What Is Gibbs Reflective Model Pros and Cons
At some stage in your life, you understand the importance of experiences and realise that you better learn from your experiences. Whether you are a student or a professional, you often use Gibbs Reflective Model for learning experiences.
To learn and improve yourself from your experiences, it is essential to get involved in the process of reflection. It shows that only having an experience doesn’t guarantee that you’ll learn from it rather you must consider your experiences and assess them to explore the areas of improvement. According to Gibbs:
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In this article, we will discuss what is Gibbs Reflective Model and explore its pros and cons in detail.
Gibbs’s Reflective Cycle
Gibbs framework for reflection is the most famous cycle used for reflecting purposes. It first originated from Graham Gibbs in 1988 when he published his book “Learning by Doing.” Its basic purpose was to interlink theoretical and practical learnings to enhance the knowledge of teachers in the higher education system.
To understand Gibbs Reflective Model, first, you should know about reflection. Its definition from “Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind”, edited by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick, is,
“To mentally wander through where we have been and to try to make some sense out of it.”
It means reflection on our own experiences opens ways of self-knowledge which you can define by sharing your thinking.
Donald Schon, who is the writer of “The Reflective Practitioner”, provides another definition, such as:
“The practice by which professionals become aware of their implicit knowledge base and learn from their experience.”
According to Gibbs, the reflective model consists of several stages where you need to answer various questions to get insights into everything as deeply as possible. It provides a structured approach towards the framework for reflective thinking.
Six Stages of Gibbs Reflective Model
Gibbs’s reflective cycle consists of six stages that will help you to examine experiences and learn from them. A Gibbs six-step model includes:
- Description
- Feelings
- Evaluation
- Analysis
- Conclusion
- Action Plan
Gibbs Reflective Cycle Pros and Cons
Following are some pros and cons of Gibbs Reflective Model to elaborate on its utility and limitations.
Pros
1. Process
The six stages of the Gibbs Reflective Theory (DFEAAC) are Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan. This format guarantees a methodical and thorough evaluation of an experience, making it simpler to pinpoint key elements.
2. Simple and Easy
Reflection model Gibbs is easy to use, and everyone can benefit from it without proper training and knowledge. It offers a structured approach in a cyclic form that helps people to evaluate and learn from their experiences.
3. Promotes Self-Awareness
Gibbs’s reflective theory encourages self-awareness by encouraging people to examine their emotions and thoughts. It can identify a person’s strengths and opportunities for development with the help of this improved awareness of other people’s emotions and reactions.
4. Holistic Learning
Through its multi-step process, it helps people to think more broadly. They examine what happened, their own feelings, and how they might have affected others. This all-encompassing strategy of Gibbs’s reflective model improves learning from the event.
5. Useful Applications
The last stage of Gibbs 1988 model of reflection is the action plan which drives people to develop future strategies. People do so for improvements and developments in the related field. It paves new paths for various new reflective models.
6. Adaptability
The Gibbs Reflective Model is applicable to a wide range of circumstances and industries, including business, healthcare, and education. Its versatility makes it a flexible tool for both professional and personal development.
According to the BMC report published on 9 Jan 2023, the results of a systematic evidence-based approach to reflective writing are given below. They were conducted from independent searches on publications from January 2000 to 30th June 2022, on various platforms like Google Scholar, PubMed, ERIC and many others.
“A total of 33,076 abstracts were reviewed, 1826 full-text articles were appraised, and 199 articles were included and analysed. The domains identified were theories and models, current methods, benefits and shortcomings, and recommendations.”
Cons:
1. Simplicity vs. Depth
The systematic approach of the model is advantageous, but it could also restrict in-depth critical thought. The stages of the cycle are superficial and do not allow for the in-depth exploration and analysis of some experiences.
2. Subjectivity
The base of Gibbs Reflective Model depends upon the perceptions of experiences leading towards subjectivity. Many different people can interpret similar kinds of experiences, but each one of them would differ from others. There are many ways to express one kind of data of reflections that it not covers. It does not have any format to look at different perspectives to know other people’s assumptions.
3. Time-consuming
Each Gibbs reflecting activity may require going through all six steps of the methodology. It costumes a lot of time, and most people can’t do it regularly. That’s why most busy people avoid regularly engaging in reflective practice.
4. Exaggeration of Emotions
The Gibbs reflective model’s Feelings stage gives emotions a lot of attention. Although emotions are important, placing too much focus on them can hinder objective analysis, which results in less objective observations.
5. Lack of Formality
According to some detractors, the Gibbs Reflective Cycle isn’t formal enough for some workplace environments. It does not work with highly sophisticated and formal industries due to a lack of formality in its structure.
Conclusion
The Gibbs Reflective Model provides a clear and practical framework for experience-based reflection and self-improvement. Its benefits, including its organised procedure and emphasis on self-awareness, make it a useful tool for anyone looking to advance their personal and professional lives.
However, its drawbacks, such as its ease of use and inherent subjectivity, demand careful thought. In the last, its effectiveness ultimately rests on its suitable use to participate in reflective practices.
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