REFLECTIVE LEARNING

INTRODUCTION

The essay aims at reflecting the understanding of the reflective approach and the models to

learning that will be utilized in the business and management along with the usage of feedback

and feedforward in the improvement and informing of assessed work that can either be formative

or summative (Perusso, 2020). Reflective learning is described in terms of the assessment of the

understanding of the concepts and the effectiveness of their application in the practical field

(Colomer, 2020). It is highly important in the field of business and management to utilize

reflective learning. Different reflective models provide a framework for the understanding and

assessment of the learning for example Gibbs reflective cycle, Kolb reflective cycle, Schon

model, and Driscoll model (Wain, 2017). Feedback and feedforward by the reflective model help

in ensuring that the learning has developmental facts so that current performance along with

future performance can be determined and assessed. This provides learner assessment based on

how and how much material has been learned.

GIBBS REFLECTIVE MODEL

Gibbs's reflective model stated that there is a need to understand description, feeling, evaluation,

analysis, conclusion, and action plan to learn more effectively from the experience (Gibbs,

1988). First, there is a need to describe the experience that is going to be used for assessment.

For example, two monthly internships were being offered by the organization in the marketing

department just after securing admission to the university. The second one is feeling that shows

or elaborates the thinking and feeling about the experience (Edinburgh, 2020). For example, at
first, on receiving such a big opportunity, I was happy to grab the new opportunity that will open

a new door of success in life. There was an ambition to learn new things at the workplace and

implement all the valuable concepts and skills that have been learned. The third one is the

evaluation of the experience that might be a bad or good one. The internship experience was not

good as there were many issues related to interpersonal skills. I was unable to communicate with

the upper and lower management effectively. Fourth is the analysis in which details about the

experience have been shared (Adeani, 2020). For example, a lack of communication skills that

are necessary for the middle manager in an organization was not present in me. This made the

situation worst as there was a lack of communication which resulted in my ineffective and

inefficient performance. Two months of internship being in the marketing department needs the

interpersonal skills to be polished so that negotiation with the counterpart or the target audience

will do effectively. The conclusion has been made for example, from that internship experience,

I concluded that there is a need to improve and enhance my communication skills. Because in a

highly reputable organization, all employees need to work in coordination and presentable

manner. Lagging in communication may disturb the flow of information in the organization as a

whole. Furthermore, dealing with fellow employees at the workplace also need communication

skills so that you can get your idea across to the fellow. To tackle the situation in the future, an

action plan has been prepared (Yaacob, 2021). For example, the action plan has been prepared

based on internship experience at the reputable organization that first there is need to develop the

interpersonal skills for which personal development is needed. Secondly, there is a need to

understand the flow of information in an organization and its effectiveness for achieving the

goals of the organization.

The nature of feedback and feed-forward can be described as the improvement strategies in

reflective learning. Feedback involves the identification of the errors in the present situation that

lead to a good or bad experience. It is a process that is based on the identification of an existing

error or problem. Strategies are being put into practice based on current errors and deviations to

nullify the negative consequences (Bhattacharya, 2018). In feedback, assessment is done based

on the already set criteria or the learning outcomes. Comparison is made based on knowledge of

results. The resulting feedback in the assessment of reflective learning depends on the student

whether the student takes essential steps to improve the existing situation and made the

correction to the errors or take in such form as existed before the assessment and feedback. As

based on the learning goal that has been set by the learner feedback provides information

regarding their performance to identify the misconception that part that hinders their part to the

achievement of goal it also includes the remedial action being taken against the existing

situation. To make effective learning it is important to include the component of feedback that

must be constructive and supportive for the learner (Bhattacharya, 2017). In reflective learning,

feedback is considered to be the necessary check for the individual learner to make a self-

assessment about how much variation exists and what necessary steps are being made to make it

run smoothly. In feed-forward constructive guidance is offered in the time of future situations.

Feedforward tells us about any situation that may arise in the future and where it is necessary to

make a strong action plan as a remedial strategy that can improve the learning process of the

learner in reflective learning. Feedback and feedforward are related to the Gibbs reflective cycle

in a way that at first from the description to the action plan feedback is given at each step

(Edinburgh, 2020). Based on the previous step, feedback is generated by the learner to proceed to
the next step in the Gibbs reflective cycle. First of all, after waking evaluation and analysis a

conclusion has been drawn based on which action plan has been designed. That action plan is the

feedforward strategy that gives you an idea about how to tackle the situation if arises in the

future. Thus, feedback and feedforward are the end product for the improvement in the learning

and also be part of Gibbs reflective cycle (Malthouse, 2018).

FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

Assessments that are done to improve and enhance the performance in the future by identifying

the need for feedback and also using feedforward, are of two types. In the formative assessments,

the whole process of learning has been reflected upon. While in the case of summative

assessments, the outcome or the results that how much the learners have gained insight from the

learning (Bhattacharya, 2017). Formative assessments are being carried out to get feedback about

the performance of the student and the process included in the whole effort. In this format

assessment, the learner has been compared with the standard criteria and given feedback that

helped him to identify the error and the variation in his work and by using that available data he

will be able to guide future assessments. Even formative assessments are the basis that led to the

summative assessment (Dolin, 2018). Summative assessments are done after utilizing the feed-

forward from the feedback as in the case of formative assessment. The requirements and the

expectation that has been attached with the assessment are to be judged and fully analyzed by the

learner in the feedback during the formative assessment. In the case of summative assessment in

which the end for learning achievements is being considered, a feed-forward mechanism is used.

A brief description and the criteria that have been set in the formative assessment are given by

feedback response to the individual learner (Wheatley, 2015). This feedback process will then be
utilized by the individual through a reflective approach, engaging different reflective models

such as giving a reflective model into a feed-forward. Timely feedback is necessary for the

learner to reflect upon and produce a feed-forward mechanism to tackle future situations

(Rizzuto, 2019). Learning capabilities will be enhanced by using the formative assessment in

which the whole process of learning has been reflected upon by using the reflective learning

model and then the response that has been collected in the form of feedback will then be utilized

by the learner in the practical field in future. Using the Gibbs reflective model as has been

discussed above, a learner can easily get feedback and then work on it to improve the

performance (Edinburgh, 2020). The formative assessments will help in improving performance

in summative assessments because once learners get feedback from the reflective learning, the

learner will be able to better understand the events and situations and then work accordingly. In

business and management, the reflective approach will help to better perform by assuring the

controlling and feedback method (Hepburn, 2021).

CONCLUSION

From the above-mentioned discussion, it has been of obvious that there is a need of

understanding the reflective approach and its usage in the business and management that help a

learner by the use of the reflective model. Different kinds of reflective models are available; an

individual learner can use the Gibbs reflective model which consists of six major steps that help

in the exploration of experience in detail and help the learner by a reflective approach. Feedback

and feedforward have been obtained from the reflective learning approach using the reflective

model cycle and thus help in taking the situation in near future. Two types of assessment which

include formative assessment and summative assessment have been improved and well informed
by using the feedback and feedforward method in the reflective approach (Dickson, 2019). This

topic helps the learner in understanding reflective learning and the reflective learning model that

would be beneficial in the assessment.

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