Resources

Resources for Reflective & Effective Social Work Practice

Essential models and toolkits to enhance your learning and practice.

For growth. For good.

Reflective Practice Toolkit

Reflection during Social Work Training and Practice

The activity of reflecting on learning experience and practice experience in Social Work is indispensable to effective and efficient learning and practice. Reflection contributes to ethical Social Work practice, it enhances and improves practice, and it allows the Student or Social Worker to process their experiences during learning and practice respectively. Reflection Models give the Social Worker and Student a scope within which to carry out reflection on learning and practice.

Some of the Reflection Models used in Social Work Practice

The Active Reviewing Cycle (© Roger Greenaway) – The Four Fs of Active Reviewing

The Diamond represent the Facts

Facts – A memory recall exercise of an objective account of when the learning or practice experience (either during supervision, assessment, or case review) happened, what happened during learning or practice, what did you do? who was there? Where did this significant learning or practice experience happen?

The heart represent the Feelings

Feelings – what did you experience? how did you feel (highs, lows, surprises, shock, discomfort, et cetera) and at what points did you feel any of these? Did these feelings draw out any strengths or limitations in you?

The Spades represent the Findings

Findings – what did you find out about the learning or practice experience? Did your feelings influence your actions in any way? What did you find invaluable or least valuable in the learning or practice experience? Were there any missed opportunities? What did you find out about your personal and professional self in relation to this learning or practice experience and how will you use this findings to assess your personal and professional boundaries? What have you learned overall?

The Clubs represent the Futures

Futures – the ways that this learning or practice experience will affect your professional Social Work practice in future:

PREDICTIONS	What has changed already? What will be different anyway?
POSSIBILITIES	What possibilities can you imagine? What choices do you have?
PLANS	Decisions. Priorities. Objectives. Action plans. Learning plans.
REHEARSALS	Trying out plans in a ‘test bed’ – one step closer to the real thing.
DREAMS	Inspiring ideas that are not yet in your plans. Keep them alive!

Source: © Roger Greenaway’s Active Reflective Cycle

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Driscoll’s What Model (Driscoll, 2006)

What?
So what?
Now what?

What was the learning or practice experience? Let this question guide you to identify and express the practical details of the experience.

So What can you learn from the learning and practice experience?

Now What can you do with your learning from the experience?

Source: Driscoll, J. (2006). Practicing Clinical Supervision: A Reflective Approach for Healthcare Professionals. 2nd ed. London: Elsevier Health Sciences.

ERA Cycle (Jasper, 2013)

Experience
Reflection
Action

Experience – detail the learning or practice experience

Reflection – critically think through the experience

Action – outline the actions that you will take following reflection on the experience.

Source: Jasper, M. (2013). Beginning Reflective Practice. Andover: Cengage Learning.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988)

Description
Feelings
Evaluation
Analysis
Conclusion
Action plan Description.

Description – give a detailed account of the learning or practice experience

Feelings – precisely identify what you feel or felt and freely express how you feel or felt about the learning or practice experience.

Evaluation – identify and assess or weigh up the good and the bad aspects of the learning or practice experience in terms of the effect on your learning or practice i.e. express how the experience can improve or impede, enhance or hinder your learning or practice experience.

Analysis – critically and thoroughly examine the bad and the good aspects that you have identified respectively and use the outcome of this examination to identify which of your strengths and limitations were revealed through this learning and practice experience.

Conclusion – what is your professional judgement based on your feelings, your evaluation and your analysis of the learning or practice experience? What would your personal judgement have been? Compare and contrast your personal and professional judgement and use the outcome to weigh the extent to which you are capable of drawing a line between your personal and professional values.

Action Plan – based on your feelings, evaluation, analysis and conclusions on the learning and practice experience, create an action plan of what you will do or not do next time in a similar experience, how you can apply the outcome of your reflection to another situation, how you will use your identified strengths and how you will work on improving your identified limitations.

Source: Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford.

The Integrated Reflective Cycle (Bassot, 2013)

The Experience
Reflection on Action
Theory
Preparation.

The Experience – describe the learning or practice experience in detail

Reflection on Action – examine the learning or practice experience to identify what you think: went well, did not go well, could be improved and attempt to explain why you think and feel this way.

Theory – draw on existing literature to enable you to understand your learning and experience and make sense of it.

Preparation – use the outcome of your reflection to prepare yourself for future learning and practice.

Source: Bassot, B. (2013). The Reflective Journal. Basingstoke: Palgrave

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (1984)

Concrete experience
Reflective observation
Abstract conceptualization
Active experimentation

Concrete Experience – as we learn through experience, making sense of the experience enhances our learning. Describe our learning or practice experience, and how you the learner or professional experienced it.

Reflective Observation – what did you see or identify during the learning or practice experience? How did you see yourself in terms of your conduct and composure? Do you think your presence affected the people present or your decisions made during the learning or practice experience?

Abstract Conceptualization – what idea did you form in your mind that was different from the learning or practice experience but could be related to the learning or practice experience?

Active Experimentation – what have you gathered from this experience and what have you learned about your personal self and professional self? Discuss the desirable and undesirable aspects. How would you use your learning from this experience in your Social Work practice? Discuss your planned dos and don’ts.

Source: Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Onion Model of Reflection (Korthagen and Vasalos, 2010)

This model of reflection provides:

“a more balanced attention to thinking, feeling and wanting as the sources of behavior, the distinction of six layers of reflection in the so-called ‘onion model’, a shift in the content of reflection from the past to the ideal future, and finally a focus on presence and mindfulness.”

– from the Abstract in Going to the core: Deepening reflection by connecting the person to the profession Korthagen and Vasalos (2010).

In peeling the onion from the outer layer as it were:

Environment
Behaviour
Competencies
Beliefs
Identity
Mission

Environment – “what do I encounter? What am I dealing with? What impact does the environment have on my situation and my practice?

Behaviour – What did I do? How did I behave? How might people have viewed my behaviour?

Competencies – what am I competent at? Is there anything further I need to develop? Is there any criteria/standards for the work? Did I meet these standards?

Beliefs – what do I believe? What impact do values and beliefs have on my practice?

Identity – who am I? How do people see me? Who else is involved? What are the similarities/differences between us?

Mission – what inspires me? Why am I a Social Worker? To what extent is that ‘mission’ evident in what I do?

Source: © Korthagen and Vasalos’ Onion Model of Reflection

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Korthagen, F.A. and Vasalos, A., 2010. Going to the core: Deepening reflection by connecting the person to the profession. In Handbook of reflection and reflective inquiry (pp. 529-552). Springer, Boston, MA.

Rolfe et al., (2001) Critical Reflection Model

Rolfe et al., (2001) Critical Reflection Model focuses on three questions:

What?
So what?
Now what?

What – outline the learning or practice experience and examine the practical details
of your role and that of the Service User in this. What did you learn? What actions
did you take? What were you trying to achieve? What was good or bad about the
learning or practice experience? What emotions and feelings did this learning or
practice experience evoke in you? What emotions and feelings did the practice
experience elicit from the Service User?

So what – examine your learning and practice experience in the light of Social Work
Theories. So what does the learning or practice experience teach you about your:
attitude towards learning, and professional practice methods? So what could you
have done to improve what went bad? So what is the new knowledge and
understanding that you have gained from the practice or learning experience?

Now what – outline the actions that you will take to improve your future learning or
practice. Now what changes can you make to improve your learning or practice
going forward? Now what are the trade-offs for these changes that has to be made?

Source: Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Schön’s Model of Reflection (Schön, 1983, p.49)

Schön’s Model of Reflection allows for reflection on the same learning or practice experience in two separate periods:

Reflection-in-action
Reflection-on-action

Reflection-in-action is done whilst the learning or practice experience is on-going or whilst the Social Worker or Social Work Student is physically or virtually present with the Service User. The outcome is used in the professional helping process there and then.

This involve:

a) Being in the learning or practice experience as it happens
b) Thinking through the learning or practice experience as it happens
c) Discerning the action to take during the learning or practice experience
d) Actively taking the decisive action whilst in the learning or practice experience.

Reflection-on-action is done after the learning or practice experience has ended. In other words, retrospective reflection.

This involve:

a) Reflection on the learning or practice experience that has already happened
b) What went well in the learning or practice experience
c) What did not go well in the learning or practice experience
d) What can be done in a different way in a similar or different learning or practice experience
e) What information acquisition has occurred and how can this inform your learning or professional practice and help in processing your emotions and feelings?
f) What lessons can be or has been learned from the learning or practice experience which can be used to enhance future learning or practice experience?

Source: Schön, D.A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in action. London: Temple Smith

The Task-Centred Toolkit

The Task-centred Toolkit provide practical resources for one-to-one activity with Service Users. It is an excellent tool to elicit the voice, feelings and aspirations of Service Users

Children are asked to draw anything they want to see but not all the time. This island represents things and experiences that they enjoy but don’t necessarily want or need all the time.

Children are asked to draw anything they want to be far away from them or never see again. This island represents the things, people, or situations that they want to keep at a distance or completely avoid.”

Source:

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House of worries – allows for the outward expression of internalised vulnerabilities.
House of good things – allows for the outward expression of satisfaction, strengths, capabilities, happiness et cetera.
House of dreams – allows for the outward expression of aspirations, hopes and dreams.

Source:

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