Module name: Orientation for Success in Higher Education

Student ID: 21637

Lecturer’s Name: Dr. Jallo
Academic year: September 2021-2022
Group: C1
Location: Manchester
Date of submission: 29th November 2021
 IMPORTANCE OF REFLECTIVE LEARNING AND HOW A
REFLECTIVE APPROACH TO FEEDBACK AND FORWARD
CAN INFORM AND IMPROVE FUTURE FORMATIVE AND
SUMMATIVE ASSESSED WORK
Reflective Learning Essay
In 1991, Schon gave the definition of Reflective learning in term of ability of one’s to

reflect on actions for the continuous learning from own actions by engaging. It is highly

important in the field of business and management to utilize reflective learning (Bartunekl,

1993). 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). Gibbs reflective cycle has been used in this reflective learning essay.

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 (Perusso, 2020). This provides learner assessment based on how and

how much material has been learned. This essay aims to discuss and understand the reflective

approach to learning and the models to learning that will be utilized in 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.

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, description, highlights what happened, what did you do and what was the

outcome (Gibbs, 1988). It stresses that 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 education department just after completing my college education. The
second, feeling describes ‘what were you thinking and feeling before the situation?’ this 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. My feeling regarding the

opportunity varied over the time. Like after taking on the opportunity, I felt that I was not

capable enough to do this right now. Third, evaluation, what was positive, what went well and

what was negative of the experience (Gibbs, 1988). The internship experience was not good as

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

faculty members effectively. The fourth point, analysis focus on the experience that have been

shared (Adeani, 2020). Gibbs (1988) provide points like, what did go well, why things did not go

well or what additional knowledge can help in my understanding. For example, a lack of

communication skills that are necessary for the new intern 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 education

department needs the interpersonal skills to be polished so that negotiation with the counterpart

or the faculty members 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).

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

identifying the need for feedback and 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).

For the future study and plans, reflective approach is being taken by the students that

allow students to evaluate their goals and performance. Future improvement based on the

experiences will help the learner by using reflective learning (Cheng, 2015). 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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