Part 2/3: Analyzing the Situation
Weigh the positives in your reflections and how to interpret your feedback in Rflect.
“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” John Dewey.
When sitting down to reflect, it can be hard to know where to start. Thankfully, there are models that can help you make sense of your experiences and give structure to your thoughts and feelings. Examples include the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1998) with its 6 steps: Description, Feeling, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion and Action Plan, and the simpler Era Cycle (Jasper, 2013) with 3: Experience, Reflection, and Action.
We cover 3 steps in Rflect: Experience, Analysis, and Action. That means, when reflecting, you want to describe the context of the situation, how you felt about it, analyze whether the experience was positive or negative, what you’re learning about yourself, and decide on next steps. Taking action is an essential part of the process, which will result a new experience, thus starting the cycle again. Reflection, like learning, is an ongoing process.
As a student in Rflect, you will receive structured feedback on how well you engage with each step. Whether you’re reflecting on a challenge, a group project, or a personal learning experience, Rflect can help you explore your thoughts, emotions, and actions in a meaningful way. Of course, it will not always be relevant to go into depth with every reflection, depending on the question posed by your lecturer.
In this 3-part blog series, we’ll break down each step and give tips for how to include them in your reflections.
Step 2/3: Analysis.
What Was Good and Bad About the Experience?
After you have given context to your reflection and described your feelings (as detailed in Step 1: Experience), assess the situation critically. Reflection is about shifting perspective and looking at experiences from different angles.
- What went well?
- What didn’t go as planned?
- How do you know whether it was a positive or negative experience?
Tip: If you struggled with evaluating your experience, consider what was positive or negative about the experience, and any evidence that supports your assessment.
Example: “The good part was we all knew our individual topics really well and had strong information. But we didn’t think enough about timing or practice transitions, which made us look disorganized. Overall, the presentation wasn’t as successful as it could’ve been.”
Why Did It Happen That Way?
This is where deeper learning occurs. This is based on how well you explore causes, patterns, and underlying factors.
- Why did the situation unfold as it did?
- Were there external or internal factors influencing the outcome?
- How does this compare to similar experiences you’ve had?
Tip: If your feedback in Rflect indicates that your analysis could be stronger, try connecting your experience to theories, patterns, or past experiences to gain new insights.
Example: “Splitting the topics based on our individual interests and strengths was definitely a good idea—it meant everyone felt comfortable with what they were presenting. But we underestimated the importance of practicing together. I remember from class discussions that teamwork and coordination are just as important as content. Our lack of rehearsal together made our presentation feel disconnected.”
Well done! By considering positive and negative aspects of the situation, and why things happened the way they did, you have successfully completed Step 2. Keep reading to learn about Step 3: Action.
Sources
Cambridge University Libraries. (n.d.). Reflective Practice Toolkit: Models of reflection. Cambridge LibGuides. https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/reflectivepracticetoolkit/models
Rflect AG, https://www.rflect.ch.
University of Edinburgh. “Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle.” Reflection Toolkit, 15 Oct. 2024, https://reflection.ed.ac.uk/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle.
Imprint
This blog was written by Ella from the Rflect team with help from AI. Have questions? Get in touch: info@rflect.ch