Reflective learning supports students to develop self-awareness, critical thinking and problem-solving skills and provides a strategy for continuous learning and development. Implementing a peer-based reflective model enables students to learn more effectively.
Our challenge / opportunity
Speech and Language Therapy students on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes begin their training with a clinical placement on campus. This placement takes place in a supportive environment where students work in teams and are guided by a practice educator. They gain hands-on experience working with adults or children who have communication difficulties.
A key goal of this placement is to help students develop reflective practice—the ability to think about their work and learn from it. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists defines reflective practice as “a process by which therapists extend their knowledge and skills to maintain competence throughout their professional lives. It involves ongoing reflection on clinical practice, learning experiences, and professional development to ensure safe and effective care for service users.
To support this, students take part in small group discussions after each clinical session. Led by their practice educator, they talk about what went well, what could be improved, and how they might approach things differently next time. Students also share ideas, solve problems together, and give feedback to one another.
Although students learn about reflective techniques in theory, this placement gives them their first opportunity to apply these skills in real clinical situations.
Our solution (approach)
We use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988), a simple framework that helps students learn from their experiences. In small groups (6–8 students), each student talks through their clinical session using the following steps:
- Description
Students briefly explain what happened during the session—what they did and how it happened. This is a factual account without judging or analysing. - Feelings
Students reflect on how they and their client felt during the session. They are encouraged to compare how they felt at the time with how they feel now, and to consider how their emotions may have influenced their actions. - Evaluation
Students think about what went well and what did not. They may compare what they planned to achieve with what actually happened and consider both their own actions and the client’s responses. - Analysis
Students explore why things happened the way they did, using their knowledge and relevant theories. Group discussion is encouraged so students can share ideas and consider different approaches. - Conclusion
Students identify what they have learned, including both strengths and areas for improvement. - Action Plan
Students decide what they would do differently next time and set clear goals for improvement.
During these sessions, educators guide the discussion with prompts and questions but do not provide the “right” answers. The aim is to create a safe environment where students feel comfortable sharing and learning from each other.
Afterwards, students are encouraged to watch recordings of their sessions and write a reflection to deepen their learning.
The impact (results)
Educators find that group-based reflective supervision is very effective in helping students improve their reflection skills, which is reflected in strong assessment outcomes. Although each session covers different issues, having a clear and consistent structure for reflection has been valuable.
Students report increased confidence from working in groups. For example:
“I enjoyed working with my group. It helped build my confidence and encouraged me to share ideas. I felt very supported by the students I worked with.”
Students also say the sessions feel safe and non-judgemental:
“I felt really well supported and never judged.”
“The supervision sessions gave us a safe space to talk about how therapy went and how to improve.”
Some students benefit from extra time and support to think more deeply about their sessions. Tools such as video recordings and written reflections are particularly helpful. For example:
“Having the videos to watch back is incredibly useful for self-reflection, and the supervision sessions feel extremely supportive.”
Lessons learned
Challenges and things to consider:
- Create a safe environment from the start:
It’s important to explain the purpose of reflective sessions early on and emphasise that they are confidential and non-judgemental. Reflecting on personal feelings can feel vulnerable, so students need to feel safe to take part fully. - Value of peer learning:
While reflection can be done one-to-one with an educator, group discussion adds depth and leads to richer learning. Hearing different perspectives helps students think more broadly. - Managing peer feedback:
Educators should guide students to give feedback in a supportive and professional way. For example, asking each student to highlight one positive thing they observed in a peer’s session can help build confidence.
Practical tips for implementing this approach
- Schedule time for reflection soon after the session but allow a short break (e.g. 30 minutes) so students can gather their thoughts.
- Provide a clear structure (such as Gibbs’ cycle) to guide reflection.
- Encourage students to reflect regularly and take ownership of their learning.
- Create opportunities for group discussion and peer learning.
- Support staff development so educators feel confident facilitating reflective sessions (e.g. through training, observation, and peer feedback).
- Students may not cover every stage of the reflective model in early sessions. This is normal—discussing feelings, in particular, can take time, so flexibility is important.
- Video recordings and notes can help students prepare and engage more meaningfully in discussions.
Education for Life Skills and Attributes
Students were able to develop the following attributes:
- Reflective and self-aware
- Self-directed learning
- Ethical awareness
- Flexibility and resilience
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Collaboration
Education for Life Strategy
This case study reflects the following aims of the Education for Life strategy:
- Encounters with the Leading Edge: To put at the heart of our curriculum and learning experiences, encounters with our world leading research and the leading edge of industry and practice.
- Fit for the future: To ensure our students are fit for their future, our teaching is fit for the future of our offer, and our colleagues are fit for the future of HE
Further resources
List any other resources you would like to signpost colleagues to.
Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Oxford Polytechnic.
Jasper, M. (2013) Beginning Reflective Practice (Second Edition). Hampshire, UK: Cengage Learning EMEA.
Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.
Authors
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Jennifer Dodds-Vigouroux Lecturer in Speech and Language Sciences School of Education, Communication and Language Sciencesjennifer.dodds-vigouroux@newcastle.ac.uk |