Gibbs Reflective Cycle for Evaluating Reflective Journals

This article discusses the use of Gibbs reflective cycle to evaluate reflective journals. It explains the stages of the cycle and how it can help individuals improve their employability skills. The article also includes a case study of using the cycle to evaluate a CSR presentation.

REFLECTIVE
JOURNAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
Reflective Journals.......................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
.........................................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Gibbs reflective cycle is the model which helps to inspire group of people to think
systematically about their experience which they have during specified situation, activity and
event. This model plays significant role because it supports people to understand and analyse
what they did and how they can do better in the future. This cycle is based on the theme
'Learning by Doing”. It is applied for various situations and improves proof of practices. It helps
people to determine their weaknesses and strength which they can improve over the period. This
report includes Gibbs reflective cycle to evaluate journals reflective cycle.
MAIN BODY
Reflective Journals
It is proposed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 who offers a model for evaluating experience
and encourages people to repeat experience itself by giving its cyclic nature, permits people to
learn new things and overcome their weaknesses by improving their skills. This framework is
completed into six stages such as description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusions and
action plan. I will use Gibbs reflective cycle to examine my employability skills. Generally, this
framework is covered into six stages such as:
Description: This stage explained situation in detail and helps them to know about what happen.
While doing presentation on corporate social responsibility (CSR) I included my skills such as
communication skills, ICT skills, research skills, numeracy, team work skills, time management
and problem solving skills (Vicary, Young and Hicks,, 2017). There were some skills like
research skills and team work skills and numeracy which I learned because it was required for
CSR presentation. While other skills i.e. problem solving skills, communication skills which I
had included because I wanted to improve to perform well. Even several skills like time
management and ICT skills were my weakness which gave negative impact on my performance.
Overall experience was quite interesting for me because most of the thing was new for me that
initially leads complication to learn but later on got desirable outcomes.
Feeling: This stage explains about public experience which they felt while handling situation. I
was happy when I saw my communication skills and problem solving skills because they were
coming in excellent grade while preparing corporate society responsibility (CSR) presentation.
Even I got good feedbacks from senior authorities and staff about my problem solving and
communication skills (Donyaie and Afshar, 2019). Some senior authorities gave good comment

about my problem solving skills because I gave them solutions of each problem within time that
impressed them. Even my friends also praised about my communication skills because I
communicated different type of people and make them feel comfortable. To written about my
excellent skills I felt proud on myself because it was most important skills which could use in
future while working in company. These skills could upgrade me for further position. I was
feeling confident while giving description about my skills in CSR presentation. I included about
my new skills which I learnt as per the situation requirement such as research skills, numeracy
and team working skills. These skills were new for me which I learned. The main reason behind
it was that I faced complication due to lack of skills while presenting presentation on CSR
presentation. For example, research skills which was new for me because I never faced of this
situation where I had to research for something. Due to this, I was unable to perform well.
Numeracy skills is numerical based concept which helps to understand and works with numbers
which is more required for workplace. It was a new skill because I never faced such kind
situation where I had to use it (Arumugam and et.al.,2017). Other was team working skills that
was most wanted skills at workplace which I didn't have. I saw that these skills gave negative
impact on my performance because I was unable to coordinate with these skills. I took coaching
to learn these skills such as team working skills, numeracy and research skills where trainer
helped me to learn these skills by aligning my schedule to learn each skill on different time. I
read book as well to improve these skills which helped me more to understand each skills and
how to apply it in given situation. I attended some seminars to understand how to apply these
skills. I met with my senior authority who was ideal for me. They shared their experience while
implementing these skills which assisted me to focus on common direction to achieve. I took part
in event as well to apply my new skills to which is mentioned in CSR presentation.
Evaluation: This stage helps to describe people's experience, both positive and negative. While
examining my excellent skills such as communication skills and problem solving skills I got very
positive feeling. The main reason behind was that most of the people was impressed my
communicating and problem resolving skills and it was crucial for CSR. It automatically
enhanced my confidence and gave me energy to perform well. Due to excellent problem solving
skills helped me to highlight myself from other public. Overall I got good experience while
evaluating these skills. To learn new skills was a challenging task for me because I didn't get
time to learn these skills apart from my daily routine activities. Additionally, I didn't get

appropriate resources which helped me to learn these new skills (Ahmed, 2020). I joined
coaching to learn new skills where trainer plays significant role because they guided me to act on
common direction which meets my objectives. While other people like my friends and senior
authorities gives significant contribution because they helped me to tell about some techniques
which helped to practice at home as well to improve my skills. While analysing my PDP I felt
team working skills was weak because I unable to coordinate with other people due to language
barrier. Just because of this reason I couldn't communicate with other peoples that directly gave
impact on my performance. Thus, I got bad experience as well because I couldn't perform well
by those skills which was excellent in me. I determined my weakness while preparing CSR
presentation I found that my time management and ICT skills was my weakness. I evaluate that
my ICT skills wasn't good. ICT skills refers as the ability of understanding and using range of
computer program, software and other application. I could perform ICT skills refers as the ability
of understanding and using range of computer program, software and other application. I had
these skills but I unable to deliver well due to lack of practices. Another is time management
which was my weakness. The reason behind was that I took more time to understand concept so
that I performed well as result it becomes time-consuming and highly required for CSR. My
friends and senior authorities helped me to improve these skills by suggesting me to take
coaching and reading some books. Thus, overall I analysed some skills could upgrade me
performance. Additional skills like numeracy, research skills and team working skills which I
learned that could help me in future in organization while working at workplace. Rest of skills
like time management and ICT skills were my weakness which could give negative impact on
my performance in the future. Thus, I got both type experience positive and negative as well.
Analysis: New skills gave me positive attitude while including in CSR presentation. The
reason behind was that I didn't have numeracy, research skills and teamwork skills but when I
took coaching for learning new skills. Even seniors authorities and friends also gave great
contribution to praise my efforts. It motivated me to learn systematically. When I learned new
skills that I applied in event and got good feedback about me. Thus, I got positive attitude by
learning new skills (Sekarwinahyu and et.al., 2019). On the other hand, I got negative attitude
when I saw my weakness about time management and ICT skills. It came when I got negative
feedbacks from other people while performing CSR presentation. They told me that I took more
time to understand task. I analysed that my ICT skills wasn't good while working on computer.

On the other hand, my friends were had these skills and they performed better. It caused I
frustrated because it was crucial for current era.
Conclusion: While including my skills in CSR presentation I got good experience
because most of the skills was new for me which I learned which makes me multitasker.
Additionally, it helped in future to differentiate myself from other group of people. When I
determined my weakness like time management and ICT skills. I took coaching to overcome my
weakness. Even I took online listening classes which supported me to improve my computer
skills. Even my friends suggested me to make time schedule and aligned my activities that
automatically managed my time. To took class and follow guidelines I got good outcomes
because I improved my computer skills and became time management. Additionally, it made my
CSR presentation more effective.
Action Plan: To improve my new skills I took help from my leaders and journals article
in which they shared their experience and suggested tricks to implement in regular life which
automatically improved my theses skills (Dumlao and Pinatacan., 2019). I took membership in
with event organizer so that I get chance to implement my new skills and analyses about existing
skills' efficacy. To improve my weaknesses I took training classes so that I transform my
weaknesses into my strengths. Thus, overall I felt confidence in my self while preparing CSR
presentation because I learned many employability skills which will support me for future
prospect.
CONCLUSION
I got good experience while preparing CSR presentation by the help of Gibbs's reflective
cycle . This model supported me to determine my strength and weakness while preparing CSR
presentation. I learned new skill's numeracy, teamwork skills and research skills which I didn't
have. Gibb's reflective cycle helped me to analyse my weakness such as time management and
CIT skills and I found I need to develop. Even communication skills and problem solving skills
was my strength which I easy to evaluate from Gibb's model.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Vicary, S., Young, A. and Hicks, S., 2017. A reflective journal as learning process and
contribution to quality and validity in interpretative phenomenological
analysis. Qualitative Social Work. 16(4). pp.550-565.
Donyaie, S. and Afshar, H.S., 2019. EFL Teachers' Reflective Journal Writing: Barriers and
Boosters. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research. 7(3). pp.71-90.
Dumlao, R.P. and Pinatacan, J.R., 2019. From Practice to Writing: Using Reflective Journal
Instruction in Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers’ Professional
Developments. International Journal of Instruction. 12(4). pp.459-478.
Sekarwinahyu, M and et.al., 2019, February. Development of problem based learning for online
tutorial program in plant development using Gibbs’ reflective cycle and e-portfolio to
enhance reflective thinking skills. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1157,
No. 2, p. 022099). IOP Publishing.
Ahmed, A.M., 2020. From reluctance to addiction: the impact of reflective journals on Qatari
undergraduate students’ learning. Reflective Practice, pp.1-20.
Arumugam, B and et.al.,2017. Reflective writing–how a medical student can reflect?. Journal of
Education Technology in Health Sciences. 4(2). pp.47-53.