Unit 2: Reflecting on Own Practice in Information, Advice or Guidance
Reflective Practice
Reflective Practice is the foundation of professional development; it is about learning from our experiences and provides insights and practical strategies for personal growth and organisational development.
Reflective practice involves implementing reflective activities into our daily routine which will help to raise awareness, prompt critical analysis and support self-development and action planning.
Reflective Practice Journal
A reflective practice journal is a diary in which you record your learning. It can be used to record formal learning: courses, continuous professional development and training. And can also be used to reflect upon our wider experiences; including: reflecting upon meetings and conversations with mentors or managers and any other events or experiences that happen each day.
There are many methods for journaling. You can use pen and paper, but you could also keep an electronic diary, either just for yourself or as an open blog, or a video log (vlog), or even an audio journal.
The structure of a reflective practice journal usually includes:
- A description of the situation
- What you did, and what others did
- What effect what you did had
- What you learned as a result of the experience and what you would do differently next time
There are a range of reflective practice methods and theories including Kolbs and Gibbs.
Example 1 – Kolb’s learning cycle
Kolb’s learning cycle is a well-known theory which argues we learn from our experiences of life, even on an everyday basis. It also treats reflection as an integral part of such learning. According to Kolb (1984), the process of learning follows a pattern or cycle consisting of four stages, one of which involves what Kolb refers to as ‘reflective observation’. The stages are illustrated and summarised below:
Example 2 – Gibbs’ (1998) reflective cycle guides us through six stages of reflection:
| 1. Description: what happened | What, where and when? Who did/said what, what did you do/read/see hear? In what order did things happen? What were the circumstances? What were you responsible for? |
|---|---|
| 2. Feelings: what were you thinking about? | What was your initial gut reaction, and what does this tell you? Did your feelings change? What were you thinking? |
| 3. Evaluation: what was good or bad about the experience? | What pleased, interested or was important to you? What made you unhappy? What difficulties were there? Who/what was unhelpful? Why? What needs improvement? |
| 4. Analysis: what sense can you make of the situation? | Compare theory and practice. What similarities or differences are there between this experience and other experiences? Think about what actually happened. What choices did you make and what effect did they have? |
| 5. Conclusion: what else could you have done? | What have you learnt for the future? What else could you have done? |
| 6. Action Plan: what will you do next time? | If a similar situation arose again, what would you do? |