Reflective Learning and Feedback: Using Gibbs' Reflective Cycle for Future Improvement

This report discusses the importance of reflective learning and feedback for future improvement, using Gibbs' reflective cycle for reflection and feedforward. It also covers the nature of feedback and feedforward, and how a reflective approach can improve future formative and summative assessments.

ESSAY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Reflection and reflective approach to learning............................................................................3
Gibb’s reflective cycle.................................................................................................................4
Nature of feedback and feed forward..........................................................................................5
Reflection on feedback and feedforward using the Gibb’s model..............................................5
Reflective approach to feedback and feed forward for improving future formative and
summative assessments...............................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
The reflective learning is learning from the past events and experiences for deep learning in
the future and changes for the improvement in the future for more efficiency in particular skill
that need improvement (Colomer, 2020). It is the individual who examines its experiences by
looking at the past positive and negative experiences for any changes needed for further
development. Reflective approach brings out the feedback and feed forwarding and improves the
future performances. Through this approach peer observation can brings out the feedbacks from
which an individual can know its performances and mistakes. This report will include reflection
and reflective approach to learning using relevant model of reflection. Furthermore, it will
include the nature of feedback and feed forward and use of the model chosen in this report for
reflection on feedback and feed forward. Lastly, it will include the reflective approach to
feedback and feed forward and how it can improve the future formative and summative
assessments.
MAIN BODY
Reflection and reflective approach to learning
Reflection is the learning practice through which we learn the new things from learned
experiences (Cushion, 2018). Reflective practices are examining the skills while doing the task
before and after to know the difference and learn the skills which are lacking. Through Gibbs
model of reflection individual knows their feedbacks and experiences deeply.
Figure 1 reflective cycle

Gibb’s reflective cycle
This reflective cycle helps the peoples to learn from the situations that they are experiencing
in their daily life. This is the cycle of improvement for repeating the activities or the experiences
(Sekarwinahyu, 2019). This model encourages people to know about their strength and
weaknesses for future change and for developing the performances. This model includes various
steps which are as follows.
The six steps are: Description: In this stage the individual decide and plot all the circumstances of the
performances like when the event did happened, when it was occurred (Adeani, 2020).
Who was there, what i did and what are the outcomes in that particular situation etc to
know the key mistakes point to the problems. Feelings: This is the stage of how was the individual feeling and emotions at the time of
past situations. It involves how the person felt at that time and what the person thought,
what the others were thinking and after the incident feelings etc. Evaluation: In this stage the person compares its positive and negative experiences like
what was good or bad about the experience. What are the things which went brilliant and
those which were not so good including the bad and good incidents too. Analysis: This is the analysis of all the situations and experiences evaluated like analysis
deeply the negative and the positive incidents. Including the theories, models, research
for the circumstances and the analysis of finding ways to improve the situations or
experiences. Conclusion: From this theory conclusion include what the individual learned and gained
from this theory and what will the individual do for improving the negative incidents and
experiences (Dehnen, 2022).The skills which an individual need to improve and the ways
of improving it. Action plan: This is the last stage in which an individual put the gained knowledge into
actions in reality. This is the method in which a person will apply all the learned
techniques and tools into action in real to know the results its working or not. This is the
way in which an individual knows the actions are helpful or they need more improvement
like new skills and techniques.

From above stages of Gibbs’s reflective cycle is never ending because its keep on moving
from first stage to last stage of an individual until it reach the point of success.
Nature of feedback and feed forward
Feedback is which an individual receives from its friends and peers or family it can be both
positive and negative (Berenato, 2020). Positive feedback brings happiness and feeling of
excitement in the person or negative feedback will decrease the morale of employees and create
sadness. Feedback is the current performances of the person it focuses on the current experiences
and performances of the person. Feed forward requires feedbacks time to time without feedback
feed forwarding cannot do.
Feed forward is the reverse of feedback because it focuses on the future improvements of
the person by comparing the present performances (Rolfe, 2020). It helps the person to look into
the future by improving the present skills for future advancement. It guides the individual like for
the students the assignments and guidance by the teachers for improvements. It is the self
constructive model for an individual to improve its performances from timely feedbacks and it
totally depends on the feedbacks.
Reflection on feedback and feedforward using the Gibb’s model
 From the first stage of Gibb’s model the individual will decide that at what point time this
feedback occurred and what the mistakes the individual made for the negative feedback. In
this stage an individual gather all the information related to the experience for the negative
feedback to solve them in future.
 The all the person will investigate its feelings against the experiences from the feedback or
learning from the experiences so that the person can plan for feed forward by controlling its
emotions on some situations.
 Third stage an individual will evaluate all the negative and positive feedbacks from its
friends or peers and evaluate for further improvement in particular skills which are lacking
for feed forward.
 Next step is to analysis researches on the theories and the models for developing the skills
which is not good and have negative impact. Then deciding the future solutions by
researching for feed forward.

 After analysis drawing the entire conclusion like deciding the theory and model which helps
to improve the performance for negative feedback and for the future solution for feed
forward.
 Lastly, all the steps are then applied in the present situation to check the performances for
developing the skills. All the negative feedbacks are brings forward and are applied with
solution in real life for improvement in future for feed forward to increase the future
performances.
Reflective approach to feedback and feed forward for improving future formative and summative
assessments
Formative feedback and feed forward: This is type of education or learning for improving the
skills and knowledge for future advancement (Hansen, 2018). This involves various procedure
for example teachers conduct ways of formal and informal activities for making the students
learn and gain knowledge while doing this activities. The main of formative assessment is to
monitor all the activities for the feedbacks used for improving learning through experiences. It
helps to identify the strength and weakness for an individual for feed forward for improving in
future. This method shows all the positive and negative feedbacks by learning experiences in real
life helps to plan the feed forward for attaining and improving in future performances. Types of
formative assessment are:
Clarifying: From formative assessment there is clarifying learning about the particular skill and
experience for improving in future with clear goals
Evidence: With clear evidences the person can judge the performances and find out all the
deviation for future improvements.
Proper feedback: Feedback should be proper for improvement in the future for feed forward.
Activate learning: This method activate learning in an individual due to various practices and
procedures for development of skills which is required for the future advancement.
Summative feedback and feed forward: This is the method by which all the feedbacks and
overall performances are being measured in last or in the end with some standard performances
(Terry, 2020). In this feedback all the performances are measured with early set goals for proper
feedbacks to for the improvement in the future. An individual can measure his performances by

pre set goals and can plan and find ways to overcome the problem for finding solutions for
improving. Feed forward can be done easily for future with summative assessment due to
predefined goals because it involves all the feedbacks which need improvements for future.
From both the assessment the person can learn new skills and knowledge for improving
in future by predefined goals or standards and the regular conduct or procedures for
improvement of the performances. Formative assessment brings out new skills by conducting
various procedures and helps in learning from each activity. Summative assessment helps to
develop the overall feedbacks with standard set earlier for future improvements.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that reflective learning is important for future
development or improvement of future performances from deep learning. Moreover, the
reflective approach helps in the learning of new skills and knowledge through practices and
procedures. In this report it is concluded that the Gibb’s reflective cycle is useful in reflection
and reflective approach for finding the feedbacks and improving the problems by finding the
solutions from past experiences. Furthermore, it is concluded feedback and feed forward are
important for the performance improvements and planning for the future improvements. The
feedbacks and feed forward are done by using reflection by Gibb’s reflective cycle for future
improvement for the negative feedbacks or planning for the solution to improve them. Lastly, all
the reflective approaches are necessary to feedback and feed forward for the improvement of
future formative and summative assessments due to standard goals and procedures for learning
new skills and knowledge in the practices.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Colomer, and et.al., 2020. Reflective learning in higher education: Active methodologies for
transformative practices. Sustainability, 12(9), p.3827.
Cushion, C.J., 2018. Reflection and reflective practice discourses in coaching: A critical
analysis. Sport, education and society, 23(1), pp.82-94.
Sekarwinahyu, 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.
Adeani, and et.al., 2020. using gibbs’reflective cycle in making reflections of literary
analysis. Indonesian EFL Journal, 6(2), pp.139-148.
Dehnen, and et.al., 2022. How feedback and feed‐forward mechanisms link determinants of
social dominance. Biological Reviews.
Berenato, C.L., 2020. Feedback to “Feedforward”: Promoting Student Reflection and Learning
Through Teacher Evaluation. In Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment Practices
in Higher Education (pp. 88-99). IGI Global.
Rolfe, G. and Freshwater, D., 2020. Critical reflection in practice: generating knowledge for
care. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Hansen, G. and Ringdal, R., 2018. Formative assessment as a future step in maintaining the
mastery-approach and performance-avoidance goal stability. Studies in Educational
Evaluation, 56, pp.59-70.
Terry, R., and et.al., 2020. Relationships between pre-clinical summative assessment scores and
the clinical performance of physiotherapy students. Journal of Allied Health, 49(1),
pp.13E-19E.
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