Boud's Reflective Cycle
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Boud's Reflective Cycle was proposed by David Boud, Rosemary Keogh and David Walker in 1985 as a model of reflective learning focused on learning through reflective practice. It has three stages: the lived experience itself, including behavior, thoughts and feelings; the reflective process; and the learning outcome. Simply having an experience does not guarantee learning; the person must pass through the reflective process for learning to happen. That process involves three key steps: returning to the experience by mentally replaying the important events; attending to feelings, where positive emotions are kept and negative ones acknowledged and removed as obstacles; and re-evaluating the event to reconstruct its meaning.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Separate experience from learning: treat reflection, not mere exposure, as the step that teaches. - Clear emotions first: keep the positive feelings and remove the negative blocks before analyzing. - Rebuild meaning: re-evaluate the event until a usable learning outcome emerges.
Anchor fast decisions
Built on experience, reflection and learning. Raw experience produces no learning by itself; only returning to the event, processing its emotions and reconstructing meaning convert it into a transferable outcome.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_practiceverified
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