Part 2 Self-Reflection and Self-Assessment Soft Skills Part 2 Self-Reflection and Self-Assessment

Self-Reflection Self-reflection is about taking the time to think about yourself and your own life. We are so busy that we rarely take the time to self-reflect. There are many different areas of our lives that we can reflect on. For example: Are you happy? How do you feel about yourself? Do you feel healthy? Are you managing your time well? Are you organized?

Benefits of Self-Reflection Help you put things into perspective Help you stay on track with your goals Increase your awareness of time management Help you get on touch with your true feelings Help you understand work/life balance Help you recognize and celebrate your successes Help you learn from your mistakes

“Self-reflection is so healthy “Self-reflection is so healthy. Journaling works for me - when I record the details of what I'm going through, whether it's a relationship issue or negative thoughts, I can look back and see how far I've come. It makes me proud to see my progress and how I got through a bad situation.” Kelly Rowland Source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/k/kellyrowla587993.html#obSE8BtksULCJvfy.99

Self-reflection is basically answering questions about yourself and how you personally feel about things. You can reflect about things that are happening right now, have happened in the past or are going to happen in the future.

Self-reflection about things that have already happened allows you to look with hindsight. Hindsight is the recognition of the realities, possibilities, or requirements of a situation, event, decision etc., after it happens. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/ Have the learners discuss the question. How do you think reflecting about things that have happened can be helpful?

Personal Journals One tool you can use to self-reflect is a personal journal. A personal journal is private. Only you write in your journal and read your journal. You can put whatever you want in a journal. Give each participant a journal or notebook they can use during the session and after they leave.

If you write a journal you can go back to what you wrote later to see how your feelings and thoughts evolved. This can help you develop problem solving skills to deal with new challenges and stressors. You usually are not stressed when you are doing something you are familiar with. However, the first time you do something it can be very stressful. An example might be the first time you come to an upgrading program or the first day on the job. If you have written about stressful experiences in your journal you can revisit how you felt and how this changed as you became more familiar and comfortable with the situation.

Activity: Personal Journal Entry Possible Topics: What I am doing today and how I feel How I feel about a current event What makes me happy Have the learners write a personal journal entry.  They can pick a topic or write about anything they want to. Make sure they understand that you won't be reading the journal entries and that they will be taking their journal with them as a tool to use after they leave the course.

Personal Blogs Some people like to share their self-reflections with others. A common way to do this is by writing a personal blog on the Internet. A blog is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries or posts that are typically displayed in reverse chronological order. This means the most recent post appears first. Source: Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog People who write blogs are called bloggers. As learners if they have ever heard of or read a blog. If you have the time, you could start a class blog and have all the learners participate in making entries.

Activity: Read a Blog Post Find a blog post that will be of interest to the learners you are working with. Have them read the post and answer the questions provided

Tips You can practice self-reflection just about anywhere. You should make self-reflection a part of your daily habit even if it is only for a few minutes. Try self-reflecting in different ways. You can write a journal, think while you are exercising, or write out a list of accomplishments. Being relaxed can help you self-reflect. Try some deep breathing exercises or even meditation.

What do you think self-assessment means? The ability to self-assess is a valuable skill to develop. Self-assessment is a building block for setting goals and making positive changes. Self-assessment can help you decide if you are doing alright. It doesn't have to be about change. It can be about affirming what you are already doing. What do you think self-assessment means?

Just as you can self-reflect on many different aspects of your life, you can also self-assess those aspects. Self-assessment is usually done using some type of tool or process.

Can you think of any others? There are many different types of self-assessment tools. For example: Tools to help you see how organized you are. Tools to help you decide what type of career you would like to do. Tools to help you decide if you are ready for important next steps in life like having a baby. Tools to see if you are managing your finances well. Tools to help you assess your skills in different areas. Can you think of any others?

Activity: Brainstorm areas of your life where you think a self-assessment tool would be helpful.

Internet Assessment Tools There are a wide variety of self- assessment tools that you can find for free on the Internet

Activity: Essential Skills Self-Assessments Complete the Continuous Learning Self-Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/les/tools/assessment/continuous_learning_self_as sessment.shtml Complete the Working with Others Self-Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/les/tools/assessment/wwo_self_assessment.shtml Complete the Thinking Self-Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/les/tools/assessment/Thinking_Self- Assessment.shtml Share your results with the rest of the group. These can be completed online or you can complete the hard copy version. There are several other self-assessments available as well.

Activity: Mind Tools Self-Assessments Take the How Productive are You self-assessment on the Mind Tools site. When you are finished share your results with the rest of the group. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/productivity-quiz.htm Find another self-assessment you would like to take on the Mind Tools site and share those results with the group as well. Have the learners complete the self-assessments and discuss their results with the group.

Activity: Heart and Stroke Risk Assessment Complete the Heart and Stroke Risk Assessment online: https://ehealth.heartandstroke.ca/?LID=1&pgSrc=risk&ref=http://www.heartandstroke.co m/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.8032427/k.98D1/Video_Stories.htm&AspxAutoDetectCookieSup port=1 This is an optional activity. Remember you should always check with a doctor if you think something is wrong! If learners are interested have them complete the heart and stroke risk assessment. Discuss the fact that there are a number of tools like this online and they should always go to the doctor for regular check-ups and when they think they might have medical issue.

Activity: Write a Personal Journal Entry Self-assessments can give you valuable information for many different aspects of your life but you have to act on the results if you want to make a change. Based on what you have learned doing the different self-assessments in this session, what are some of the changes you are going to make? Write a personal journal entry about this. If you feel comfortable, you can share your changes or the things you are going to do with the rest of the group.

The resources can be downloaded free of charge at www.laubach-on.ca. This Power Point was created by Laubach Literacy Ontario.   ​ The resources can be downloaded free of charge at www.laubach-on.ca. ​ This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario and through the Canada-Ontario Job Fund Agreement.  ​ All website links were accurate at the time of original development. ​ All of the images and clip art used in this Power Point are from Clipart.com and Microsoft Office.com.​