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Reflective Writing and Critical
Thinking
By
Farida Faraz
RN, RM, WA,TA,Post RN
Subject
Teaching and Learning
Principles and Clinical Preceptorship
6/23/2022 1
Post RN semester II

Objective
After the completion of this unit students will
be able to:
• Discuss thinking process; to understand the
process of reflective observation
• List and Compare types of thinking
• Define reflection
6/23/2022 2
Post RN semester II

Cont…
• Discuss types of reflections
• Discuss process of reflection
• Define critical thinking
• Analyze the role of critical thinking in
reflective practice
• Discuss the components of critical thinking
6/23/2022 3
Post RN semester II

Thinking
• It is the cognitive activities you use to process
information, solve problems, make decisions, and create
new ideas.
• You use your thinking skills when you try to make sense
of experiences, organize information, make connections,
ask questions, make plans, or decide what to do.
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Thinking process
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Post RN semester II
• It is a mechanism that allows us to verbalize,
construct, analyze, and communicate cause and
effect relationships to propose feasible solutions
to the problems.
• "The world we have created is a product of
our thinking; it cannot be changed without
changing our thinking." Albert Einstein

Types of thinking
.
1. Abstract: Requires much more analysis and goes deeper.
2. Analytical: It involves thinking in a logical, systematic to
analyze data, solve problems, make decisions, and/or use
information.
3. Creative: refers to conceiving new and innovative ideas
by breaking from established thoughts, theories, rules, and
procedures.
4. Concrete thinking: Refers to the thinking on the surface
or are visible allowing any individual to observe and
understand
6/23/2022
7
Post RN semester II

Conti…..
5. Convergent thinking: involves bringing facts and data
together from various sources and then applying logic and
knowledge to solve problems or to make informed
decisions or to find a single answer.
6. Divergent thinking: Involves breaking a topic apart to
explore its various component parts and then generating
new ideas and solutions
7.Critical thinking:

Critical Thinking
• A careful and goal-directed thinking that is used to
assess complicated situations, identify actual and
potential problems, and make decisions about an action
plan.
• Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking
which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in
a fair-minded way
6/23/2022 9
Post RN semester II

.
Cont…
6/23/2022
• Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined
thinking which attempts to reason at the highest
level of quality in a fair-minded way.
• Critical thinking; raises vital questions and
problems, gathers and assesses relevant
information, thinks open-mindedly within
alternative systems of thought, communicates
effectively with others in figuring out solutions to
complex problems. 10
Post RN semester II

Why is critical thinking so important?
6/23/2022 11
Bast of Knowledge
Thinking & Learning is life
long
Nursing Practice ALWAYS
changing

Key Components of Critical
Thinking
1. The process of thinking is as significant
as the outcome
2. Be familiar to your own beliefs, values,
and prejudices as well as your personal
experiences
3. Challenge assumptions
4. Consider the arguments
5. Consider alternatives
6. Consider the background
7. Know the sources of information
8. Assume a posture of reflective skepticism

Characteristics of Critical thinkers
• Aware of their strengths and capabilities
• Proactive
• Creative
• Open minded
• Humble
• Flexible
6/23/2022 13
Post RN semester II

Cont….
• See the situations from many perspectives
• Support views with evidence
• Apply the concept of “cause and effect”
• Distinguish between fact and fallacy
6/23/2022 14
Post RN semester II

Steps in Critical thinking
Critical thinkers should deal with the
components of a complex problem in an
orderly manner:
• Identify issues or problems
• Define the problem with a clear and concise
statement of the problem
• Gather relevant information

Cont…
• Assess the credibility and accuracy of information
and supporting evidence
• Analyze information
• Search for reasons and root causes of problem
• Draw conclusions and generate theories
• Formulate questions to test conclusions and
theories
• Identifying potential options or solutions to
resolve issue or problem

Levels of Critical Thinking
• Commitment
• Complex Critical
Thinking
• Basic Critical
Thinking
6/23/2022 17

Knowledge: Exhibit memory of previously learned material by
recalling information, fundamental facts and terms, as well as
discovery, through observing and locating.
Comprehension: Demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by
organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptors
and stating main ideas.
Application: Solve problems in new situations by applying
acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different or
new way.
6/23/2022 18
Levels of Critical Thinking

Analysis: Examine and break information into parts by
identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find
evidence to support generalizations
Synthesis: Compile information together in a different way by
combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative
solutions.
Evaluation: This is also denoted as „critical evaluation‟, often
used to emphasis the depth of evaluation required. You will be
required to present and defend opinions by making judgements
about information, the validity of ideas or quality of work
based on a set of criteria.
6/23/2022 19

• Reflection is an important human activity
in which people recapture their experience,
think about it, ponder over & evaluate it.
• It is this working with experience that is
important in learning.
Reflection
6/23/2022 20
Post RN semester II

Cont…
Reflection is an essential phase in the learning
process whereby people explore their
experiences in a conscious manner in order to
acquire new understandings and new
behaviour patterns.”
(Professor Peter Jarvis (1987)
6/23/2022 21
Post RN semester II

Reflection-informal & formal
Informal Reflection
• Involves self- questioning
• Develops our awareness of our own assumptions
Formal Reflection
• Draws on research & theory
• Provides guidance & frameworks for practice
6/23/2022 22
Post RN semester II

Why Reflection?
• Identify own learning needs
• Direct own learning and develop skills of self-responsibility
• Develop independence and accountability for clinical practice
• Provides awareness about own thinking skills
• Helps to undertake self-evaluation
• Development of analytical, and critical thinking skill.
• Enhances the ability of problem solving, and builds curiosity and
motivation
• Access own competencies
6/23/2022 23

.
Superficial (descriptive reflection)
• Reflection at this level is very basic – some would say it
is not reflection at all, as it is largely descriptive.
However the description should not just be of what
happened but should include a description of why those
things happened.
• Reflection at a superficial level makes reference to an
existing knowledge base, including differing theories but
does not make any comment or critique of them.
6/23/2022
Types Of Reflection

.
Medium (dialogic reflection)
At this level of reflection, the person takes a step back
from what has happened and starts to explore thoughts,
feelings, assumptions and gaps in knowledge as part of
the problem solving process. The teacher makes sense
of what has been learnt from the experience and what
future action might need to take place.
6/23/2022
cont…

.Deep (critical reflection)
This level of reflection has the most depth. This level of
reflection shows that the experience has created a
change in the person – his/her views of self,
relationships, community of practice, society and so on.
To do so, the teacher needs to be aware of the relevance
of multiple perspectives from contexts beyond the
chosen incident – and how the learning from the chosen
incident will impact on other situations.
6/23/2022
cont…

Process of Reflective Learning
What do I think about this
issue/topic/experience?
- Explore my understanding, perceptions and ideas
- Question my assumptions
- Identify anything confusing or difficult to understand
- What more do I need to know to help my understanding
Develop and refine my
ideas and beliefs
Identify, locate and interpret
relevant information and resources
How can I use this experience to improve my
learning, thinking and working?
e.g. What would I do differently next time?
6/23/2022 27
Post RN semester II

Reflective practice
Reflective practice is "the capacity to reflect
on action so as to engage in a process of
continuous learning".
6/23/2022 28
Post RN semester II

Models of Reflection
Models OR frameworks for reflection, encourage a
structured process to guide the act of reflection
• Bloom‟s Taxonomy Model
• Brookfield Model
• Dewey Model
• Gibb’s Model
• Kolb‟s Model
• Schon Model
• Greenway Model
• Roth model
• Peter Model

Gibb’s Model of Reflection
Gibbs' suggestions are often cited as Gibbs'
reflective cycle or Gibbs' model of reflection
(1988), and simplified into the following six
distinct stages: Therefore, offering
constructive vital questions to assist in
structuring reflection of learning experiences.
6/23/2022 30
Post RN semester II

Gibbs' model of reflection (1988)

Six distinct stages of Gibb’s Reflection
1. Description
2. Feelings
3. Evaluation
4. Analysis
5. Conclusions
6. Action plan
6/23/2022 32
Post RN semester II

(Initial experience)
• Description:
"What happened? Don't make judgments yet or try
to draw conclusions; simply describe."
• Feelings:
"What were your reactions and feelings? Again don't
move on to analyzing these yet.“
• Evaluation:
"What was good or bad about the experience? Make
value judgments."
6/23/2022 33
Post RN semester II
Six distinct stages of Gibb’s Reflection

•Analysis:
"What sense can you make of the situation? Bring in
ideas from outside the experience to help you."
"What was really going on?"
"Were different people's experiences similar or different
in important ways?"
• Conclusions (general):
"What can be concluded from this experience and the
analysis you have undertaken?"
• Personal action plans:
"What are you going to do differently in this type of
situation next time?"
"What steps are you going to take on the basis of what
you have learnt?"
6/23/2022 34
Post RN semester II

6/23/2022 35
What are the benefits of reflective learning?
 Record your development
 Know your strengths and weaknesses
 Understand how you learn
 Develop self-awareness
 Plan your own development
 Learn about yourself
 Articulate your skills/learning to others
 Learn from your mistakes

Layers of Reflection
1. I woke up early for a walk this morning
 Level 1: Descriptive
2. I woke up early for a walk this morning, which I
don‟t usually do.
 Level 2: Descriptive, some reflection
don‟t usually do. It really woke me up!
 Level 3: Descriptive, reflection and
awareness/learning.
don‟t usually do. It really awakened me up! I think I
will do that every morning before work.
 Level 4: Descriptive, reflection, learning and
future action.

Reflective Practice
• Descriptive sentences
• Layered with your reflection using emotions
• your awareness of yourself in the action.
• Layered again with what you learned from
reflection and awareness
• Layered again with how and what you learned
through your reflection has changed your
• Future learning, thinking, behaviour, ideas

Weekly Assignment
Write a reflection on a selected clinical
situation using Gibb‟s Model.

References
• Gustaffson C. & Fagerberg I.. Reflection, the way to professional
development?. Journal of Clinical Nursing 2004; 13(3):
• Gibb’s Reflective Cycle (1988).
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/upgrade/a-z/reflective_gibbs.html
• Coughlan, A (2007-08). Reflective learning: keeping a reflective,
learning journal. DCU Student Learning Resources. (p.1-4)
https://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/student s/Reflectivelearning.pdf
6/23/2022 39
Post RN semester II

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