Reflective practice Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts Reflective Practice – Deliberate examination of one’s actions to adopt a critical stance toward personal and peer practice. Reflection‑on‑Action – Thinking about an event after it occurs (Schön). Reflection‑in‑Action – Thinking while the event is unfolding, adjusting decisions in real time (Schön). Experiential Learning Cycle – Kolb’s loop: Concrete Experience → Reflective Observation → Abstract Conceptualisation → Active Experimentation (repeats). Single‑Loop vs. Double‑Loop Learning – Single‑loop fixes errors within existing strategies; double‑loop questions and revises underlying goals, policies, or assumptions (Argyris & Schön). Metacognition – Awareness and regulation of one’s own thinking; a core outcome of reflective practice in education. 📌 Must Remember Borton’s 3‑question model: What? (describe), So what? (analyze significance), Now what? (plan action). Gibbs Cycle steps: Feelings → Evaluation → Analysis → Conclusions (general & specific) → Action Plan. Johns’ Five Ways of Knowing: Aesthetic, Personal, Ethical, Empirical, Reflexive. Iceberg Model layers (deepest → surface): Critical → Transformative → Dialogic → Descriptive. OODA Loop: Observe → Orient → Decide → Act – an alternative rapid‑decision reflective framework. 🔄 Key Processes Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle Have a concrete experience. Conduct reflective observation (“What happened?”). Form abstract concepts (“So what does it mean?”). Engage in active experimentation (“Now what will I try?”). Gibbs Reflective Debrief Write feelings, evaluate good/bad, analyse with external ideas, draw general & specific conclusions, and create an action plan. Argyris & Schön Learning Loop Identify error → single‑loop: adjust technique; Question governing assumptions → double‑loop: revise goals/policies. 🔍 Key Comparisons Reflection‑on‑Action vs. Reflection‑in‑Action On‑action: post‑event analysis; slower, used for formal debriefs. In‑action: real‑time thinking; enables on‑the‑fly adjustments. Single‑Loop vs. Double‑Loop Learning Single: fixes symptoms, keeps strategy unchanged. Double: reforms the underlying strategy or objectives. Descriptive vs. Critical Reflection (Iceberg Model) Descriptive: simple narrative, no analysis. Critical: probes social, historical, power dimensions. ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “Reflection = Writing a Journal.” – Journaling is a tool; reflection requires analysis, not just description. “All models are interchangeable.” – Each model emphasizes different depth (e.g., Borton is surface‑level; Iceberg reaches critical). “Reflection is only for teachers.” – Health professionals, engineers, managers also use it for autonomous growth. 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition Iceberg Analogy – Most of what shapes practice lies below the surface; the deeper you go, the more transformative the insight. OODA as a Speedy Cycle – Treat it as a “quick‑think” version of Kolb when time is limited (e.g., emergency medicine). 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Time‑pressured environments may limit full‑cycle reflection; use in‑action or OODA for rapid feedback. Highly regulated professions (e.g., legal) may require documented reflection‑on‑action for compliance, not just informal in‑action. 📍 When to Use Which Borton’s 3‑Q – Quick debrief after a single event (classroom lesson, simulation). Gibbs Cycle – Structured written reflection; ideal for assignments, portfolios, or formal assessments. Kolb Cycle – Ongoing professional development programs that require repeated practice‑learning loops. Single‑ vs. Double‑Loop – Use single‑loop for procedural errors; switch to double‑loop when recurring problems indicate flawed assumptions. Iceberg Model – When you need deep, transformative change (e.g., cultural competence, policy reform). 👀 Patterns to Recognize “What → So What → Now What” phrasing signals a Borton‑type prompt. Presence of feelings → evaluation → analysis → action indicates a Gibbs structure. Repeated “why did we do it this way?” questions hint at double‑loop learning. 🗂️ Exam Traps Choosing “reflection‑in‑action” for a post‑event essay – In‑action is real‑time; post‑event tasks require “on‑action.” Selecting the Iceberg Model for a simple journal entry – Iceberg expects deep, critical layers; a basic descriptive journal matches Descriptive reflection only. Confusing single‑loop with “just fixing a mistake.” – Single‑loop does not alter underlying goals; if the question asks about changing policy, answer double‑loop. Mixing up Gibbs and Kolb steps – Gibbs is a debrief (feelings → action plan); Kolb is a learning cycle (experience → experiment). --- Use this guide to quickly recall definitions, select the appropriate model, and spot common pitfalls before the exam.