Writing a Reflective Piece

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle:

A. Description- What happened?

B. Feelings- What are you thinking and feeling?
C. Evaluation- What was the good and bad about the experience?
D. Analysis- What sense can you make of the situation?
E. Conclusion- What else could you have done?
F. Action Plan- If it arose again what would you do?

 Develop a perspective, or line of reasoning

 Demonstrate that you are well informed, have read relevant literature and
reflected on its relevance to your own development
 Showing that you recognize that situation are rarely simple and clear-cut
 Writing about the link between your experience/practice and your reading
 Writing in an appropriate style

Steps:

Determine the Key Argument of the Article.

What is the central argument expressed? (significant points) Why is that argument being made?
What is the effect of accepting the premise of the argument? What is the evidence/points in
support?

Is there a Central Quote which captures the essence of the article?

What are the strengths/weaknesses/gaps of the article?

What questions are you left with at the end of the article? Is there anything that is confusing?
Anything you agree with? Is the article relevant? Does it have good explanatory power?

How do you relate to it? What experiences did it prompt you to reflect on? How is it relevant to
your lived experience and navigating of the Caribbean?

What other arguments raised by other texts are relevant to enhancing/challenging your reading of
the article? What arguments are persuasive in challenging/deepening the arguments which are
being presented by the author? While reading the article – did you think of any other connections
to materials in this or any other course?

Does it identify (methods/time/effects), Compare (theories) and develop (links)?

 Identify exactly why the methods are useful for the certain type of research and
aims/questions. Why is this time significant? Clearly identify outside effects!
  Critically compares/contrasts each theory – which one is the most relevant to your
research/essay question? (Basically, evaluates certain information against other research
and theories that are prevalent within the topic area. Discusses the relevance of a theory in
relation to the topic. Examines how different academics have interpreted and developed
the theory in various ways.)
 Clearly develops the links between each theory, considering the effect that this
understanding has upon the topic area.

If you accept the premise of this article, how could it be used to shape/influence social
relations/reality? What are the possibilities which this article allows you to think of in relation to
gender equality /relations? What practical policy/legal/solutions did it cause you to think of?