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Reflective models, explained

Four ways to think about your practice.

Reflection isn't one thing. Different models suit different moments. Here's a plain-English guide to the four most widely taught — what they look like, when to use them, and where they come from.

G

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

Graham Gibbs · 1988
1234566 stages
1Description
2Feelings
3Evaluation
4Analysis
5Conclusion
6Action Plan

Gibbs gives you six steps that take you from 'what happened' to 'what I'll do next time'. It deliberately makes room for feelings, not just facts — which is why it's the model most often taught in nursing and counselling courses.

The stages

  1. 1
    Description
    What happened? Describe the situation in concrete detail.
  2. 2
    Feelings
    What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
  3. 3
    Evaluation
    What was good and bad about the experience?
  4. 4
    Analysis
    What sense can you make of this situation?
  5. 5
    Conclusion
    What else could you have done?
  6. 6
    Action Plan
    If it arose again, what would you do?

Best for

  • Emotionally charged sessions you want to unpack slowly
  • CPD portfolios where examiners expect a recognisable structure
  • When you're newer to reflective writing and want scaffolding

Consider another model if

You prefer something quicker, or you find the six stages start to feel formulaic.

Sources

K

Kolb's Learning Cycle

David Kolb · 1984
12344 stages
1Concrete Experience
2Reflective Observation
3Abstract Conceptualisation
4Active Experimentation

Kolb sees learning as a loop: you have an experience, think about it, draw a lesson out of it, and then try the lesson out. It's especially useful when you want to connect a moment of practice back to a theory or skill you're working on.

The stages

  1. 1
    Concrete Experience
    Describe the experience as it unfolded.
  2. 2
    Reflective Observation
    What did you notice? What stood out on reflection?
  3. 3
    Abstract Conceptualisation
    What theories, models, or principles help explain this?
  4. 4
    Active Experimentation
    How will you test what you've learned next time?

Best for

  • Linking clinical experience to models, evidence, or training
  • Skills you're actively trying to develop session-by-session
  • Practitioners who think in terms of hypotheses to test

Consider another model if

The encounter was mostly relational or emotional — Kolb can feel cerebral.

Sources

D

Driscoll's 'What?' Model

John Driscoll · 1994
1What?↓
2So what?↓
3Now what?

Driscoll boils reflection down to three questions: What? So what? Now what? It's the fastest model — perfect for the end of a long day when you don't have the energy for a six-stage cycle but still want to make sense of things.

The stages

  1. 1
    What?
    What happened? Describe the event briefly and factually.
  2. 2
    So what?
    Why does this matter? What did it mean for you and others?
  3. 3
    Now what?
    What will you do differently or commit to next?

Best for

  • Quick reflections between sessions or at the end of a day
  • Brief but meaningful CPD notes
  • When you already know the issue and want to land on an action

Consider another model if

You want more scaffolding, or the situation is complex enough that three questions feel too thin.

Sources

S

Schön's Reflective Practice

Donald Schön · 1983
1Reflection-in-Action↓
2Reflection-on-Action↓
3Tacit Knowledge Surfaced↓
4Reframing

Schön separates the thinking you do in the moment ('reflection-in-action') from the thinking you do afterwards ('reflection-on-action'). It's contemplative rather than step-by-step, and it shines when you want to surface the instincts behind your practice.

The stages

  1. 1
    Reflection-in-Action
    What were you noticing and adjusting in the moment?
  2. 2
    Reflection-on-Action
    Looking back, what stands out now that you have distance?
  3. 3
    Tacit Knowledge Surfaced
    What unspoken assumptions or instincts shaped your response?
  4. 4
    Reframing
    How would you reframe the problem next time?

Best for

  • Experienced practitioners examining their own instincts
  • Moments where you adjusted mid-session and want to know why
  • Supervision prep, where you want to articulate the unspoken

Consider another model if

You're after a step-by-step cycle — Schön is more contemplative than procedural.

Sources

Ready to put one of these into practice?

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