The document outlines the agenda for seminars 5 and 6 of the NBS-5015Y course at the University of East Anglia's Norwich Business School. Seminar 5 will involve applying Gibbs' Cycle of Reflection through an exercise and discussion, while Seminar 6 will focus on creating an evidence table for self-directed learning activities through another exercise. The document provides background information and instructions on the activities to be completed during the two seminars.

1. University of East Anglia
Norwich Business School
Employability, Creativity, and
Personal Development
NBS-5015Y
Seminar 5-6
19 and 20 October 2020
Dr. Fahri Karakas
F.Karakas@uea.ac.uk

2. Slide 1.2
Seminar 1: Time Management Grid

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Seminar 2: Personal and Professional Development Plan

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6. Slide 1.6
 Seminar 5 Activity:
 Application of Gibbs Cycle of Reflection
◦ Exercise and Discussion
 Seminar 6 Activity:
 Evidence Table for Self-Directed Learning Activities
◦ Exercise

7. Seminar 5 Activity
Gibbs Cycle of Reflection

8. Slide 1.8
‘… looking back on an experience and making sense of it to
identify what to do in the future.’(Drew and Bingham, 2001
p.221)
‘ The art of writing things down helps you to clarify your
thoughts and emotions, to work out strategies, and to focus
on your development and progress…’ (Cottrell, 2001 p.67)
‘…a process of disengaging from or stepping back from an
experience and taking time to deliberately and carefully
review it, think about it and construct meaning from it’
(Doyle & Young, 2000, p. 18)
‘on-the-spot surfacing, criticizing, restructuring, and testing of
intuitive understanding of experienced phenomena; often it
takes the form of a reflective conversation with the situation’
(Schon 1983: 241-242).

9. Slide 1.9
Reflection:
 is focused thought, focussing on the ways in which you
respond to, understand and develop and apply your
learning in new situations
 is a way of learning from your direct experiences,
rather than from the second-hand experiences of
others
 is known as ‘experiential learning’ – real activity with
real consequences
 enhances your ability to evaluate situations and to
action plan for success
 enhances self awareness,
 enhances problem solving skills,
 enables you to develop creative answers to difficulties
 is therefore linked to effective management

10. Slide 1.10
 Recounts the stories of failures and successes in a search for
meaningful lessons.
 Manages meaningfully by ascribing meaning to experience
 Turns events to experiences vs going through a series of events
unconsciously
 Creates a vision by looking at the past present and future
 Critically questions and challenges organisational structures and
practices with the view to transform them
 Questions taken for granted beliefs and values to make moral
evaluations
 Questions power structures and political agendas in the
organisation

11. Slide 1.11
 "events ... become experience only after they have
been reflected upon thoughtfully" (p. 57).
 Without an understanding of meaning from one’s
experiences, managing becomes a “mindless”
exercise. Reflection, is the “suspended space”
between where the manager has had an experience
and the explanation for it. This space is where the
individual is able to make the linkages, including
possible options – call it imagination space.
Gosling, J. and Mintzberg, H. 2003, “The Five Minds of a Manager”, Harvard Business Review, November 2003, pp 54 - 63.

13. Slide 1.13

14. Slide 1.14
A Reflective Journal focuses on:
• Your reaction to the event or experience
• Different ways that you might look at it
• How you can understand the experience in the light of
theory
• How your experience links with other experiences
• What you need to learn
• What you have learned
• How will you react in a similar situation in the future

15. Slide 1.15
 Shift from description to reflective account
 Shift from no questions to questions to responding to questions
 Recognise emotional influence and handle increasingly
effectively
 Stand back from the event
 Engage in self questioning, challenge own ideas
 Recognise relevance of prior experience
 Take into account others’ views
 Metacognition – review own reflective processes

16. Slide 1.16
1. What are the issues that should be addressed in the assignment? What
happened that most surprised you?
2. How significant was the episode for you?
3. How did you feel during the episode? How long did the effect of this episode
last? Is there any difference with how you feel now about it?
4. How did the views of other people (colleagues, employers, clients, fellow
students, friends, family etc) influence your views?
5. Do you think that if you would pass now from the same experience you
would handle it differently? How?
6. How did your feelings influence your actions? What did you learn from the
experience about how you react to change or new experiences?

17. Slide 1.17
7. What do you think went well, what not so well and what were the
implications for your work related learning?
8. What does the experience suggest to you about your strengths? What
does the experience suggest to you about your weaknesses and
opportunities for development?
9. If you were another person involved in the episode, would you see the
situation differently?
10. Overall what do you think you learnt from the experience? What
patterns can you recognise in your performance that are consistent in the
way you approach your work (at university or at workplace)? What might
you do different in similar circumstances in the future as a result of your
reflection?

18. Slide 1.18
Everyday events
Positive experiences
Negative experiences
Critical incidents
Unusual incidents
Mistakes you have done
Conversations that you revisit
Issues that keep you awake at night
Meaningful events
12/10/2020

19. Slide 1.19
Keeping a diary and detailed notes
Recording critical incidents and your reactions
to them
Willing to learn from experience and change
things
Making time for regular reflection and writing
Being open and honest
Willing to share and discuss your experiences
Being motivated to replay / describe / analyse
experiences
Making an action plan
12/10/2020

20. Slide 1.20
What?
So
what?
Now
what?
(Cited in Jasper, 2003, p.99)

21. Slide 1.21
What?
So
what?
Now
what?
Thinking and
analysis
Drawing
conclusions
Describing
event or
process
Future goals
and actions

22. Slide 1.22
 Self-awareness
 Description / factual reporting
 Critical analysis
 Synthesis
 Evaluation
(Atkins and Schutz, 2008, p.26)
Self-awareness is the main skill that is not usual in other
academic writing.
22

23. Slide 1.23
This technique can help you to start thinking freely about something.
 Start from the incident, experience, process you want to reflect on
 Write for 5 -15 minutes without stopping, just following your train of
thought as if you are talking to yourself on paper
 Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, punctuation or anything else
 If you wander off the topic, don’t worry, just bring yourself gently back
 When the time is up, skim through for any interesting/useful words,
phrases, ideas or thoughts
The idea of free writing, from which focused free writing is adapted, was popularised by Peter Elbow (1973)

24. Slide 1.24
Employers want managers/professionals:
 who are self-aware,
 who capitalise on their strengths,
 who will have impact wherever they work,
 who are committed to personal
development and life-long learning, and
 who can confidently provide evidence for
these claims.
 And that’s where the reflective process
comes in…

25. Slide 1.25
A critical incident is an incident that is in some way
significant to the individual recounting it.
• What the situation was
• How you behaved in the situation
• How would you behave if you were the other person
• How would you behave if you were a fly on the wall
• What happened as a result of your actions
• A reflection on the situation or event and the process by
which it unfolded.

26. Slide 1.26
 Make notes on the following:
 Describe the experience - who? where?
what was happening?
 What were your thoughts and feelings?
 What was positive?
 What was negative?
 What have you learned?
12/10/2020

27. Slide 1.27
 Where was I?
 Who else was there?
 Why was I there?
 What was I doing?
 What happened?
12/10/2020

28. Slide 1.28
Describe it as if you are writing a novel – be
specific
Pick relevant, significant details
Setting, context, layout, sounds
People, actors, power, relationships
Describe events unfolding and your reactions to
them
Track your emotions – then and now
Objective rather than emotional: thoughts &
feelings are recorded rather than colouring account

29. Slide 1.29
 How was I feeling at the beginning?
 What was I thinking about?
 What did other people’s actions make me
think / feel?
 How did I feel about the outcome?
 What do I think about it now?
12/10/2020

30. Slide 1.30
 What was good about the experience?
 What was bad about the experience?
12/10/2020

31. Slide 1.31
 ‘Breaking it down’
 What did I do well / not so well?
 What did others do well?
 Did it go as expected?
 Why / why not?
 What theory / research helps me
understand the experience?
12/10/2020

32. Slide 1.32
 Could I have done anything differently?
 What are the key things I have learned
from this incident - about me, my
performance, others and their
performance?
 Any new insights or perspectives?
12/10/2020

33. Slide 1.33
 What would I do in a similar situation in
the future?
 What aspects of my knowledge / skills
could I develop?
 How will I do this?
 What goals can I set myself for the
future?
 What outcomes / competencies do I need
to focus on now?
12/10/2020

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36. Slide 1.36
 Information Provided
Describing what happened or what was observed in enough detail. Should be
honest and unbiased. This should be sufficient to give the feeling that to an
independent person that they were actually there. Care is needed to include
information that is assumed to be known or self-evident.
 Self-Awareness
Being open and honest about performance but also writing about own feelings
and/or that of others
 Critical Thinking
Breaking the bigger picture into smaller parts, analysing the bigger and smaller
pictures, identifying and challenging assumptions, problem solving, describing own
thought processes, developing alternatives
 Evidence of learning = [SYNTHESIS + JUDGEMENT + EVALUATION]
Synthesis – integrating new with old information and taking into account
feelings. Bringing up elements into a whole.
Judgement – considering the possibilities and weighing them up. Describing
what needs to be learned, why and how.
Evaluation – looking back to see what difference it made.

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40. Slide 1.40

41.  Complete your Cycle of Reflection
 Each team: Share your cycle of reflection with one
another
 Discuss the following:
◦ 1. Compare and contrast your cycle of reflection. Go
over six parts quickly.
◦ 2. Where is the deeper learning and reflection?
◦ 3. How can your friend improve the quality of
reflection?

42. Seminar 6 Activity
Evidence Table for Self Directed
Learning

43. Slide 1.43
 Listen to Desert Island Discs Episodes
 Watch TED Talks
 Read biographies of Time 100 People
 Draw inspiration/learning/lessons from
diverse experiences/walks of life
◦ Books, theatre, sports, computer games, movies, TV series,
music, stand-up comedies...
◦ Think about your interests and hobbies that you can draw
inspiration from (foreign languages, graffiti, sailing, Tai chi,
dancing, hiking etc.)
◦ Things that you love, such as the world of chocolate, coffee,
pets, crime novels etc.

44. Slide 1.44
Week Self-Directed
Learning Activity
(i.e. what you did)
Learning/Inspiration/Lesson drawn
1 Listened to
Desert Island
Discs episode
of Dame Zaha
Hadid
I reflected on the critical importance of courage to shake up
traditional practices and concepts of architecture through fluid and
futuristic thinking. Zaha Hadid was one of the most celebrated
architects in the world in a field dominated by men. Her triumph
was to turn the beautiful graphic visions of her sculptural approach
into reality. This is due to her rare courage, conviction, tenacity and
a free creative spirit – all qualities that I find extremely valuable in
my future career. I am inspired to learn more about the unique life
and career of this remarkable woman.
2 Listened to
Desert Island
Discs episode
of Cath Kidston
Known for her floral designs combining the vintage and the
modern, Cath Kidston achieved amazing business success with her
business and brand worth £50 million and 100 shops worldwide.
Japanese are crazy about the brand calling it ‘kawaii’ (cute), a
celebration of cheerfulness. I find it a remarkable success story
based on finding this universal appeal of ‘cheering people up’
through practical design. Listening to her story, including the
obstacles and her vulnerable feelings during growing up her
business, was refreshing and gave me hope. Like her, perhaps I can
nourish my entrepreneurial side one day – all it requires is the
courage and readiness to experiment/fail along with a niche
business idea/solution that makes cheers up people.

45. Slide 1.45
Week Self-Directed
Learning Activity
(i.e. what you did)
Learning/Inspiration/Lesson drawn
3 Watched TED
Talk of
Benjamin
Zander titled:
“The
transformative
power of
classical music”
Benjamin Zander is not only the conductor of the Boston
Philharmonic; but also an excellent educator and trainer who is
passionate about classical music. In this talk, he shared valuable
insights and lessons about leadership through his passion of
classical music. He started with the story of the two salesmen who
went down to Africa in the 1900s if there was any opportunity to
sell shoes. They wrote telegrams back to Manchester. One of them
wrote, "Situation hopeless. Stop. They don't wear shoes." The other
one wrote, "Glorious opportunity. They don't have any shoes yet”.
He used music to help people open up their minds, create joyful
harmonies, and bring out the best in people. I was deeply inspired
by his energy and enthusiasm – there is a lot to learn from him
about ‘The Art of Possibility’ – I will read his book with this title to
continue my journey or inspiration.
4 Watched TED
Talk of
Elizabeth
Gilbert titled:
“Your elusive
creative genius”
Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk was one of the most interesting and
inspiring TED Talks I have watched. In this talk, she mused on the
impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses. Success is
not about the Eureka moments or a single flash of insight that
magically transforms our mediocrity into genius. There is no such
thing. Instead, we need to focus on showing up and working hard
(the good old-fashioned hard work) in order to be creative.
Persistently doing our job in the best way is the single most critical
success factor.

46. Slide 1.46
Week Self-Directed
Learning Activity
(i.e. what you did)
Learning/Inspiration/Lesson drawn
5-6 Read sections
from the best
selling
business book
titled ‘Give and
Take’ by Adam
Grant
Wharton’s young wonder professor Adam Grant’s best selling
classic gave me empirical insights on why generosity at work
continues to be more effective than selfishness in the long term.
Grant classifies the motivations of successful entrepreneurs and
leaders into three: People who give, take, and match. Grant
explains through his research how those who succeed in the long
run are givers. It was refreshing and exciting to read how givers are
not weak and naïve; but become very successful for the long run. I
have learned about strategies to be more generous and how giving
makes us both more fulfilled and more successful at work.
7-8-9 Read the book
titled “Watching
the English:
The Hidden
Rules of English
Behaviour” by
Kate Fox.
This book was one of the most interesting anthropology books I
have ever read. English anthropologist Kate Fox explores the
quirkiness of Englishness, English people, their strange habits, and
their foibles through everyday moments and examples from British
life. Fox illustrates how this complex set of unspoken rules and
codes of behaviour govern everyday dynamics and behaviours in
the UK; such as pub etiquette or weather-speak. As an outsider to
British culture, I had great fun in reading these (funny and satirical)
observations that capture the heart of Englishness.

47. Slide 1.47
Week Self-Directed
Learning Activity
(i.e. what you did)
Learning/Inspiration/Lesson drawn
10 Watched Matt
Damon’s movie
“The Martian”
In this inspiring movie, Mark Wattney accidentally gets stranded on
Mars during an emergency evacuation. With the communications
antenna break down, he has no way of letting NASA know that he
has survived. The next manned mission to Mars is in four years and
will land 3200km away. His food supplies will only last a third of
that time, and he’s on a barren, waterless planet with no
atmosphere or oxygen. Even though his situation is hopeless, he
never stops trying, hoping, and working hard. The movie is a
masterclass in perseverance and creative solutions; such as the
famous “Martian potatoes”.
11-12 Binge-watched
the classic
British drama
“Downton
Abbey”
Although I watched this classic period drama for a lot of hours (one
of my guilty pleasures), I think it was a worthy investment due to its
timeless lessons on humility, hope, honesty, kindness, and
perseverance. Narrating the adventures of the aristocratic Crawley
family and the servants who work for them throughout the 1920s,
Downton Abbey taught me numerous life lessons including how life
can be abrupt and fragile, how you need to hang in there in the
face of obstacles, how the world keeps changing in a scary way and
how you need to adapt continuously, how it is important to create
fond memories with loved ones and family members, and how
honesty and dedication to duty are increases one’s self-worth and
others’ respect.

48. Slide 1.48
 Events you attended during Employability Week
 Conferences and networking events you have participated in
 Inside Business Seminar/Talk series
 Music concerts or festivals that you have attended and been inspired
by
 Sports events that you have watched (you might draw lessons on
team work etc.)
 Theatrical plays you have attended
 Art galleries and arts-based events you have attended
 Trips that you might have organized and lessons learned during
these trips
 Different organizational contexts that you observed (e.g. hospitals
or charities)
 Lessons learned during roles you have undertaken as a volunteer in
NGOs or student societies

49. Slide 1.49

50. Slide 1.50
 Try to borrow from your experiences in the last 2-3 months (during
the course of this module)
 Try to come up with at least one self-directed learning
activity/lesson for each week
 Try to diversify the SDL domains you are borrowing from (Desert
Island Discs, TED Talks, movies, books, various
hobbies/interests/life experiences)
 Write about life and career lessons that you can draw from diverse
walks of life – remember that everything can signify a learning
opportunity.
 Try to choose aspects/domains of life that you are passionate about

51.  Come up with ideas for your SDL Evidence Table
 Complete the SDL activities you can think of now
 Each team: Share your evidence table with one
another
 Discuss the following:
◦ 1. Compare and contrast your SDL evidence
◦ 2. What are the range of different domains/segments
that you draw your learning, lessons, and inspiration?
◦ 3. How can you improve the range and quality of the
learning evidence?

52.  Finalize your Job Application Portfolio (Job Ad,
CV, Cover Letter)
 Finalize your Poster (Creative CV or Vision Board)
 Finalize your “Application of Gibbs Cycle of
Reflection”
 Finalize your “Evidence Table for Self-Directed
Learning Activities”
 Attach them to your coursework

53. Slide 1.53