Transcript Slide 1

Feedback for Future Learning
Reflecting on Feedback
Introduction
Good feedback is essential for learning. We receive
feedback in lots of different ways – at University, from
colleagues or employers, from customers or clients, even
from friends and family. It’s important that you can use the
wide range of feedback available to its full advantage.
As a student, feedback can help you to see what you are
doing well in relation to your studies, and also help you to
identify how you could improve your performance in the
future.
Online learning units
These units explore the nature and purpose of feedback,
giving useful tips about how to get the most out of your
feedback whilst at University and beyond.
We will give you simple tools to help you view feedback
positively and use it to improve your future learning.
We will also look beyond University, exploring how
feedback can help you to succeed in the workplace –
whether on placement, in part-time work, or in your first
graduate job.
Aims and objectives
By completing this learning unit, you should be able to:
Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and barriers
(SWOB) in relation to how you deal with academic feedback
Describe and differentiate between the two key types of
reflection
Understand why reflection is useful when engaging with
academic feedback
Apply the Gibbs model of reflection to your own experience
Identify sources of support that can help you make the
most of the feedback that you receive at GCU
Reflection
What exactly
is reflection?
What does it
mean to be
reflective?
How does it
relate to
academic
feedback and
learning?
What are the
benefits of using
reflection?
How can you
reflect?
You may already be asking yourself some or all of these
questions. This learning unit will equip you with some
basic knowledge and understanding of how to reflect.
This should help you maximise the learning opportunities
available from the feedback you receive.
What is reflection?
 Being ‘reflective’ has been identified as one of the key methods of learning from
experience.
 Reflection is an active process – it can help you develop an understanding of how
historical, social, cultural and personal experiences have contributed to how you
study or learn.
 Reflection can be applied to any aspect of your life. It’s used to help individuals
become lifelong learners and to focus their efforts in getting the most out of
situations and, ultimately, improve self-performance.
 In this unit, we will explore how reflection can help you maximise the learning
opportunities available from your academic feedback.
Types of reflection
Reflection often takes two forms, as identified by Schon (1983):
 Reflection-in-action, which occurs intuitively in experienced professionals, e.g.
when an experienced professional in a meeting decides to change their
approach because of dynamics within the group. This happens almost
automatically.
 Reflection-on-action, which involves involves consciously thinking about a
specific experience after it has happened, with the aim of learning from the
experience. For example, when a new graduate employee takes some time to
think about his or her performance in a team meeting. This would happen
retrospectively and away from the scene of the meeting. Reflection-on-action
requires knowledge of ‘how to reflect’, as it is a thinking or cognitive process.
This unit will focus on reflection-on-action, giving you tools to implement these
strategies yourself – specifically thinking about how you use academic feedback.
[Schon, D. (1983) ‘The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action’,
Temple Smith, London]
Who needs to reflect?
•
Reflection is part of lifelong learning – we all need to be able to reflect.
•
Reflection is a key component of successful learning. Reflecting on your progress is
vital to ensure that you get the most out of your learning experiences, and can use
them to their maximum benefit.
•
Thinking ahead to your future career, professional bodies often require their
members to engage in some form of continuing professional development (CPD)
to keep up to date with new ideas and practices in their profession. Reflection is a
key method of identifying your own CPD needs, whilst at University and
throughout your career.
Why is reflection important for learning?
 Reflection can help you maximise your learning opportunities, making sure you
get the most out of each opportunity.
 Reflection encourages ‘active learning’ and can help you to:
•
Identify your learning needs.
•
Seek appropriate learning opportunities or support.
•
Improve your learning experience and achievement.
 Reflection helps you think critically about how you learn and how to make your
learning even more successful.
 Reflection is a key process in personal development planning, including career
planning.
Reflection and academic feedback
•
Students are often unsure about what to do with the academic feedback that they
receive. In other words, they don’t know how to act on the feedback.
•
Reflection can help you identify how you might act upon your academic feedback
and how you might use it to improve your overall academic performance.
•
Reflection can also help you recognise some of the reasons for your level of
achievement – for example, factors that have contributed to high marks or possibly
inhibited your learning, resulting in low marks.
•
Reflection helps you understand yourself better, and you can use this knowledge
to help achieve your learning goals.
How will reflecting on feedback help me?
Taking the time to reflect on your academic feedback can help you to:
 Identify how you learn best and under what conditions.
 Identify specific areas for development so that you can seek additional
support and guidance.
 Identify particular skills you have never fully acknowledged before.
 Plan how best to use study time.
 Plan how you will approach future coursework or exams.
 Help you achieve your full potential in your studies.
Knowing yourself - Activity
Being reflective begins with the assumption that you can learn from your
own experiences. Therefore, it’s important that you know yourself and
can articulate your own strengths and weaknesses, and can identify any
opportunities and barriers to your learning. This is known as a SWOB
analysis.
For this activity, you should use an A4 sheet of paper and organise it as
below:
[Jasper, M. (2003) ‘Beginning reflection practice’, Nelson Thomas, Cheltenham]
Knowing yourself – SWOB Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
SWOB
Analysis
Opportunities
Barriers
A SWOB analysis helps you think
deeply about your experiences of
using academic feedback in the
past. This may be at School,
College, University or a
combination of all three. Think
about your whole experience to
date in terms of how you have
engaged with academic feedback.
Click on each section in turn for
prompt questions. Note down
your responses on your A4 sheet
of paper.
[Jasper, M. (2003) ‘Beginning reflection practice’, Nelson Thomas, Cheltenham]
Knowing yourself – Strengths
Think about how you’ve used academic
feedback in the past:

Strengths
Weaknesses


SWOB
Analysis
Opportunities
What are you good at doing with/about
academic feedback?
What are you proud of doing
with/about academic feedback?
How have you used academic feedback
successfully?
Take five minutes to consider these questions.
Write your responses down on your sheet of
paper under the ‘Strengths’ section.
Barriers
Don’t worry if you struggle to answer some of
the questions or if you only partially answer
them – the idea is to get you thinking rather
than there being a right or wrong answer.
You might never have considered these
questions before and that’s okay too!
[Jasper, M. (2003) ‘Beginning reflection practice’, Nelson Thomas, Cheltenham]
Knowing yourself – Weaknesses
Think about how you’ve used academic
feedback in the past:

Strengths
Weaknesses

SWOB
Analysis
Opportunities

Barriers
What would you like to change about
how you engage with academic
feedback?
What strategies have you tried to use
in relation to academic feedback that
have been unsuccessful?
Is there a particular type or form of
academic feedback that doesn’t work
for you or that you don’t like?
Take five minutes to consider these questions.
Write your responses down on your sheet of
paper under the ‘Weaknesses’ section.
Don’t worry if you struggle to answer some of
the questions or if you only partially answer
them – the idea is to get you thinking rather
than there being a right or wrong answer. You
might never have considered these questions
before and that’s okay too!
[Jasper, M. (2003) ‘Beginning reflection practice’, Nelson Thomas, Cheltenham]
Knowing yourself – Opportunities
Think about how you might improve your
engagement with academic feedback:
Strengths
Weaknesses
What support is available to help you?
Who can help you?
Take five minutes to consider these questions.
Remember to write your responses down on
your sheet of paper under the ‘Opportunities’
section.
SWOB
Analysis
Opportunities


Barriers
Don’t worry if you struggle to answer some of
the questions or if you only partially answer
them – the idea is to get you thinking rather
than there being a right or wrong answer.
You might never have considered these
questions before and that’s okay too! There
will be also more information on where you
can get support later in this unit.
[Jasper, M. (2003) ‘Beginning reflection practice’, Nelson Thomas, Cheltenham]
Knowing yourself – Barriers
Think about how you’ve used academic
feedback in the past:

Strengths
Weaknesses
SWOB
Analysis
Opportunities
What barriers or obstacles are in your
way of achieving your potential?
(You might wish to separate these barriers into
those which you have control of and those which
you don’t).
Take five minutes to consider these questions.
Remember to write your responses down on
your sheet of paper under the ‘Barriers’ section.
Barriers
Don’t worry if you struggle to answer some of
the questions or if you only partially answer
them – the idea is to get you thinking rather than
there being a right or wrong answer. You might
never have considered these questions before
and that’s okay too! There will be also more
information on where you can get support later
in this unit.
[Jasper, M. (2003) ‘Beginning reflection practice’, Nelson Thomas, Cheltenham]
Knowing Yourself – SWOB Activity
Please keep your SWOB analysis handy as it will be useful in the next
activity.
The next slide shows a completed example of a SWOB from a Level 1
student who has looked back at how he engaged with feedback during
his first year at GCU.
Example of a completed SWOB
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
 I always make sure that I collect my feedback
• tutors.
You should have
from my
 Research methods is my favourite subject and I
always make an appointment to discuss my
feedback with the research methods tutor.
 I have used the written feedback and verbal
feedback on my research methods
assignments to help identify the sessions from
the Learning Development Centre that I should
attend – these have includes sessions on
referencing and academic writing.

Opportunities:
Barriers:

 I often focus on the negative and therefore
expect to get poor marks – even although this
is not the case.


There are lots of options for support, e.g. my
class tutors, module leaders, the Learning
Development Centre.
I can also access peer support and the student
mentoring scheme.
Staff in the library are supportive too.
I don’t always understand the what the
written feedback from my tutors mean.
Comments like “try to critically analyse”
concern me as I’m not sure what they really
mean.
 Although I always collect my written feedback
– I don’t always understand it but I find verbal
feedback better.
Knowing Yourself – SWOB Activity
•
Well done for completing your SWOB analysis! You have taken the first steps
towards applying reflection to your learning.
•
You should now have a clearer understanding of how you have engaged with
academic feedback so far.
•
While it is good to think about your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
associated barriers, this is only helpful if you use this knowledge to create an
action plan for the future. This is a key step in reflection. Creating an action plan
uses your previous experience to inform and influence your future experiences.
•
The next learning activity encourages you to reflect upon a specific feedback
episode and work through the reflective process. This may be much more specific
than the previous activity.
Gibbs reflective cycle
The Gibbs reflective cycle is a
common process used for
reflection.
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
Click on each stage of the
process for more information
about what’s involved.
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle - Description
 Describe in detail the
feedback experience you
are reflecting on.
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
 When was it?
 What happened?
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle - Feelings
 How did the experience
make you feel?
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
 How did you feel about
the outcome?
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle - Evaluation
 What was good about the
experience?
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
 What was bad about the
experience?
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle - Analysis
 Why might things have
gone well / not so well?
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
 How did you contribute
to this outcome?
 How did others
contribute?
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle - Conclusion
 What have you learned
from examining this
experience?
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
 How might things have
been different?
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle – Action Plan
 How would you deal with
this situation if it
occurred again?
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
 What will you now do in
the future?
 What key actions will you
take?
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle – Activity
You should now be familiar with Gibbs reflective cycle. This is a really
useful tool to use for reflecting on specific experiences.
Please now take some time to reflect on a specific occasion when you
were given academic feedback, using the Gibbs reflective cycle. Drawing
the cycle out on a sheet of paper may help – we’ve provided it again on
the next slide as a guide.
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Gibbs reflective cycle – Activity
1.
Description
6. Action
Plan
2. Feelings
5.
Conclusion
3.
Evaluation
4. Analysis
[Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to learning and teaching methods’,
Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford]
Reflection and PPACT academic advising
•
Reflecting on your academic feedback can really help you to improve your future
performance at University.
•
The PPACT academic advising process at GCU is intended to help you develop
personal, academic and professional skills. You will be allocated a named academic
advisor, whom you should meet with (individually or as part of a group) three
times a year to discuss your academic studies, any co-curricular activities that may
enhance your profile, and to reflect on any issues that could impact on your overall
performance at University.
•
Ongoing discussion and dialogue with your PPACT academic advisor, lecturers and
Module Leaders can help you get the most from from reflection, and from
academic feedback, as you progress throughout your studies.
•
For more information about academic advising in your programme, please contact
your Programme Leader or Level Tutor.
Sources of support at GCU
Visit the Feedback for Future Learning website
Contact your Programme Leader or Module Leader
Contact your Learning Development Centre
Access GCU Support Services
Access SMILE
Visit the Students’ Association
Contact a Student Mentor
Contact Us
If you’re still not sure of who to contact or if you’d like any further information or
support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at the contact details below and
we’ll be happy to help.
Feedback for Future Learning
B002, Britannia Building
70 Cowcaddens Road
Glasgow, G4 0BA
Web: www.gcu.ac.uk/futurelearning
Email: [email protected]
Done...
Well done – you’ve now completed this learning unit!
We will now look beyond University, exploring how feedback
can help you to succeed in the workplace – whether on placement,
in part-time work, or in your first graduate job.
www.gcu.ac.uk/futurelearning