Orientation for Success in Higher Education Essay

ORIENTATION FOR SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION ESSAY

Introduction

Reflective learning is a type of learning that ensures from the student’s side that they would be able to apply the taught concept in the daily life. As it is an experiential based learning technique, it can be said that reflective learning takes time to come into practise. Summative feedback typically falls at the end of the learning process. Its main goal is to understand the learner’s retention and concept understood, class and subject wise (Dolin, 2018).

The following report will be analysing in detail about how reflective learning is helpful in feedbacks to improve formative and summative assessments. This report will also throw some light on how feed forward will improve formative and summative assessments. Reflective learning is an advanced and the most used way of learning in the modern world. As in the conventional style of teaching and learning process, rote learning and ‘mugging up’ was a style to make learners memorise the concept (Atkin et al., 2020).

Main Body

Reflection and reflective approach to Learning Using Gibbs Model - Reflection and reflective approach to learning can be understood by none other than the founder of the ‘Reflective Cycle’, Graham Gibbs, developed in 1988. It was observed in the 20^th century that the learners focused more on the memorisation of the concepts that was taught to them. This technique of teaching-learning process, promoted ‘rote learning’ method in the students. It was a beneficial way to understand difficult concepts instantly, but in the long run, it did not help the learners. Reflective learning, introduced by Gibbs, paid more attention to experiential learning (Li, 2020). Experiential learning was based on application of the concepts that was taught by the instructor / teacher. It helped me in eradicating the rote learning method and gave hands on experience in learning to me. In this way, the difficult concepts became relevant and easy for me to learn and it retained for a long period of time. Gibbs concept of reflective learning covered a series of procedures on how it should be followed.

Gibbs started its reflective learning model with ‘description’. As the name suggests, ‘description’ needed the descriptive details like – What happened?, Who was present?, When it happened?, Where it happened?, What was your initiative?, What was other’s initiative?, What was the outcome?, What were you doing there? The ‘description’ taps the curiosity of the learners (Atkin et al., 2020). This technique helped me to develop curiosity by asking questions to my instructor and team members. During the learning process, I kept a track of all the description in my notes. I did not come up with any conclusion, just kept a track of all the points that were being explained by the instructor. This helped me to remain updated with the current matter and also built my focus. Mainly it developed my curiosity to learn new concepts.

After description, feelings related to learning concept are applied. General mood of the learner is assessed while they learn a new concept. After they have learned the taught concept, post learning mood is also assessed (Fergusson et al., 2019). During the group project that I had performed with my peers, I kept a record of their ‘feelings’. During the process of learning through the instructor, I felt confident, motivated and curious. After the learning process, I felt enlightened and insightful.

Evaluation is the most important part of the Gibbs model. It lets the learner share their experiences whether positives or negatives. Not only this, but it also helps in evaluating the experiences of the peers as well, therefore both experiences combine and helps in the building the learning gaps(Li, 2020). It became the most important part of learning something new for me. Self awareness also is a part of evaluation. Throughout my learning, evaluating my, negatives and positives helped me build the learning gaps. I also understood what the takeaway of other learners was. This becomes a group learning where all the learners shared their evaluation and each one of them got to know the other’s point of view.

Next technique in Gibbs reflective model is ‘analysis’. Analysis must be ‘self’. The learner must be able to analyse the learnt concepts deeply. The outcome of it could be positive or negative. The analysis can be based on other team members as well (Atkin et al., 2020). Throughout my project work with my team members, I not only analysed my learning and learning gaps, but also helped the team in their analysis of positive and negative parts. I analysed that I was good in retaining current topics, but lacked in innovation. Via feedback and feed forward, I was able to cover this learning gap and this gave me a deeper analysis in my teaching-learning process.

Next technique in the Gibbs model is conclusions. As the word is self explanatory, conclusion involves the summarisation of whatever learning and group discussion has happened between group/team members (Miller and J.M., 2020). It allowed me to reflect on how certain positive things could be added and the negatives and misconceptions were eradicated via the process of conclusion. I also discovered that I was able to work efficiently in groups because it provided me with the experiences, learning and point of view of my group members as well, which helped me in creating innovations, even in seemingly normal looking tasks.

Action Plan is a strategic concept that helps in documenting goals and planning. These goals could be personal, multiple or futuristic. Action Plan is the most important and brain storming procedure (Dolin, 2018). It helped me to think in a different way for the same concept. It shaped and brought out creativity in my work by setting goals and planning for my future work. It also focused on my skills like my retention capability. The weaknesses that I would be focusing on will be on planning of my work. These are the things that I came to know via action plan.

Nature of Feedback and Feed forward Using Reflection- The most basic and the conventional way of providing the outcomes of the learnt concept is feedback. Feedback is often provided by a tutor or an educator. Feedback often provides behaviour of the learner towards learning during the learning procedure and after they have done with their learning work. Feedbacks provide positive and negative traits of the learner so that they could work on it and avoid the mistakes in future. Harsh feedbacks must be avoided, when dealing with learners (Li, 2020).

Feedbacks were given to me on frequent basis. The feedbacks provided to me were to – the –point and crisp. Feedbacks must prove to be effective to the needs of the learner, and in my case, it was the same. I was Complemented at the beginning of the class, through a positive feedback, which keep them motivated and it also signalled other students to ‘buck up’. One-one- one feedback was promoted so that the group members do not feel offended, if areas of improvement are pointed out. We were encouraged to take notes of the feedback provided, so that it would be helpful for us in the future. We were praised for our efforts and achievements by our tutors / educators. This is how the nature of the feedbacks should be

Reflective approach to feedback and feed forward for the improvement of future formative and summative assessments - While feedback is given on the current performance of the learner, feed forward provides the goals that the students would be setting in the future. Feed forward must always cover the aspect on how the students could perform better in the future (Miller, 2020). It should come across as the most important task of the learner; because it will be helping the learner in future assessments, therefore, quality in feed forward must be maintained. Feed forward would not make any sense, if the learner does not implement it. As reflective learning involves the following techniques – description, feelings, evaluation, conclusion and plan of action, it can be said that it resonates with the concept of feedback and feed forward. Feedback and feed forward go hand in hand with the reflective learning (Winstone and Boud, 2022). Formative performance is based on understanding of the current concept by the learner.

It helped me in analysing of the ongoing topics being taught by the instructor. The current feedbacks provided by the tutor helped me understand the ongoing projects or topics in a better way. It was done with the help of feedbacks. In this way my knowledge and skills improvised. If I would come to know the areas of improvement via feedback, I would take a note of it and it would be helpful in the future. We were Complemented the at the beginning of the class, through a positive feedback. It kept others motivated and also signalled other students to ‘buck up’. One-one- one feedback was promoted so that we do not feel offended, if areas of improvement are pointed out to us. Misconception and learning gaps were taken into consideration via feedbacks that were provided by the tutor / educator, which helped us during the formative assessment. Feed forward proved beneficial during the summative assessments. It is because feed forward provided us details on what we must improve in the long run. Feed forward was given in a perfect manner, which helped us cover learning gaps and misconception that we were facing.

It can be said that the feedbacks and feed forwards provided us detailed insights. This created retention of the concepts learnt in the long term memory. Feedback and Feed forward helped us in understanding the current learning gaps, and the improvements that can be made in the upcoming assessments. This helped in effective teaching-learning process. It also helped in my detailed analysis scope of improvement in the future learning was also provided. It not only helped me, but also helped my teacher / educator to understand each student’s strengths and weaknesses in a detailed manner.

Conclusion

The above report analysed in detail about how reflective learning was helpful in feedbacks to improve formative and summative assessments. This report also threw some light on how feedback and feed forward will improve formative and summative assessments. I also learnt that reflective and reflection learning will provide me better insights regarding my learning. Feedbacks and feed forwards helped me to understand my learning gaps and how would I improve in future. A perfect feedback that was provided by my tutors helped me in my formative and summative assessments. The overall report helped me in analysing and planning for my future work. It also helped me understand my skills, areas of expertise and areas of improvement.

References

Atkin, P.A., Willis, A., Doncahie, C., Elledge, R.O., Thomas, S.J., Ni Riordain, R., Galvin, S., Marney, C., Setterfield, J.F., Smith, P.M. and Hammond, D., 2020. Human disease/clinical medical sciences in dentistry: Current state and future development of undergraduate assessments in the UK and Ireland. European Journal of Dental Education, 24(3), pp.442-448.

Dolin, J., Black, P., Harlen, W. and Tiberghien, A., 2018. Exploring relations between formative and summative assessment. In Transforming assessment (pp. 53-80). Springer, Cham.

Dutta, S., Jha, S., Sankaranarayanan, S. and Tiwari, A., 2018. Learning and verification of feedback control systems using feedforward neural networks. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 51(16), pp.151-156.

Fergusson, L., van der Laan, L. and Baker, S., 2019. Reflective practice and work-based research: a description of micro-and macro-reflective cycles. Reflective Practice, 20(2), pp.289-303.

Li, Y., Chen, W., Liu, C. and Deng, M., 2020. Nurses’ psychological feelings about the application of Gibbs reflective cycle of adverse events. American Journal of Nursing, 9(2), pp.74-78.

Miller, J.M., 2020. Challenges of the two-year manuscript: Engaging in reflective practice with a manuscript about reflective practice. Hypothesis, 32(1).

Winstone, N.E. and Boud, D., 2022. The need to disentangle assessment and feedback in higher education. Studies in higher education, 47(3), pp.656-667.