contribute? While answering this question, you will highlight the actions of others that were involved in the situation.
  • What was missing? In this, you will highlight the actions that were missing in the experience as per your opinion.

Based on these questions, you can honestly and objectively evaluate the past situation which will also help you in setting a base for future actions.

Elaboration of Gibbs reflective cycle

Stage 4: Analysis

In an analysis phase, you can make sense of a whole situation and determine the exact meaning of a situation along with the reasons for its success or failure. Some helpful questions for the analysis phase of Gibbs’ reflective cycle include

  • Why did things not work well? In this, you will point out the reason as per your knowledge that contributed to the failures of your actions in your experience.
  • Why did things go well? Through this section, you will highlight the reasons behind the success of your actions.
  • What is the exact meaning that we can drive from a situation? While answering this question, you will highlight the overall analysis of the situation.

Based on the analysis, you can get a clear picture of the situation and ensure that every aspect of the situation is covered and understood meticulously.

Stage 5: Conclusion

After a proper situation analysis, you can also conclude the whole situation by reflecting on your learnings. In this phase, you can highlight changes that you need to make to your actions while dealing with future situations. In this phase, a list of questions includes

  • What did you learn? In this, you will highlight all of your main learnings of the situation.
  • What skills do you need to gain to handle situations more effectively? Through this, you will highlight the requirements of the skills for handling the situation better in the future.
  • What else could you have done to deal with situations differently? In this, you will highlight the alternative actions that you could have taken to respond to the same situation in a different manner.

After the analysis, in the conclusion phase, using the above questions, you will clearly outline your learnings and the skills gained through the experience.

Stage 6: Action plan

In the action plan stage in Gibbs’ reflective cycle, you can plan to deal with future situations. It is an important phase of this reflective cycle as this phase helps to determine ways to deal with similar situations in the future and actions that you need to take to improve your ability to deal with various situations. Some questions that can be considered in this stage include

  • How will you deal with this situation more effectively in the future? In this, you will highlight the actions that you have thought of that will help you in dealing with a similar situation differently in the future.
  • How will you develop your skills and abilities to deal with similar situations? In this situation, you will highlight the methods in which you will develop the skills for dealing with situations more effectively.

After understanding the cycle, let us now take an example of reflective practice in health education to reflect on the learning situation using Gibbs’ reflective cycle.

Gibbs’ reflective cycle example in health education

Case assessment - This reflective example will highlight the experience of students in a group task of completing a health project. In this, a student will reflect upon a group task assigned to students during their MSc in health practice.

While doing my MSc in health practice, I was required to engage in various group work assignments and during a certain group work task, my team members decided to divide tasks among group members. All team members encouraged me to divide the tasks among the team. I divided tasks among team members according to their knowledge regarding various healthcare practices to ensure that all tasks are completed within a set deadline. All team members encouraged me to divide the tasks among the team. I divided tasks among team members according to their knowledge regarding various healthcare practices to ensure that all tasks are completed within a set deadline. However, I failed to consider the risk of various contingencies in completing projects and the same occurred when one of our team members was hospitalized due to some health emergency which resulted in a lack of task completion assigned to that team member. My whole team was present when I got a call from the injured team member about the accident that occurred to him. This then resulted in an increased burden to complete tasks among team members and failure to complete a task on time.

Before beginning the health project, I was very confident regarding my team management capabilities. I felt that our team will be able to complete assigned tasks on time due to my strong knowledge and abilities. I was already feeling very guilty that our project got delayed because of my lack of planning but the external factors made me feel even worse. Other than that, I felt like it was my overconfidence that made me feel more guilty because things did not work as planned.

During the group health project, a thing that worked well was the effort of team members to complete work within the extended deadline was cooperation as well as motivation among all team members. However, I believe that the hospitalization of one team member resulted in a lack of task completion on time. I felt that contingency planning is one most important requirement in a team project which was missing in this project. Thus, I believe that I am also responsible for the bad repercussions of this situation as I failed to properly plan and did not consider the risks of contingencies in a group. But still, till the end, everyone contributed effectively and did not lose hope till the end and gave their best.

I think the major reasons behind the successful completion were group efforts, cooperation abilities, self-identification of strengths, effective division of tasks, and ability to help others. However, the only thing that created a problem in completing a project is a lack of time management and planning capabilities. Through this whole experience, I believe that I need to focus on improving my time management skills as well as leading the ability to effectively manage group tasks.

After getting into this group health project, I got to know that time management and contingency planning are important skills that every project manager needs to possess to effectively manage group tasks. I also found that team management is possible only through the cooperation of team members as well as their effort to give the best results to a team project. I learned that as a project manager, it is always better to have a contingency plan ready for implementation than to develop one as risk is taking its toll (Heimann, J. F. 2000). However, I found that various problems can arise in a group task which could be managed effectively by making contingency plans for such situations in advance. I would have prepared contingency plans in the beginning and I believe that it would have helped me in dealing with situations differently.

In order to deal with this situation in the future, I have decided that I will use various time management tools such as PERT and CPM while planning various group tasks to keep separate times for various contingencies. For enhancing my time management and planning skills, I have decided to use time management skills such as making time tables and assigning time blocks for each task. If a similar situation occurs again in the future, I will ensure that in the planning phase only, I take time for contingency planning and plan things accordingly.

How to reference Gibbs reflective cycle?

To reference Gibbs' reflective cycle, include the author's name "Gibbs" and the publication year (if available) in parentheses. For instance, in APA style, it would be: (Gibbs, 1988). If you use a direct quote, add the page number as well.

Can Gibbs' Reflective Model be used in any profession?

Yes, the model is versatile and applicable in various professions and fields, including education, healthcare, social work, and more.

What are the disadvantages of Gibb's reflective cycle?

Gibbs' reflective cycle lacks a strong theoretical foundation and may not suit complex or long-term learning experiences. Some of you may even find its structured approach restrictive that could potentially overlook unique aspects of individual experiences. Additionally, it may not be universally applicable to various learning contexts.

Previous Model

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. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2020.1711790

Smith, J., & Roberts, R. (2015). Reflective Practice. Vital Signs For Nurses, 222-230. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119139119.ch14

Heimann, J. F. (2000). Contingency planning as a necessity. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium, Houston, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

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Article • 5 min read

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

Helping people learn from experience.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

Many people find that they learn best from experience.

However, if they don't reflect on their experience, and if they don't consciously think about how they could do better next time, it's hard for them to learn anything at all.

This is where Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is useful. You can use it to help your people make sense of situations at work, so that they can understand what they did well and what they could do better in the future.

What Is Gibbs' Reflective Cycle?

Professor Graham Gibbs published his Reflective Cycle in his 1988 book " Learning by Doing ." It's particularly useful for helping people learn from situations that they experience regularly, especially when these don't go well.

Gibbs' cycle is shown below.

Figure 1 – Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

From "Learning by Doing" by Graham Gibbs. Published by Oxford Polytechnic, 1988.

Gibbs' original model had six stages. The stage we haven't covered here is "Analysis" – we've included this as part of the Evaluation stage.

Using the Model

You can use the model to explore a situation yourself, or you can use it with someone you're coaching – we look at coaching use in this article, but you can apply the same approach when you're on your own.

To structure a coaching session using Gibbs' Cycle, choose a situation to analyze and then work through the steps below.

Step 1: Description

First, ask the person you're coaching to describe the situation in detail. At this stage, you simply want to know what happened – you'll draw conclusions later.

Consider asking questions like these to help them describe the situation:

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

Step 2: Feelings

Next, encourage them to talk about what they thought and felt during the experience. At this stage, avoid commenting on their emotions.

Use questions like these to guide the discussion:

  • What did you feel before this situation took place?
  • What did you feel while this situation took place?
  • What do you think other people felt during this situation?
  • What did you feel after the situation?
  • What do you think about the situation now?
  • What do you think other people feel about the situation now?

It might be difficult for some people to talk honestly about their feelings. Use Empathic Listening at this stage to connect with them emotionally, and to try to see things from their point of view.

You can use the Perceptual Positions technique to help this person see the situation from other people's perspectives.

Step 3: Evaluation

Now you need to encourage the person you're coaching to look objectively at what approaches worked, and which ones didn't.

  • What was positive about this situation?
  • What was negative?
  • What went well?
  • What didn't go so well?
  • What did you and other people do to contribute to the situation (either positively or negatively)?

If appropriate, use a technique such as the 5 Whys to help your team member uncover the root cause of the issue.

Step 4: Conclusions

Once you've evaluated the situation, you can help your team member draw conclusions about what happened.

Encourage them to think about the situation again, using the information that you've collected so far. Then ask questions like these:

  • How could this have been a more positive experience for everyone involved?
  • If you were faced with the same situation again, what would you do differently?
  • What skills do you need to develop, so that you can handle this type of situation better?

Step 5: Action

You should now have some possible actions that your team member can take to deal with similar situations more effectively in the future.

In this last stage, you need to come up with a plan so that they can make these changes.

Once you've identified the areas they'll work on, get them to commit to taking action, and agree a date on which you will both review progress.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

What is purpose of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle?

The reflective cycle is a way to better learn from experience. It can be used to help people learn from mistakes, to make sense of situations, and analyse and refelct on their reactions to different situations.

What are the six stages of reflection?

The stages of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle are the following: descrition, feelings, evaluation, conclusion, and action. In the original model Gibbs included a sixth stage, analysis, which we've included in the evaluation stage.

What is the difference between Gibbs and Kolb's reflective cycles?

David Kolb's cycle has only four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Kolb's model is more about explaining the concept of what he calls "experiential learning" – whereas Gibbs' cycle is an attempt to provide a practical method for learning from experience.

This tool is structured as a cycle, reflecting an ongoing coaching relationship. Whether you use it this way depends on the situation and your relationship with the person being coached.

Graham Gibbs published his Reflective Cycle in 1988. There are five stages in the cycle:

  • Description.
  • Evaluation.
  • Conclusions.

You can use it to help team members think about how they deal with situations, so that they can understand what they did wel and where they need to improve.

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How To Lead a Gibbs Reflective Cycle Exercise (+Template)

Picture of Michelle Bennett

When was the last time you or your team stepped back and learned from an experience or situation at work? For many who are fighting to meet tight deadlines and deliver on pressing projects, taking time to learn from experience and reflect on situations falls by the wayside. 

However, new research shows that is a mistake, as taking time to reflect on scenarios at work improves performance in the long run. Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino explains why: "When we stop, reflect, and think about learning, we feel a greater sense of self-efficacy. We're more motivated, and we perform better afterward." To make reflection an intentional activity for your team, you’ll want to run a Gibbs Reflective Cycle exercise to help you make reflection an intentional activity. In this article, we’ll review the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, the corresponding model, and how to run the exercise, as well as provide you with a template you can use with your own team.

What is the Gibbs Reflective Cycle?

  • What is the Gibbs Model of Reflection?
  • How To Lead a Gibbs Reflective Cycle Exercise
  • Gibbs Reflective Cycle Template

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a systematic process that individuals and teams can use to reflect upon and learn from their experiences at work. Originally put forth by Professor Graham Gibbs in his 1988 book, Learn by Doing , the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a step-by-step approach to analyzing and understanding the complexities of workplace situations. The purpose is to gain valuable insights and improve decision-making in the future.

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

What is the Gibbs Model of Reflection? What Are the Six Stages? 

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle centers on a model that consists of six stages, known as the Gibbs Model of Reflection. The model outlines the process by which individuals and teams follow to learn from different experiences at work. Here are the six stages and a brief description of each: 

  • Description
  • Action Plan 

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle - Niagara Institute

1. Description

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle starts by objectively describing the situation or experience that is to be evaluated and reflected upon. In this stage, you will provide details regarding the context and individuals involved, as well as any relevant background information.

2. Feelings

The second step in the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is to explore your emotions during the experience in question. Here, you will note the positive and negative feelings you had during the experience. Identifying and acknowledging emotions is critical to gaining a deeper understanding of the situation.

3. Evaluation 

At this stage of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, you break down the experience into two areas - what went well and what could have been improved. It is in this stage that you will assess the strengths and weaknesses of your approach, considering both your actions and the outcomes.

4. Analysis

Now, it’s time to dig deeper into the situation to determine the root cause of the underlying factors contributing to the outcomes. Here is where you’ll begin to make sense of what happened by taking the details of what happened (steps one to three) and the meaning behind it.

5. Conclusion

Equipped with your analysis of the situation, you will want to summarize the key learnings from your reflection. Here, you will identify what you learned from this experience and the insights you will apply to similar situations in the future.

6. Action Plan

The last step of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is to create an action plan based on your analysis and conclusions outlining the specific steps to be followed to improve performance or address any skill gaps. In this final reflection step, you will want to set measurable goals and define actionable strategies, such as a training plan , to help you implement the lesson learned and grow as an individual or team.

Instructions: How To Lead a Gibbs Reflective Cycle Exercise to Learn from Experience

Gibbs Reflective Cycle Template from Niagara Institute

Step 1: Pick the Situation and Detail What Happened

You will likely already have an idea of the situation in which you want your team to learn from experience. Situations often include when something goes wrong, a mistake is made , negative feedback is received, there is a conflict , a timeline isn’t met, or a goal is not achieved. Once the situation is determined, ask your team a series of questions to help describe the situation in detail. Here is a list of example questions you might ask:

  • When did this happen?
  • Who was involved?
  • What happened?
  • What was the team’s/individual’s response?
  • What was the response of the other people involved?
  • What was the outcome of this situation?

Step 2: Explore Feelings and Reactions

The next step is to explore the feelings and reactions related to the situation. The goal is to bring awareness to how certain feelings may have impacted the experience. Here is a list of example questions you might ask to encourage this level of reflection: 

  • What were your/the team’s feelings during the situation?
  • What were your/the team’s feelings before and after the situation?
  • What do you think other people were feeling about the situation?
  • What do you think they feel about the situation now?
  • What were you thinking during the situation?
  • What do you think about the situation now that some time has passed?

Step 3: Evaluate What Worked and What Didn’t

Once the situation has been clearly defined and feelings have been explored, it’s time to evaluate the situation by looking at the positives and negatives. While it may be hard, it is important that you and your team are objective and honest in your evaluation. Here are a few example questions you might ask during this step: 

  • What worked? What was good about the experience?
  • What didn’t work? What was bad about the experience?
  • What positive aspects did you, the team, and others contribute to the situation?
  • What negative aspects did you, the team, and others contribute to the situation?
  • Was the situation resolved in the end?

Step 4: Determine the Root Cause of the Situation

Next, you will want to identify the root cause of the situation or experience. You should draw upon theory or literature to help explain what happened. The Niagara Institute has a robust library of articles on teamwork, leadership, communication, and conflict management, to name a few. Here are a few questions to ask to help your team get to the bottom of the root cause: 

  • Why did things go well/badly?
  • Could you/the team respond in a different way?
  • What could have been done differently to improve the situation?
  • Is there any theory or literature that can explain what happened?

Step 5: Summarize What Happened and What Was Learned

Once that is complete, you and your team will need to come to a conclusion regarding what happened and what you have learned from it. Encourage your team to review the situation again by assessing the information you’ve gathered and tracked from the previous steps. To get them to do so, ask the following types of questions: 

  • What was learned from this situation?
  • What could have been done differently to make this a more positive experience for everyone involved?
  • What can you/the team now do better?
  • What skills (individual or team) are needed to ensure a better outcome next time?
  • Are there any new processes that should be implemented to ensure a better outcome?

Step 6: Create An Action Plan

The final step is to create an action plan that will help ensure similar situations are avoided or handled more effectively in the future. You’ll want to address any skill gaps, process improvements, or behavioral changes that need to be made. Doing so will show your leaders and those you lead that you’re proactive in making changes to ensure the outcome of a similar situation in the future will be different. Here are a few questions you may ask at this point: 

  • What skills or behaviors need to be developed?
  • What plans, policies, or procedures need to be implemented?
  • How will you/your team hold each other accountable to ensure the outcome is different next time?

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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 )

Gibbs reflective cycle template

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.

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

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

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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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Why I don’t like Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in reflective practice

Reflective practice.

Reflective practice is a core tenet of many professions. From nursing to teaching – reflective practice is an aspect of qualification, a requirement of professional bodies and an accepted aspect of practice. Reflective practice requires an individual to engage in conscious thought about an experience, event or practice. Such thinking should be critical; considering both what has worked and what has not. The aim of such reflective thinking is to identify what went well so that you can keep doing it – and what hasn’t worked well so you can change it. In short, reflection should be a useful tool for future action. Reflection also requires some form of expression – from writing in a personal diary or keeping notes on your practice to having a conversation with peers or writing a formal essay. Reflection needs communicating – even if it is only for your own use.

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

While there are many different academic models of reflection, they usually revolve around three core components: an experience, thinking about an experience and then putting that learning into practice. Popular models include Kolb , Gibbs , Schön , Rolfe et al. , ERA and Brookfield . As a learning developer, I see these models used frequently in student work. There is, however, one model I see more than any: Gibbs ‘ Reflective Cycle – and I’m sick of it.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

Before I start the critique, I should first say that Gibbs’ model has its uses. The rigid structure serves some students well, setting out how their essays should look. Instead of fretting over planning, this is largely set out in Gibbs’ model.

Another advantage is that it annexes descriptions into a single section. While this can cause other problems, it at least contextualises the role of description in the rest of the piece – it is a small aspect. I also like how Gibbs’ refers to feelings as a distinct aspect. Feelings are often overlooked and their prominence in the Reflective Cycle is helpful at framing reflection as different from normal discursive academic writing.

Describe what happened briefly. Feelings - Describe feelings/emotional response. Evaluation - What was good/bad about response. Analysis - How do you make sense of it? (use research). Conclusions - General conclusions. Specific conclusions - Action Plan What would you do next time?

Criticisms of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

Having given Gibbs some form of an introduction, this section briefly lists the issues:

  • The Reflective Cycle is boring – The six-stage model leaves little breathing room for interpretation or expansion. It produces essays that are samey.
  • The Reflective Cycle determines paragraphs – Most implementations of Gibbs’ model force students into a single paragraph per stage of the model. This doesn’t scale well as essay lengths increase, leading to too much description and feelings. It also does not provide much freedom on how different elements of a reflection are structured.
  • The Reflective Cycle can lead to superficial reflections – This is because Gibbs does not require the writer to challenge values or assumptions associated with any of their actions in the experience.
  • The Reflective Cycle fails to draw connections – Without linking the experience being reflected upon to other events, there is a missed opportunity to demonstrate depth.
  • The Reflective Cycle focuses too much on the reflector – While reflection is a highly individualistic thing, most approaches to it consider there are others. However, Gibbs fails to move beyond analysis of self. This can make reflections self-serving as opposed to individually useful (and sometimes that means challenging!).
  • The Reflective Cycle fails to pose probing questions – While deep, probing questions certainly can be associated with some of the aspects of Gibbs’ model, as presented in overview, these are lost. This, again, leads to superficial reflections.
  • The Reflective Cycle fails to engage critical thinking – While the model has components of evaluation and analysis, these are simply defined. Evaluation and analysis should present an opportunity for critical thinking – but this is largely absent.
  • The Reflective Cycle fails to contextualise – The distinct sections for description and feelings are set towards the front of an essay. This can makes it difficult to links between different aspects of evaluation and analysis with elements of description.
  • The Reflective Cycle confuses novices – So many students struggle to differentiate the evaluation and analysis. This can lead to mixed up sections. I also don’t know if the analysis and evaluation are the right way round. Sometimes I’m in favour of swopping – and others in favour of the status quo.

These points demonstrate many of the weaknesses associated with Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. I often find simpler models more effective as they give more freedom and space for tailoring to the task required.

Other options

When considering Gibbs, it is also useful to consider that other models are available. My favourites right now are:

Rolfe et al’s (2001) framework focuses on three questions:

While this may seem simpler than Gibbs, I feel it allows more flexibility and adaptation. The three questions lead writers to consider a combination of description, links to theory and actions to take forward.

Brookfield’s (2005) four lenses encourage reflectors to consider an event from multiple perspectives

  • Lens of their own autobiography as teachers and learners
  • Lens of students’ eyes
  • Lens of colleagues experiences
  • Lens of educational literature

This directly addresses one of the critiques of Gibbs – that there is no consideration of others in depth.

3 thoughts to “Why I don’t like Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in reflective practice”

well written piece Dr Lee

Well written piece. I am an educator and I am always disappointed at the quality and depth of my students use of the Gibbs cycle. It seems straight jacketed and boring. I will explore other models

Thank you for your critique of the Gibbs model. I thought I was in the company of none, having this irk me. I too am irritated at having Gibbs thrusted down my neck at every turn in educational settings. The same settings that advocate the importance of self guided learning. On reflection I have learnt, that I don’t learn from the afore mentioned model. I learned that I just conform to appease the person marking my paper.

End of rant.

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gibbs-reflective-cycle

What is Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle? The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle In A Nutshell

Gibbs’ reflective cycle was developed by Dr. Graham Gibbs in 1988 – a research leader in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Huddersfield. Gibbs’ reflective cycle is a framework giving structure to the process of learning from experience through six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis , conclusions, and action plan.

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

Table of Contents

Understanding Gibbs’ reflective cycle

In his work entitled Learning by Doing, A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods, Gibbs noted that it was

“ 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. ”

Fundamentally, Gibbs’ reflective cycle supports experiential learning through a structured debriefing process.

Experiential learning is simply the process of learning by experience, but it’s worth noting that the technique also considers that one’s education and work also impact the way they learn and understand new knowledge.

The nature of the framework as a cycle means it can be used for continuous improvement of repeated experiences, enabling the practitioner to learn and plan based on things that went well and others that did not.

With that in mind, the cycle can also be used to reflect on singular, standalone experiences unlikely to be repeated.

Whether by accident or by design , Gibbs’ reflective cycle has been an influential force in teacher development programs and also across a variety of different health professions.

In truth, however, the cycle is useful for any practitioner who finds themselves studying, practicing, or teaching the skills of critical reflection.

Gibbs’ reflective cycle advantages and disadvantages

Learning can happen both in structured and unstructured ways.

At the business level, having a framework like Gibbs’ reflective cycle can be extremely helpful as a review process for individuals within the organizations.

It’s therefore critical, for the framework to work, to follow its steps, from description to action plan.

Gibb’s reflective cycle  structures  the process of learning from experience through six stages: description, feelings, evaluation,  analysis , conclusions, and action  plan , thus enabling anyone within an organization to assess what happened and how to improve.

In that respect, this framework helps individuals within organizations to develop a better understanding of their capabilities as they move to a structured way to assess any situation by first analyzing it objectively.

And only after looking at it from an emotional standpoint.

The analysis and action plan make it possible to improve and become way more balanced in assessing business situations moving forward.

In that respect, Gibbs’ reflective cycle is a simple to implement model , with clear and structured steps that can help improve professionally.

Disadvantages

For Gibbs’ reflective model to work, it needs to be done objectively, and there needs to be a sincere analysis of the situation at hand by the person using it.

A superficial assessment of the situation and a lack of judgment about what happened can make the framework useless.

Indeed, especially in the analysis part, it’s critical to frame the event as objectively as possible, making it possible later to assess it from an emotive standpoint.

Only by following the process with an open-minded approach (where you’re ready to get involved in the process) can the model really enable you from a professional standpoint.

The six stages of Gibbs’ reflective cycle

Each of the six stages of Gibbs’ model encourages the individual to reflect on their experiences through questions.

Following is a look at each stage and some of the questions that may result.

  • 1 – Description

In the first stage, the individual has an opportunity to describe the situation in detail.

It’s important to remain objective – feelings, thoughts, emotions, and inferences can be described later.

Individuals should provide a detailed account of what happened, who was involved, and what actions were taken.

The purpose of this initial stage is to provide a clear and objective picture of the experience so that the individual can reflect on and recall the event in more detail.

Some helpful questions include:

  • What happened?
  • Who was present?
  • When and where did it happen?
  • What were the actions of the people involved?
  • What was the outcome?
  • 2 – Feelings

Now is the time to explore feelings or thoughts associated with the event.

To do this, it is important for the individual to look back on their emotional state and any rational thoughts about the situation itself.

The purpose of this stage is primarily to help someone understand the impact of the event on their emotions and how it affected them.

The feelings stage also allows them to derive insights from their emotional responses and identify any underlying problems that require attention.

Some questions to ask in the second stage include:

  • What were you feeling before, during, and after the event?
  • What do you believe other people were thinking or feeling?
  • What do you think about the situation now that some time has passed?
  • 3 – Evaluation

Evaluation means determining the positive and negative aspects of the event – regardless of whether you consider the event to be one or the other. Again, objectivity is key. 

Objectivity enables the individual to make value judgments, which are evaluative statements of how good or bad they believe an idea, action, or situation to be.

Value judgments are often prescriptive in the sense that they reveal how the individual perceives the world via certain attitudes and behaviors.In the third stage, objectivity can also be increased when the individual considers the experiences and perspectives of other people.

Some pointers include:

  • What was good and bad about the experience?
  • What did you contribute to the situation? 
  • Did your actions have a positive or negative impact? Repeat the question to consider the contributions of others.
  • 4 – Analysis

During the analysis stage, you have a chance to understand what happened using theory and context.

This step should comprise the bulk of your reflection and should take into account any insights gleaned from the previous steps.

In the process of analyzing the situation, the individual should always try to make sense of it and distinguish fact from fiction.

It can also be helpful to consider whether their experiences differ from others.

To do this, co-workers and those who can provide quality input can be consulted for assistance.

However, diverse opinion should be balanced with research of the literature and relevant theories to better understand what transpired.

  • Why did things go well or go badly?
  • How does your experience compare to academic literature, if applicable?
  • Could you have responded differently?
  • Are there theories or models that can help you understand what happened?
  • Are there factors likely to have contributed to a better outcome?
  • 5 – Conclusions

In the fifth stage, conclude what happened by summarising key findings and reflecting on changes that could improve future outcomes. 

When making conclusions, the individual must consider how they will impact them on a personal level.

After which, they can think about what the conclusions mean for their immediate context and then more broadly when others are involved (such as in a team, workplace, or department).

This step should be a natural and intuitive response to the previous steps. It may incorporate questions such as:

  • What did the situation teach you? You can be rather general or more specific.
  • How might the situation have been more positive for all concerned?
  • What skills or competencies are required to handle the situation more effectively?
  • 6 – Action plan

Lastly, an action plan is crafted to detail how you will respond differently to a similar situation in the future. The plan is important in making sure good intentions are backed by action. 

The action plan stage is one of the most important for obvious reasons.

It involves the identification of specific steps that need to be taken to improve a similar future experience or prevent an event from occurring in the future. 

Ultimately, action plans help individuals develop strategies for future improvement and growth .

They can take a proactive (not reactive) approach to their experiences and use them as a tool for personal development.

To get you in the right of mind, consider these questions:

  • What would you do differently when faced with a similar situation? How would your new skills or knowledge be applied?
  • How can you make sure you act differently when faced with a similar situation in the future?
  • How and when will you develop the required skills?

Gibbs’ reflective cycle example – getting a promotion

Imagine that you have recently been promoted to a regional management position for a supermarket chain.

As part of your new role, you are required to oversee multiple store managers ensure sales in your region meet stated targets.

Now, imagine it is your first day on the job and you drive out to visit your first store.

You have difficulty imposing yourself on the manager of the store, despite the fact he is a subordinate.

The matter is exacerbated by the presence of a senior manager, your direct superior, who is spending the day with you to ensure a seamless transition and is watching your every move.

Customers also look on as the discussion, which concerns a promotional display at the front of the store, becomes heated.

The disagreement causes the store manager to walk away while you are expressing your point of view.

This is the description stage of Gibbs’ reflective cycle. Now, let’s take a look at the others.

As with most people who start in a new position, you were likely nervous, anxious, or uncertain about what would happen on your first day.

You may also have been insecure about your authority and fearful that it may be challenged by a subordinate who was used to the previous, more lenient regional manager. 

During the event, you felt a mixture of shame and embarrassment as the altercation was playing out in front of customers.

You were also worried that your direct supervisor would start to second-guess his decision to promote you.

After the event, most of these emotions have dulled somewhat and you start to realize that the actions of the store manager do not necessarily reflect your ability to lead others.

3 – Evaluations

The good part of this experience was that you at least attempted to assert your authority about the promotional display.

While it was received poorly by the store manager, he must understand that this will be the nature of our relationship moving forward.

Furthermore, it must be remembered that many employees resistant to change react with negative emotions.

The bad part of this experience was the fact that the whole experience had to play out in public.

Our customers are our number one priority and it would have been preferable for the discussion to be held in private.

My failed attempt to move to the discussion elsewhere may have contributed to the situation.

On analysis , the situation occurred because a store manager who was accustomed to the status quo reacted badly to a change in management approach.

The presence of the senior manager in the store may have also worsened the fear and distrust that often accompanies change.

Multiple change management frameworks confirm this to be a common occurrence.

Nevertheless, maybe you could have responded differently by disarming the store manager in some way.

You could have smiled more or let him take you on a tour of the store and left the heavy-handed managerial directives for another day.

The situation taught you that building relationships with subordinates is as important as it is with friends, family, superiors, and colleagues.

Some subordinates – particularly those with some degree of seniority themselves – will be reluctant to obey your commands point-blank.

The situation could have been handled better by easing into the transition.

Perhaps you could have visited the store beforehand and held an informal lunch with the store manager so that the both of you could get to know each other.

Given that you have 16 stores under your supervision, you realize the importance of developing an action plan to avoid a potential repeat of the situation.

As part of this plan, you undertake extra company training on management techniques and learn power phrases that can be used to disarm verbal aggression. 

You also learn how to better read someone’s body language and build rapport with your store managers.

This is seen as a more beneficial alternative than talking about business objectives right away and potentially alienating them forever.

If a situation does arise in the future, you know that these techniques and training will help you neutralize demonstrative behavior and avoid tensions escalating.

Drawbacks of Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle:

While Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a valuable tool for self-reflection and learning, it has some limitations and potential drawbacks:

1. Subjective Nature:

The reflective process is inherently subjective, relying on an individual’s perceptions and interpretations, which may not always align with objective reality.

2. Time-Consuming:

The process of going through all the stages in the cycle can be time-consuming, which may deter individuals from engaging in reflective practice regularly.

3. Complexity:

Some individuals may find the structured nature of the cycle complex, especially if they are new to reflective practice.

4. Limited in Specific Fields:

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle may be more applicable to certain fields (e.g., education, healthcare) than others, potentially limiting its universal use.

5. May Not Address Complex Ethical Dilemmas:

For complex ethical dilemmas, the cycle may not provide sufficient depth or guidance in decision-making.

When to Use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle:

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is valuable in various scenarios:

1. Educational Settings:

It is commonly used in educational settings to encourage students to reflect on their learning experiences, identify areas for improvement, and enhance critical thinking skills.

2. Professional Development:

Professionals in fields like healthcare, social work, and teaching use the cycle to review their practice, make improvements, and ensure continuous development.

3. Decision-Making:

It can be applied when making important decisions, particularly those involving ethical considerations, to explore the consequences and underlying values.

4. Personal Growth:

Individuals seeking personal growth and self-improvement can use the cycle to reflect on life experiences and set personal development goals.

How to Use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle:

Implementing Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle effectively involves following a structured process:

1. Description:

Describe the experience or situation you want to reflect on, providing context and details of what happened.

2. Feelings:

Examine your emotional response to the experience. What were your feelings and thoughts at the time?

3. Evaluation:

Evaluate the experience, considering both positive and negative aspects. What went well, and what could have been done differently?

4. Analysis:

Analyze the experience by exploring its significance, what you learned from it, and any underlying issues or challenges.

5. Conclusion:

Draw conclusions from your analysis . What can you generalize from this experience? What insights have you gained?

6. Action Plan:

Identify specific actions you can take to apply what you’ve learned to future situations. How can you improve your practice or make informed decisions?

What to Expect from Implementing Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle:

Implementing Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle can lead to several outcomes and benefits:

1. Improved Self-Awareness:

Through reflection, individuals gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and reactions in various situations.

2. Enhanced Decision-Making:

Reflective practice can lead to better-informed decision-making by considering past experiences and their consequences.

3. Continuous Learning:

It promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement, both personally and professionally.

4. Problem-Solving Skills:

It enhances problem-solving skills by encouraging individuals to analyze and evaluate their experiences.

5. Professional Growth:

Professionals can use reflective practice to enhance their skills, adapt to new challenges, and meet the evolving needs of their roles.

6. Ethical Considerations:

It provides a structured approach to exploring ethical dilemmas and making decisions in alignment with one’s values and principles.

In conclusion, Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a valuable framework for self-reflection and learning.

While it has its drawbacks and complexities, understanding when to use it and how to apply it effectively can lead to improved self-awareness, decision-making, and personal and professional growth .

By following the steps outlined in the cycle and recognizing its potential benefits and drawbacks, individuals and educators can leverage Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to enhance their reflective practice and learning experiences.

Gibbs’ reflective cycle example – startup accelerator

Suppose that an entrepreneur is part of a start-up accelerator and, at the culmination of their three months with the company, has the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a room full of attentive investors.

The entrepreneur wants to start a D2C cake business and is in the process of refining their business model and pitch in time for the presentation.

When the individual first joined the accelerator, they were excited, enthusiastic, and optimistic about the future.

As the entrepreneur started to delve into the details of running a business, however, they realized that much more work was required to understand market trends, identify the main competitors, and provide cost estimates.

Cost estimates were the most significant concern.

The entrepreneur had hoped to cost a brick-and-mortar store in a desirable location for the business plan, but the preliminary cost for a store in several different areas was deemed prohibitive.

Cost estimates

Feeling somewhat dejected, the entrepreneur reverted to a pop-up stall that could be moved at will.

However, when she rang the city council about a mobile food vendor permit, they advised her that the cost was based on the number of square meters the stall occupied.

Having not purchased one yet, she became more frustrated.

Eventually, the entrepreneur joined a social media group for food vendors in her city and obtained cost estimates for several different sizes from others.

She then fed this data into the business plan and researched the average attendance at various city events to estimate her potential target audience.

While the development of a business plan has been stressful and at times bewildering, the entrepreneur starts to feel more confident in her ability to run a successful cake business without the future support of the accelerator.

Ultimately, she pitches to the room full of attentive investors and one decides to invest in her company based on her concise and accurate business plan and demonstrated initiative.

In the evaluation phase, the now business owner felt that her idea of questioning others in the same industry was rather effective.

Most were happy to provide constructive feedback – despite the fact that some would become future competitors.

The fact that she was able to attract the attention of an investor is an obvious plus.

So what was bad about the experience?

For one, despite being surrounded by qualified support, she could have asked for help earlier to avoid stress later on.

She was also frustrated at the city council’s perceived disinterest in providing a quote.

In the analysis phase, the entrepreneur concludes that some things went wrong initially because of her lack of organization and her inability to ask for help.

In the case of the latter, she didn’t know what she didn’t know about small business and this hindered her progress. 

This ignorance, if you will, has been described and studied extensively in the literature.

Developed by management trainer Martin Broadwell, the four stages of competence is a framework that describes the process of an incompetent person transitioning to competence in a certain skill or topic.

5 – Conclusion

To conclude, the entrepreneur ascertains that the situation taught her to be patient, resilient, and to leave her ego at the door when considering whether to ask for help.

The problem with the city council quote, which involved a somewhat rude and terse conversation, could have been improved if she was aware of how the council quoted beforehand.

Having said that, the entrepreneur does acknowledge that her stress level was high before the call was made.

To better deal with a similar situation in the future, the cake entrepreneur will use her awareness of the link between poor preparation and stress.

In other words, if she is better prepared, she will not be as stressed when dealing with others. 

Reasoning that there is much more she doesn’t know about small business, she also decides to enroll in a part-time course and join her city’s local business association.

Lastly, the entrepreneur researches ways to be more comfortable with asking for assistance. As part of her action plan, she writes the following four pointers:

  • Help others before asking for help.
  • Know what you want to ask before asking. 
  • Ensure the question is SMART: specific, meaningful, action-oriented, real, and time-sensitive. 
  • Never assume to know what or who people know.

Gibbs’ reflective cycle – HR staff member

In this example, an HR staff member uses Gibbs’ reflective cycle to reflect on the process of rewarding or recognizing employees from different seniority levels.

The process starts with the employee researching employee rewards and the factors that motivate them to perform. The individual is responsible for developing incentive programs for both junior employees and senior executives.

Based on their research, they determine that each cohort needs to be rewarded in a different way to increase motivation.

For junior employees, rewards should be associated with exemplary performance, while senior executives tend to prefer bonds, shares, and other incentives that encourage them to remain with the company.

In the second phase, the HR employee considers how the feelings toward a particular reward influence how it is viewed. 

For junior employees, the employee contends that a dearness allowance is a strong motivator. The allowance, which is built into an employee’s salary to offset inflationary cost-of-living pressures, is one way for these employees to feel valued and appreciated.

For senior executives, the reward of part ownership of the company makes them feel proud of their contributions to building a business over the long term. 

This was the first time the HR manager took an active, in-depth look at employee incentivization. In the past, the firm had instructed HR to reward employees with extra financial compensation irrespective of their seniority level.

In the evaluation phase, the manager deduces that employee compensation is not something the company can take lightly moving forward.

She also determines that her initiative to research attractive compensation for different cohorts will have a positive impact on the company’s productivity and culture.

Within reason, however, the HR department must listen to the contributions and suggestions of employees and then act on them – particularly if the current remuneration system is not meeting an employee’s needs.

In the literature, countless models and theories have been devised to explain sources of motivation in the workforce.

Some posit that motivation can be increased via certain leadership styles, while others focus on company policies, supervisor support, interpersonal relationships, and the idea of reciprocity.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, however, around 85% of workers said compensation was important or very important to their job satisfaction .

What’s more, 92% said the presence of benefits could be the difference between choosing one employer over another.

For senior executives who are paid well, the most effective benefits are those that have monetary value but do not necessarily involve a direct payment of cash . These include stock options, titles, and health care coverage.

Junior employees are also likely to value health care coverage and access to schemes such as paid parental leave. But since they are paid less than their senior counterparts, bonuses and raises are still valued the most. 

These extra funds are used to pay for basic needs such as food, shelter, and safety in an inflationary environment, while non-monetary benefits for executives fulfill needs related to self-esteem and self-actualization.

The needs of both junior and senior employees are described in detail by Maslow in his hierarchical pyramid. 

5 – Conclusion and action plan

Moving forward, the HR manager strongly recommends that this targeted approach to employee reward and recognition be written into company procedures.

Under the proviso that employee performance is maintained, it is imperative to routinely appraise compensation schemes and develop a tailored approach for each of the employee cohorts.

This strategy may be more expensive than alternatives, but the HR manager concludes by remarking that a twelve-month trial period may be prudent to see whether the cost is offset by more motivated and productive employees.

Gibbs’ reflective cycle – Tesco

In 2013, British supermarket chain Tesco was faced with a major scandal after horse meat was detected in its beef burger products.

The scandal caused a significant drop in sales and negatively impacted consumer confidence in the Tesco brand . Let’s explain how the incident played out and how the company responded with a hypothetical Gibbs’ reflective cycle.

Description

Tens of millions of burger and related beef products with withdrawn from shelves across Europe in the wake of the scandal. Some of the products – including Tesco’s own brand burgers – contained up to 29% horse meat .

The outcome of the tainted beef was a decrease in consumer confidence in meat products. One report found that 60% of consumers had altered their shopping habits , with 30% buying less red meat overall and 24% choosing vegetarian options.

Tesco was shocked, disappointed, and concerned for the company’s reputation initially. The company ran prominent ads in several newspapers where it acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and offered a full refund.

In one ad, the company’s remorse was evident: “ We will work harder than ever with all our suppliers to make sure this never happens again. ”

For Tesco, the negative aspects of the event were a detrimental impact on brand image and consumer confidence. Consumers were economic victims because they paid for a product they did not receive. But horse meat also poses a health risk because it is often tainted with horse-specific pharmaceuticals that are banned from human consumption.

While there were few positives to take from the scandal, it did force the company to evaluate its supply chain practices. Then-CEO Philip Clarke later noted at the Institute for Global Food Security that “This has been a wake-up call for us all, and I see it being a pivotal moment for our industry. ”

Analysis 

It was later concluded that Tesco’s somewhat opaque supply chain was a primary contributor to the problem. Horse meat was of course labeled as beef, but identifying the point at which the beef became tainted proved difficult. 

The factory that supplied Tesco with its private-label brand of beef burgers, for example, used ingredients from up to 40 different suppliers and the exact mix could vary every 30 minutes. Eventually, it was discovered that meat testing positive for horse DNA originated from a factory near the border with Ireland. 

The company that operated the factory processed meat for pet food and also sourced product from a Dutch businessman who was known to cut beef with horse meat. It also emerged that workers from Tesco’s Polish suppliers mixed horsemeat with defrosted beef that was sometimes so old it had turned green.

The situation taught Costco that transparency is key in its supply chains and relationships with suppliers. While the company claimed it had been a victim of fraud, it nevertheless admitted that its supply chain needed to be modernized and made more transparent to reflect the increased global demand for meat products.

Action plan

Tesco undertook several corrective measures. It hired a senior executive from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) to restore consumer confidence in its products and improve the company’s relationship with farmers and suppliers. What’s more, the company committed to sourcing more of its meat from British suppliers wherever possible.

Clarke also announced at an NFU conference that he wanted to introduce a more transparent supply chain. This would entail a more comprehensive system of DNA testing that he believed would set a new standard for all supermarkets.

Separate from Tesco’s action plan was a report published by the governmental Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. The report made several recommendations, chief among which was that consumer food safety and protection from food-related crime be made a top priority. The governmental body also called for more data-sharing and the development of effective crises and contingency plans.

Gibbs’ reflective cycle vs. Kolb’s Reflective Cycle

kolb-reflective-cycle

Kolb and Gibb’s models are both intended to enable learning through direct experience.

Therefore, enabling individuals to learn based on action.

Whereas Gibbs’ model has five stages of assessing any real-world situation.

Kolb’s model has four stages instead:

  • Concrete experience.
  • Reflective observation.
  • Abstract conceptualization.
  • And active experimentation.

Kolb’s model is way more skewed toward experience-based learning, where active experimentation becomes a critical component of the iterative learning process.

Whereas Gibbs’ model is still based on experience-based learning, yet it provides more of an analytical and structured framework to assess these experiences.

Key takeaways and examples

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

  • Gibbs’ reflective cycle is a framework giving structure to the process of learning from experience. The framework was developed by Dr. Graham Gibbs in 1988.
  • The cyclical nature of Gibbs’ reflective cycle is best suited to fostering continuous improvement of repeated experiences. However, it can also be used to reflect on standalone experiences.
  • Gibbs’ reflective cycle is based on six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis , conclusion, and action plan. Each stage encourages self-reflection through the posing of multiple questions.

Key Highlights

  • Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle : Developed by Dr. Graham Gibbs in 1988, it is a framework for structured reflection on learning from experience. The cycle consists of six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis , conclusions, and action plan.
  • Purpose of Reflection : Reflecting on experiences is crucial for effective learning. Without reflection, experiences may be forgotten, and their learning potential lost. Reflection helps generate generalizations and concepts that can be applied to new situations.
  • Experiential Learning : Gibbs’ reflective cycle supports experiential learning, where learning occurs through experiences. The cycle can be applied to both structured and unstructured learning scenarios.
  • Tailored Approach : The cycle’s cyclical nature makes it suitable for continuous improvement in recurring experiences, as well as for one-time situations. It encourages individuals to learn from both successes and failures.
  • Provides a structured framework for analyzing experiences.
  • Can be used for continuous improvement and planning based on past experiences.
  • Tailored approach for different situations and levels of expertise.
  • Requires objective analysis and sincere assessment.
  • Superficial assessment can render the framework ineffective.
  • Requires an open-minded approach to truly enable personal and professional growth .
  • Description : Describe the situation or experience objectively.
  • Feelings : Reflect on the emotions and thoughts associated with the experience.
  • Evaluation : Assess the positive and negative aspects of the experience.
  • Analysis : Analyze the situation using relevant theory and context.
  • Conclusions : Draw conclusions based on key findings and insights.
  • Action Plan : Develop an action plan for responding differently in similar situations in the future.
  • Getting a Promotion : Applying the cycle to a scenario of being promoted and facing challenges in asserting authority and making decisions.
  • Startup Accelerator : Reflecting on the process of developing incentive programs for junior employees and senior executives within a startup accelerator.
  • Tesco Scandal : Reflecting on how British supermarket Tesco responded to a scandal involving horse meat found in beef products, and the lessons learned.
  • Comparison with Kolb’s Reflective Cycle : While both models emphasize experiential learning, Kolb’s model focuses on four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Gibbs’ model provides a more structured and analytical approach to reflecting on experiences.
  • Key Takeaways : Gibbs’ reflective cycle is a valuable tool for individuals, organizations, and industries to learn from experiences, improve decision-making, and enhance personal and professional development.

Types of Organizational Structures

organizational-structure-types

Siloed Organizational Structures

functional-organizational-structure

Open Organizational Structures

matrix-organizational-structure

How do you write a Gibbs reflective cycle?

The six stages of Gibbs’ reflective cycle comprise:

Who is Gibbs reflective cycle used for?

The framework gives structure to the process of learning from experience through six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusions, and action plan. It’s beneficial as a review process for individuals within the organizations as it helps them better understand their capabilities as they move to a structured way to assess any situation by objectively analyzing it.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Gibbs reflective cycle?

A core advantage is that Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle introduces a structured way to assess the individuals within an organization. A disadvantage is that for it to work, it needs to be done objectively, without prejudice. Otherwise, it becomes useless and detrimental to the team using it.

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Learning Performance

By Denis G.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

In this article:

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle can be used to help you learn from your experiences.

Your experiences have shaped who you are. However, to grow as a person experience alone isn’t enough. You need to reflect on your important experiences to form theories, rules, and principles that will make you better at your job.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a simple six-stage process that can help you reflect on your experiences in the workplace. You’ll learn what went well, as well as what could have gone better, and put together an action plan to address your weaknesses.

The model was first described by Professor Graham Gibbs in his 1998 book, Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. The book is available as a free download here .

The model is in part inspired by Kolb’s Learning Cycle, who in turn was inspired by the work of Kurt Lewin .

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle Explained

The model is a circular six-step critical reflection process. The circular nature of the model lends itself to learning from experiences over time. The model consists of six steps:

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

The first three steps of the model focus on what happened during the experience being analyzed. The final three steps of the model focus on how you can improve your experience for future similar situations you encounter.

The model is a useful career skill to have. You can use it to evaluate your performance in the workplace, but it is also a great model to use if you are coaching a subordinate or colleague to improve their skill in a particular area.

Step 1: Description

In this stage, you simply describe what happened. To do this, you provide a factual description of what happened – don’t draw any conclusions yet (you’ll do that later). This step aims to set the scene and provide some context, so you get a better understanding of the experience.

Questions that can help include:

  • What happened?
  • When and where did it happen?
  • Why were you there?
  • What did you do?
  • How did people react?
  • What happened at the end?

Step 2: Feelings

In this step, you describe the feelings you felt during the experience. You shouldn’t try to judge or evaluate your feelings, simply state what they were.

  • How did you feel before, during, and after the experience?
  • What do you think others felt during the experience?
  • How do you feel about the experience now?
  • How do you think others feel about the experience now?

Step 3: Evaluation

In this step, we objectively evaluate the experience. Here we are trying to determine what went well and what didn’t go so well. It is essential to be as honest as possible to get the most out of this process.

Questions that can help here include:

  • What went well?
  • What didn’t go so well?
  • Was the situation resolved afterward? Why or why not?
  • What positive or negative did you contribute?
  • What positive or negative did others provide?

Step 4: Analysis

In this step, you describe what you think might have helped or hindered the situation. The aim is to explore the options that might be available to you if you encountered a similar situation again.

This step is an excellent opportunity to conduct some research into academic models or tools might have helped you. For example, if you’ve had a presentation that didn’t go so well because it wasn’t well structured, then a tool such as Monroe’s Motivated Sequence might have helped.

Step 5: Conclusion

Now you have analyzed the different options available to you, in this step its time to focus and draw some conclusions.

Using the information you’ve collected in your analysis, ask yourself:

  • What skills/tools can help you do better next time? Can you use these skills right now or is it something that you need to develop?
  • What will you do differently next time?
  • If there were negative outcomes last time, how would you avoid those?
  • What else could have been done to make this a more positive experience for everyone involved?

Step 6: Action Plan

In this step, you plan based on your conclusions, how you’ll position yourself so you can better handle a similar situation next time. It is crucial you commit and take action on your plan so that real change occurs.

If you’re coaching someone else through the Reflective Cycle, then agree on a date to speak again to review progress on the plan.

Advantages and Disadvantages

There are several advantages associated with Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle.

  • The model is easy to understand and easy to use.
  • It allows you to learn over time based on your experiences.
  • Over time it gives you more balanced and accurate judgment.

Criticisms of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle include:

  • It’s a reactive rather than proactive approach to improving your skillset.
  • It can be a superficial reflection as there is no reference to critical thinking, referencing your assumptions, or analyzing the situation from a different perspective.
  • The model doesn’t contain any deep probing questions?
  • It can be difficult for many people to open up and discuss their feelings.
  • It works best with an expert practitioner or coach guiding you through the process.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle Example

In this example, imagine you gave a presentation to your senior leadership team, and it hasn’t gone well. Retrospectively using the model, your analysis might look something like this:

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle Template

You can download a template to help you conduct a Gibbs’Reflective Cycle in PDF format here .

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle provides a six-step circular process that you can use to help you learn through practice.

The first half of the model helps you collate what happened during your previous experience, while the second half helps you understand the improvement options available and take action, so you improve your performance in any similar situations you encounter in the future.

Cite this article

Minute Tools Content Team, Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, Minute Tools, May, 2019 https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2019/05/gibbs-reflective-cycle/

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Originally hailing from Dublin, Denis has always been interested in all things business and started EPM in 2009. Before EPM, Denis held a leadership position at Nokia, owned a sports statistics business, and was a member of the PMI's (Project Management Institute’s) Global Executive Council for two years. Denis now spends his days helping others understand complex business topics.

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6.2 Gibb’s reflective cycle

Alternatively, other theorists have broken down the cycle into further stages, an example of which is Gibb’s reflective cycle, see Figure 4.

Described image

Six boxes arranged in a circular cycle with arrows in a clockwise direction. Top left: Experience What happened? Top right: Feelings What were you feeling? Right: Evaluation What was good/bad about the situation? Bottom right: Analysis To make sense of the situation. Bottom left: Conclusion What else could you have done? Left: Action plan What would you do next time?

Gibb’s model acknowledges that your personal feelings influence the situation and how you have begun to reflect on it. It builds on Boud’s model by breaking down reflection into evaluation of the events and analysis and there is a clear link between the learning that has happened from the experience and future practice.

However, despite the further break down, it can be argued that this model could still result in fairly superficial reflection as it doesn’t refer to critical thinking / analysis or reflection. It doesn’t take into consideration assumptions that you may hold about the experience, the need to look objectively at different perspectives, and there doesn’t seem to be an explicit suggestion that the learning will result in a change of assumptions, perspectives or practice. You could legitimately respond to the question ‘What would you do next time?’ by answering that you would do the same, but does that constitute deep level reflection?

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Gibbs Reflective Cycle : Reflective Practice Made Easy

gibbs reflective cycle

As leaders, we’re always seeking ways to improve ourselves and our performance. One way to do that is by reflecting on our experiences and learning from them. That’s where the Gibbs Reflective Cycle comes in – a framework that can help structure and enhance our reflective practice.

Let’s dive into what the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is and how to use it effectively.

What is the Gibbs Reflective Cycle?

Developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988, the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a six-stage model that can be used to guide reflection on a particular experience or event. The cycle involves reflecting on the experience, analysing feelings, evaluating the experience, analysing the experience from different perspectives, drawing conclusions, and developing an action plan for future situations.

The six stages of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle are:

  • Description
  • Action Plan

Let’s look at each stage in more detail. But before doing so, it’s essential to take time and create space to reflect. I strongly recommend writing down each step of the process to help the understanding of the problem and how to solve it.

gibbs reflective cycle good and bad

Stage 1: Description

The first stage of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle involves describing the experience or event. This includes providing details about what happened, when it happened, and who was involved. By describing the situation in detail, we can gain a better understanding of what occurred and what impact it had.

To help with the description, consider asking questions like:

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

Stage 2: Feelings

The second stage involves exploring and analysing the emotions and feelings that were experienced during the event. This includes both positive and negative emotions and can help us to understand our own emotional responses to situations.

Consider these questions to guide your reflection:

  • What did you feel before this situation took place?
  • What did you feel while this situation took place?
  • What do you think other people felt during this situation?
  • What did you feel after the situation?
  • What do you think about the situation now?
  • What do you think other people feel about the situation now?

Stage 3: Evaluation

The third stage involves evaluating the experience, both objectively and subjectively. This includes looking at the positive and negative aspects of the experience and considering what could have been done differently.

Ask yourself these questions to evaluate the experience:

  • What was positive about this situation?
  • What was negative?
  • What went well?
  • What didn’t go so well?
  • What did you and other people do to contribute to the situation (either positively or negatively)?

Stage 4: Analysis 

The fourth stage involves analysing the experience from different perspectives. This includes considering the perspectives of others involved in the situation and looking at the situation from different angles. 

Consider these questions: 

How could this have been a more positive experience for everyone involved? 

If you were faced with the same situation again, what would you do differently? 

What skills do you need to develop to handle this type of situation better?

One method that we like to use is box breathing before reviewing the situation, read more about box breathing here .

Stage 5: The Conclusion 

This stage is all about wrapping up the analysis and evaluation of the experience. You get to reflect on what you learned from the experience and how you can apply it to similar situations in the future. So, ask yourself, “If I had to do the same thing again, what would I do differently?” This will help you identify areas for improvement.

It’s also important to think about how you can develop the skills you need to handle similar situations better in the future. So, ask yourself, “How will I develop the required skills I need?” This will help you plan your professional development.

Lastly, it’s essential to think about how you can ensure that you can act differently next time. So, ask yourself, “How can I make sure that I can act differently next time?” This will help you develop a plan of action that you can use if a similar situation arises in the future.

Stage 6: The Action Plan 

The final stage is all about putting your reflections into action. This involves identifying areas for improvement and making a plan of action that you can use in the future if a similar situation arises. The Gibbs Reflective Cycle is an excellent tool for structuring your reflections and enhancing your personal and professional development.

By regularly reflecting on your experiences using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, you can develop the skills and insights that will serve you both in your current roles and in your future careers. Reflection is a crucial part of developing as a professional, and the Gibbs Reflective Cycle provides a valuable framework for structuring reflections to gain the greatest benefit from them.

I personally used this reflective cycle with the business dads that I coach during the pathway, if you want more information about the pathway, take a look . You can see how I used this tool with Stuart a business dad, here where we were able to reflect on his day-to-day actions. Sometimes it is easy to go from day to day without changing anything.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein

Conclusion – why use the Gibbs Reflective Cycle

In conclusion, the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is an invaluable tool for professionals who want to improve their personal and professional development. It provides a structured approach to reflection that can help us better understand our experiences and their impact on ourselves and others. For me, I try to use the cycle after tough conversations, projects or coaching sessions. As a coach, it can be very easy to go from one session to the next without stopping and reflecting. This can be a similar problem in every industry or profession.

So, keep reflecting and using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to enhance your professional growth!

Contact us here at [email protected] or book a call.

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Reflecting on Learning

Reflective writing encourages you to make observations about your experiences and beliefs and link these with the theoretical learning in your subject. It encourages you to think about what you have learned and how you have learned it. This helps you to create new knowledge. When undertaking a reflective writing task, you need to draw connections between what you have been asked to reflect on and relevant theories. Drawing connections between theory and experience or learning helps create new understandings.

When  reflecting on your learning  you might address the following questions:

  • Description  – What is the concept, idea, or theory you are reflecting on?
  • Analysis  – Are there aspects you found particularly interesting or challenging? Does it tie in with anything you have learned in the past? Has it changed the way you think, or affirmed something you already knew?
  • Outcomes or Action  – What else might you need to find out? Do you have any questions? How might you incorporate or apply these ideas in the future, perhaps in your professional life?

Some students make the mistake of thinking that reflective writing simply requires you to recount an event or describe a scenario. Reflection within university assignments pushes beyond this. It requires you not only to narrate or describe, but also to  analyse .

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

Image Description: A visual representation of Graham Gibbs' Reflective Learning Cycle

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.
  • “Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle.” The University of Edinburgh, March 20, 2019.  https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle .
  • “Reflective Practice.” The University of Sheffield. Accessed May 2, 2019.  https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/301/study-skills/university-study/reflective-practice .
  • “Reflective Writing: About Gibbs Reflective Cycle.” Oxford Brookes University. Accessed May 2, 2019.  https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/upgrade/study-skills/reflective-writing-gibbs/ .
  • “Reflective Writing in Education.” Monash University. Accessed May 2, 2019.  https://www.monash.edu/rlo/assignment-samples/education/education-reflective-writing .

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COMMENTS

  1. 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. Overview Gibbs' Reflective Cycle was developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 to give structure to learning from experiences.

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

    Nov 10,2022 Read time: 8min Overview You must have heard about Gibbs' reflective cycle. It is a widely prominent reflective cycle that helps individuals to work through past experiences and improve future practices.

  3. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    Step 1: Description First, ask the person you're coaching to describe the situation in detail. At this stage, you simply want to know what happened - you'll draw conclusions later. Consider asking questions like these to help them describe the situation: When and where did this happen? Why were you there?

  4. How To Lead a Gibbs Reflective Cycle Exercise (+Template)

    2. Feelings. The second step in the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is to explore your emotions during the experience in question. Here, you will note the positive and negative feelings you had during the experience. Identifying and acknowledging emotions is critical to gaining a deeper understanding of the situation. 3.

  5. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    1. Description In this element of the cycle, you recount what you are reflecting upon, giving a descriptive account with contextual information as appropriate. If reflecting to others (as a piece of academic or report writing, for example) make sure that they have all the relevant information.

  6. 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?".

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

    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.

  8. Gibbs Reflective Cycle

    Author: Clare Hopkinson Reflection is a key aspect of the personal and professional development that nurses are required to undertake to keep pace with the changing nature of practice. It helps ensure safe and effective evidence-based care by allowing nurses to constantly improve their skills.

  9. PDF Reflection: learning from experiences, good or bad I

    reflective teacher, Brookfield's model can be adapted and adopted to critically assess workplace experiences in the exploration and analysis phases of Gibbs' reflective cycle. 6 The model advocates the use of four different lenses to view events from different perspectives in that we may learn from our experiences, good or bad, by

  10. PDF 16 Using a framework for reflection: Gibbs' reflective cycle

    90 REFLECTIVE WRITING Using a framework for reflection: Gibbs' reflective cycle 16 Graham Gibbs (1988) adapted the experiential learning cycle to acknowledge the importance of feelings and emotion in learning: It is from the feelings and thought emerging from this reflection that generalisations or concepts can be generated.

  11. The Gibbs Reflective Cycle

    Psychologist Graham Gibbs created the Gibbs reflective cycle in the 1980s. It gives structure to the reflective process by walking you through six key steps: Description- What happened? Just the facts. Feelings- What emotions came up? Evaluation- What went well or didn't? Analysis- Why did things happen this way?

  12. What Is Gibbs Reflective Model Pros and Cons

    Chris Greenwalty · Follow 5 min read · Aug 8, 2023 At some stage in your life, you understand the importance of experiences and realise that you better learn from your experiences. Whether you are...

  13. Why I don't like Gibbs' Reflective Cycle in reflective practice

    The Reflective Cycle fails to pose probing questions - While deep, probing questions certainly can be associated with some of the aspects of Gibbs' model, as presented in overview, these are lost. This, again, leads to superficial reflections. The Reflective Cycle fails to engage critical thinking - While the model has components of ...

  14. Graham Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    Gibbs' model is an effective tool to help reflect after a given experience, and is a useful model if new to reflection as it is broken down into clearly defined sections. Feelings: The practitioner is encouraged to explore any thoughts or feelings they had at the time of the event.

  15. The Gibbs Reflective Cycle

    Analysis Conclusion Action plan Gibbs Reflective Cycle Diagram Gibbs Reflective Cycle 1988 Gibbs Reflective Model Stages: In-Detail Let's look at each stage of the reflective model and explore some examples of the Gibbs model of reflection in action. #1. Description: Your First Step in Reflection

  16. PDF Gibbs' reflective cycle

    Gibbs' reflective cycle Gibbs (1988, p.49) created his "structured debriefing" to support experiential learning. It was designed as a continuous cycle of improvement for a repeated experience but can also be used to reflect on a standalone experience.

  17. What is Gibbs' Reflective Cycle? The Gibbs ...

    Gibbs' reflective cycle is a framework giving structure to the process of learning from experience through six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusions, and action plan. Toggle Gibbs' reflective cycle advantages and disadvantages The six stages of Gibbs' reflective cycle 1 - Description 2 - Feelings 3 - Evaluation

  18. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle and Leaning

    Gibbs' 'Reflective Cycle' and Learning study allows for reflection on the experience as a whole, rather than completing an activity purely for the sake of passing. The learner must commit to the learning process, whilst reflecting upon the successes and downfalls during and after the process. The Reflective Cycle allows the learner to do ...

  19. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

    Gibbs' Reflective Cycle Explained. The model is a circular six-step critical reflection process. The circular nature of the model lends itself to learning from experiences over time. The model consists of six steps: The first three steps of the model focus on what happened during the experience being analyzed. The final three steps of the ...

  20. 6.2 Gibb's reflective cycle

    Figure 4 Gibb's reflective cycle (Adapted from Dye, 2011) Gibb's model acknowledges that your personal feelings influence the situation and how you have begun to reflect on it. It builds on Boud's model by breaking down reflection into evaluation of the events and analysis and there is a clear link between the learning that has happened ...

  21. Gibbs Reflective Cycle : Reflective Practice Made Easy

    Stage 1: Description The first stage of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle involves describing the experience or event. This includes providing details about what happened, when it happened, and who was involved. By describing the situation in detail, we can gain a better understanding of what occurred and what impact it had.

  22. Reflecting on Learning

    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:

  23. 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 ...