Re: Reflective Journal: My Journey to Becoming a Reflective Practitioner

by Nisha Gidharry - Friday, 2 October 2015, 2:25 AM

Reflecting With Gibbs
Everybody has his or her own interpretation of what reflection means, and this interpretation
is used as the basis for trumpeting the virtues of reflection in a way that makes it sound as
virtuous as motherhood. Smyth (1992, p.285)
This week I learned the true meaning of reflection simply because I was challenged to put
into practice what I have learned thus far in the course. I was required to do a group
assignment for one of my courses. To do so, I was placed in a group of three where I met
two amazingly intellectual minds. We seemed to have shared similar sentiments regarding
our hunger for success at The UWi. Little did we know of the speed bumps and curves that
we were to experience ahead. After our initial group discussion of the assignment, we
devised a plan and set out to execute. We tallied until the wee hours of the morning, using
the various forms of technologies like Skype and WhatsApp as our modes of communication.
After our hard work, with a breath of relief we all set and ready to post the assignment.
However, I thankfully decided to share what was prepared with another colleague from a
different group. After hearing what he had to say, although I was very grateful for his
insightful editing, I felt like my sleepless night was all for nothing. I was left feeling more
confused than I had ever felt before. At that moment, I simply wanted to give up but with his
reassuring words and patience, I was somehow able to remain sane.
My colleague tried very hard to explain to me my misconceptions about the assignment.
Feeling overwhelmed by my inability to see things from his point of view I decided to stop put
the work away and think for a while of how I could help myself better understand rather than
trying to understand. In doing so, Gibbs (1988) popped into mind. I chose Gibbs work
because I like working with a structure and I was provided this comfort in his work. Thankful
that I was familiar with his work, I decided to consciously not just think about the situation but
to reflect. With Gibbs as my mentor, I slowly and carefully sailed through the various stages
displayed in his reflection model.
To help me make this experience more concrete, I decided to write down my thoughts.

Description of the experience: I am not able to efficiently assess a topic in

order to determine the acceptable method of exposition to be used.

Feelings: Overwhelmed, disappointed, demotivated and challenged.

Evaluation and Analysis: Where did I go wrong? I did not do sufficient

research, I did not pay close enough attention to the question, I was too focused on
the product rather than the process, I was not receptive enough of others ideas.

Conclusion: I am having this experience primarily because I rushed the

assignment.

Action plan: I need to go back, look at the questions again, read the units in
relation to the questions, use the links suggested by my colleagues and use this new
knowledge to build on what was done.

This experience has taught me that reflection is more than just thinking over and over
again of what happened. Reflection requires time and effort if one is expected to learn
from the experience. While going through the various stages, I realized that reflection is
a process and ones thoughts and feelings at each stage would have implications for the
next stage. Engaging in the reflective process helped me to realize that it is more
important to focus on the process rather than the product sometimes.
Bibliography
Finlay, L. (n.d.). Reflecting on Reflective practice. Retrieved October 2, 2015, from
http://www.sencer.net/Symposia/SSI2015/documents/Finlay-2008-Reflecting-on-reflectivepractice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf