GIBBS MODEL

Gibbs Model

Gibbs Model

Reflective practice is associated with learning from experience? and is viewed as an important strategy for health professionals who embrace life long learning. The act of reflection is seen as a way of promoting the development of autonomous? qualified and self-directed professionals. Engaging in reflective practice is associated with the improvement of the quality of care? stimulating personal and professional growth and closing the gap between theory and practice.

Reflective practice is an active deliberate process of critically examining practice where an individual is challenged and enabled to undertake the process of self-enquiry to empower the practitioner to realize desirable and effective practice within a reflexive spiral of personal transformation(Wondrak, 1998).

Learning is derived from experience but it doesn't just happen. For it to take place you not only need to engage in reflection you must also record it. By thinking about what you are doing and why you are doing it is what turns your experiences into meaningful learning. If you are to become a reflective practitioner you have to use that learning to increase your professional knowledge and skills to the benefit of not only yourself but also to your patients / clients.

Gibss Reflective Cycle

Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation? analysis of feelings? evaluation of the experience? analysis to make sense of the experience? conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what you would do if the situation arose again. This cycle can be used for your reflective writing? but if you are using it at level 3 or 4 you need to adjust the cycle so that analysis permeates through each stage.

Stage one: Description of the event - Describe in detail the event you are reflecting on. Include for example where you were; who else was there ; why were you there ; what were you doing ; what were other people doing ; what was the context of the event; what happened; what was your part in this; what part/s did other people play; what was the result?

Stage two: Feelings - At this stage try to recall and explore the things that were going on inside your head? i.e. why does this event stick in your mind? Include e.g. how you were feeling when the event started; what you were thinking about at the time; how did it make you feel; how did other people make you feel; how did you feel about the outcome of the event; what do you think about it now?

Stage three: Evaluation -

Try to evaluate or make a judgment about what has happened. Think what was beneficial about the practice and what was bad about the experience or didn't go so well.

Stage four: Analysis -

Break the event down into its component parts? so they can be explored separately; what went well; what did you do well; what did others do well; what went wrong or did not turn out as it should have done; in what ...