My Reflection Log

This Reflection Log is a personal resource that you will build up during your engagement with What about me? You will use it to record your progress through the course as you undertake activities and tasks. You can add to the Log at any time with further notes and observations. Once you have completed the course, we hope that this Log will provide a reference source and basis for your planned next steps in life, study or career.

This Log is designed to be downloaded and saved to your computer or memory stick. It can be opened and added to as required – but don't forget to save it every time you use it. 

Alternatively, if you prefer, you could print out the Log and use it to write down your thoughts by hand.

My name		
My organisation (if applicable)		
Date		

Contents

To go straight to a specific task, hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key, point to the task title and left-click.

To return to the front page, hold down ‘Ctrl’ and press the ‘Home’ key.  

Session 1: Defining myself and how I feel about my present situation
Activity 1.1 Thinking about myself 
Activity 1.2 Defining myself

Session 2: Learning by looking at my life over time
Activity 2.1 Taking stock of my experiences over time
Activity 2.2 My timeline
Activity 2.3 Learning from my experience
Activity 2.4 Influences and choices

Session 3: Identifying my skills, qualities and abilities

Activity 3.1 Thinking about my skills and qualities

Session 4: Clarifying my goals and planning for the future
Activity 4.1 Using the computer to explore ideas
Activity 4.2 Clarifying my goals through visualisation
Activity 4.3 Thinking about my goals: factors that can help or hinder me
Activity 4.4 Help to overcome difficulties

Session 5: Identifying my next steps and where I can find information and support
Activity 5.1 My support networks
Activity 5.2 My long-term goal and first ‘next step’
Activity 5.3 Review my table
Activity 5.4 What have I learned? 

My Reflection Log 
Further notes and resources  

Activity 1.1 Thinking about myself 

You should spend around 20 minutes on this activity.

You are asked to answer four questions about yourself, following the examples you have seen from Alana and James. 

Fill in the boxes for yourself. We will return to this activity in Session 5 so you will need to save your table.

How do I see myself now?	What makes me happy?	
		
What am I most proud of?	How would I like to see myself in the future?	

Use this space for any additional notes that you want to make.

Activity 1.2 Defining myself 

You should spend around 20 minutes on this activity.

You looked and listened to Christine and Claire’s examples of the different roles they have in their lives. We all have many roles in which we use a variety of skills and abilities.

Now define yourself at the present time and the roles you fulfil.

My main roles in life	What I do	

Use this space for any additional notes that you want to make.

Activity 2.1 Taking stock of my experiences over time 

You should spend around 10 minutes on this activity.

Now you have looked at Claire and Christine’s examples, make some notes in the space below on the following questions: 

•	Have you had any experiences similar to Claire’s or Christine’s?
•	Do you have anything in common?
•	What is different about your life experience?

My notes	

	

Activity 2.2 My timeline 

You should spend around 15 minutes on this activity.

Many people find it helpful to look back on their experiences in order to think about what their priorities are and what they want from life. Producing a timeline helps to give shape to the past rather than see it as a confusing jumble of events and experiences. This can be the first step towards considering the future and moving forward. 

Now try drawing a timeline that shows your high and low points. Include key events in your life (or any section of your life you want to focus on), following the examples of the timelines drawn by Christine and Claire. 

Remember that you will need to refer to it for Activity 2.3.

Use this space for any additional notes that you want to make on your timeline activities.

My notes	

Activity 2.3 Learning from my experience

You should spend around 15 minutes on this activity.

Look again at your own timeline from Activity 2.2 and think about what you have learned from your experience, looking over the ups and downs.
•	Does it help you to recall how you felt at each point?
•	What did you learn from each situation?
•	Perhaps you found out more about your individual qualities and the type of work that suits you: a quality such as ‘hard working’, ‘good-humoured’ or ‘resilient’, perhaps?
•	Or maybe you discovered that you need a change of direction?
Everyone’s experience will be different. There is no right or wrong answer. 
We can see that learning is ongoing throughout our lives, through the ups and the downs.

Activity 2.4 Influences and choices 

You should spend around 15 minutes on this activity.

To help you explore the factors that influence the choices you make about your future, you have looked at Claire’s spider diagram – a graphic way of illustrating connections.

Draw a spider diagram in the space below. Remember to save it for future activities.

Spider diagram of the factors in my life that influence my choices about the future

Activity 3.1 Thinking about my skills and qualities

You should spend around 15 minutes on this activity.

Having looked at James, Claire and Suzanne’s examples of their skills and qualities, now think about your own. Pick an event or a point in your timeline when you had to take action to resolve something. It could be something to do with family, work or practical issues such as housing and money. 

Make a list of what you did and then think about what skills you used, and the qualities that you have, that may have helped you. 

The event in my life	
	
What I did	
	
What skills I used	What qualities I demonstrated	

Now think about the questions below and make some notes on them.

Your skills and qualities:
•	Did you find that you used some of the same skills as James, Suzanne or Claire? 
•	Did you discover that you have other skills, maybe some you were not aware of? 
•	Are you now aware of qualities that you have but hadn’t considered before?

You can add some notes in the space below.

My notes	

Activity 4.1 Using the computer to explore ideas

You should spend around 30 minutes or more on this activity.

You have explored career or subject areas from Table 4.1. Use the space below to record the answers that you have found from your online research. The notes you make here will be useful in the next activity.

What are the entry requirements for your chosen job profiles?	
	
Name two skills that are required for each of your chosen job profiles	
	
Make a note of any point that particularly interests or surprises you	

Activity 4.2 Clarifying my goals through visualisation

You should spend around 30 minutes on this activity.

Now take some time to visualise yourself in the future. Where are you now? What are you doing? Allow yourself to consider that there are possibilities for you. Look at your notes from Activity 4.1 to help you think about your future.

Write a sentence saying what your hopes are for your future, saving your notes here for Activity 4.3.

My hopes for the future	

Activity 4.3 Thinking about my goals: factors that can help or hinder me

You should spend around 30 minutes on this activity.

Look at the notes you made for Activity 4.2 about your goals and write these in the first box.

Then, list the factors that will help you and those that might give you difficulties as you try to achieve your goals. 

Your goal may be a new career, a course of study, learning a new skill or improving your situation – whatever feels right for you at this stage of your life.

My goals	
	
Factors that will help me to achieve them	Factors that might give me difficulties	

Use this space for any additional notes that you want to make.

Activity 4.4 Help to overcome difficulties

You should spend around 30 minutes on this activity.

Think about:
•	Who can help you
•	Who you can discuss your ideas and plans with
•	Where you might be able to get other help.

Check the list of organisations given in the ‘Find out more’ section at the end of the course.

Fill in the table, listing who you can ask or where you can go for help.

My sources of help	

Activity 5.1 My support networks

You should spend around 15 minutes on this activity.

Think about the people who have helped you or who might help you in the future with any plans you have. Then draw a spider diagram.

Activity 5.2 My long-term goal and first ‘next step’

You should spend around 15 minutes on this activity.
Starting from now and where you are at the moment, think very carefully about what you need to do to get to where you want to be. Think back on the activities you have done, and what you have learned from:
•	your past experiences (Activity 2.3)
•	the skills, qualities and abilities you have (Activity 3.1)
•	anything that will help you, as well as any difficulties you may need to overcome (Activities 4.3 and 4.4)
•	any people that you know will be there to help you (Activity 5.1).

Fill in this table with your long-term goal and the actions you will take to achieve it.
 
My long-term goal	
	
What I am going to do	Where I will go for help or advice	When I will do this	

When you have completed the table, you will use this information in a sentence on the next page.

Look back at the ‘My long-term goal’ table and use the information in it to write a sentence starting:

The first step I am going to take 	

Activity 5.3 Review my table

You should spend around 15 minutes on this activity.

For this activity you will need to look at the table you created in Session 1. 

Now that you’ve almost completed What about me?, answer these four questions about yourself.

How do I see myself now?	What makes me happy?	
		
What am I most proud of?	How would I like to see myself in the future?	

When you have completed your table, compare it with the one that you completed in Session 1.
 
•	Is it the same?
•	Are there any changes?

It may be very similar or it may be quite different. Use this space for any additional notes that you want to make.

Activity 5.4 What have I learned?

You should spend around 10 minutes on this activity.

Make a note of the learning outcomes that you think you’ve achieved, either fully or partially. Also write down anything else you feel you have achieved that was not in them, such as making some new friends, learning that everybody has difficulties of some kind, etc.

What I have learned	
	
Learning outcomes	Have I achieved this?	
A clearer understanding of your experiences as a carer and also in your wider roles		
An understanding of the various skills that you have developed as a carer and in your wider roles and how these are transferable to other situations		
An appreciation of personal qualities developed through your caring role		
A chance to think about your goals and aspirations for the future		
An idea of how you might work towards these goals and where you may get help and support		
The ability to use information technology (IT) to carry out reflective activities in writing and communicating 		
The ability to use the internet to find information useful to you 		
The ability to explore and use new ways of expressing ideas		
Anything else I have achieved?	

Further notes and resources 

You have reached the end of What about me? Use this space to record any other points or information, such as websites, that you want to research further.