Year-End Reflection: Growth Through the Gibbs Cycle
- Feb 7, 2025
- 3 min read
by Kimberly Tyler
As we come to the end of the year, we often take time to reflect on the path traveled this year, both personal and professional. Media will put together montages of the year's events, significant gains and losses, and projections for the next year, especially since we are entering into a new change in the government leadership this upcoming year. We can skip over this or take a deeper look at the path we have traveled this year.
Merriam-Webster defines Ponder as "to think about, reflect on, consider, quietly, soberly, and deeply.” As we ponder our past path this year and look forward to next year, we can do so in a structured and methodical way that focuses on using reflection to solve challenging situations and help us move confidently into the new year in our journey.
Reflection was a word drummed into every student teacher as we went through our candidacy. We reflected on every lesson plan and actual teaching of that lesson; we were asked to reflect on what went well, what didn't, and what would we change for the next lesson. This relentless, ongoing reflection helped us grow quickly in our teaching effectiveness as we analyzed several lessons per day and honestly assessed our own effectiveness. We asked questions about our time management and lesson effectiveness, such as was Jill doodling instead of listening? was Johnny engaged and participating? As we applied our continuous reflection, our lessons improved, our classrooms and students flourished, and professional growth was achieved.
The reflective model we were taught was Gibb's reflective Cycle model. This model is often used in business and education and has proven effective for individual and organizational growth. When used for personal development, we look at situations we have gone through, see the positives and the negatives, and make an action plan for improvement. This sincere and unbiased self-analysis supports accelerated personal and professional growth and gives us tools for navigating situations more confidently and positively.
The Gibb's model consists of 6 distinct phases or steps;
1) Description- Overall analysis- What happened, and what was the outcome? You can also look at the people involved and the location.
2) Emotions- How did you feel before, during, and after the event? How do you think others felt?
3) Evaluation- What went well? What did not go well?
4) Analysis- Why do you think the outcomes happened as they did? What influenced the positive and negative results?
5) Conclusion- What could have been done differently? What knowledge did you gain going through this experience?
6) Action plan- What will you do differently next time? What skills do you need to develop to navigate these situations successfully?
Because the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a structured approach to reflection, it can also be immensely beneficial for business teams. There are templates available that organizations can utilize to debrief situations and plan for success. When teams openly and objectively analyze what aspects were successful and which could be improved, they can continuously refine development and alignment with organizational goals and form action plans that include strategies for success. Another benefit of teams working through this reflection is that it strengthens team collaboration as they identify both the effectiveness and the shortcomings as a supportive unit that does not place blame but analyzes situations and works together to find solutions moving forward.
As we transition into a fresh year, let our reflections fuel growth, inspire improvement, and empower us to face new challenges with wisdom and resilience. May our reflections guide us toward positive change, helping us grow personally and professionally with renewed purpose.
Connect with Kimberly
@kimmijotyler
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