Answers

Reflective Practice Resources

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Reflective practice is about making sense of experience, looking back at what we do, questioning assumptions, and learning from day‑to‑day work. It underpins mentoring, coaching, teaching and professional development across higher education.

This guide focuses on reflection as a skill in its own right, from informal journaling to more structured reflective models.

If you would like help finding resources relevant to a particular role, scheme, or area of practice, you are very welcome to book a one‑to‑one appointment with one of the librarians for personalised support.

Start here: a practical introduction

If you’re new to reflection, this is the best place to begin:

• Arden University – Reflective Writing Starter Kit
  A clear, step‑by‑step introduction to reflective writing, including short videos, worked examples, and guidance on using models such as Gibbs’ reflective cycle. It’s particularly useful for understanding what reflective writing looks like in practice and how to approach reflective assignments. [brookes.ac.uk]

Books

The books below bring together established theory and practical approaches to mentoring, coaching, and reflective practice. They’re particularly helpful for academic staff who support others, lead development activities, or want to reflect more deeply on their own work

• Armstrong, M. (2022). Armstrong’s Handbook of Learning and Development. A comprehensive practitioner reference covering contemporary learning and development strategies, including coaching and mentoring within organisational settings.
• Bassot, B. (2024). The Reflective Journal. A practical guide to  reflective journaling, with models and examples that support structured reflection for CPD.
• Bassot, B. (2023). The Reflective Practice Guide. An accessible introduction to reflective practice, linking theory to real‑world professional contexts across education and development roles.
• Bolton, G. and Delderfield, R. (2018). Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. Explores reflective writing as a tool for learning and professional growth, with practical exercises grounded in adult learning theory.
• Brockbank, A. and McGill, I. (2011). Facilitating Reflective Learning. A key text linking coaching, mentoring and supervision with reflective and transformative learning.
• Johns, C. (ed.) (2022). Becoming a Reflective Practitioner. A seminal text on reflective practice, particularly influential in health and education, offering structured reflective models.
• Kolb, D.A. (2015) Experiential learning : experience as the source of learning and development 
• Schon, D.A. (2016) The reflective practitioner : how professionals think in action
• Thompson, S. and Thompson, N. (2023). The Critically Reflective Practitioner. Explores reflection through ethical and critical lenses, including issues of power and context.

Journals and Articles

This section brings together research studies and key papers on reflective practice. These are useful if you’re interested in the evidence behind mentoring, or if you’re involved in CPD, programme design, or educational development.

• Reflective Practice 
• Forrest, M.E.S. (2008) ‘On becoming a critically reflective practitioner’, Health Information & Libraries Journal, 25(3), pp. 229–232
• Glaister, C. and Gold, J. (2022) ‘Bridging the gap between reflective learning and reflective practice through anticipatory reflection’, Education + Training, 64(8/9), pp. 1060–1073.
• O’Donnell, Z. and Dzendrowskyj, T. (2024) ‘Reflective Practice for Leaders and Their Teams’, Developing Leaders, (45), pp. 128–151.

Websites

Practical and up‑to‑date resources

These sites offer research‑informed guidance, tools and frameworks that support inclusive and effective mentoring, particularly in institutional settings.

• Advance HE – Knowledge Hub
  A key UK higher education body providing guidance on teaching, learning, and professional development. Their materials include accessible introductions to reflective practice and its role in improving teaching and learning.
• CIPD – Continuing Professional Development
  Offers a clear overview of how reflection fits within the CPD cycle, helping you think about how learning connects to practice and future development.

Finding more resources

The items in this guide are a starting point, but there is a lot more available through the library portal. Exploring the literature yourself can be a really useful way to find resources that match your role, discipline, or current interests.

How to search

• Try combining terms using AND, e.g. Reflection AND higher education
   
• Use quotation marks for phrases, e.g. “reflective practice”
   
• If you get too many results, add a second concept such as professional development or academic staff

If you’re not sure where to start, want help refining a search, or need support finding resources for a specific purpose, the library team is here to help. You are very welcome to get in touch email us at Library@arden.ac.uk or book a one‑to‑one session with a librarian for tailored advice.