What it shows
Gibbs’ reflective cycle (Gibbs 1988) as six stages running clockwise from the top: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusions and action plan. The action plan leads back into a new experience and a new description.
Under each stage is the question Gibbs gives for it in Learning by Doing, and one example runs all the way round: a new instructor’s seminar where the discussion fell flat.
How to read it
Description, at the top: what happened. Silence after the opening question.
Feelings and evaluation: the instructor felt anxious and filled the silence by talking; the reading was done, but there was no discussion.
Analysis and conclusions: the question was too broad, and broad questions need thinking time.
Action plan: pairs talk first, then a narrow question.
The six stages
- Description: What happened?
- Feelings: What were your reactions and feelings?
- Evaluation: What was good or bad about the experience?
- Analysis: What sense can you make of the situation?
- Conclusions: What can be concluded? (Gibbs has a general and a specific step here.)
- Action plan: What will you do differently next time? (shortened from Gibbs)
Ways to use it in teaching
Set it as the structure for a reflective assignment or teaching portfolio entry, one paragraph per stage.
Use it to run a group debrief after a role play or other shared experience, as Gibbs intended, moving the group from stage to stage.
Ask students to rewrite the example with an experience of their own and compare where their reflections stalled.
Sources
- Finlay, L. (2008). Reflecting on “reflective practice” (PBPL Paper 52). Practice-based Professional Learning Centre, The Open University.
- Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
- Reflective practice. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_practice
