Aspiring Leaders for Teaching and Learning Project

Reflective Journal

Name: ______

Contents
Contents
Introduction
Personal Details
Personal SWOT Analysis
Initial Personal Profile
Initial Action Plan
Coaching Record
Mentoring Record
End of Course Reflective Review
Learning Log
CV Proforma

CPD Record

CPD Plan
Boyatzis’ Intentional Change Theory - formerly known as the Self-Directed Learning Model
The Experiential Learning Model of Kolb
Your Reflective Diary: What is a Reflective Diary?
Introduction
The Reflective Journal
The Reflective Journal is key to Personal, Professional and Career development.
There are 3 parts to the Reflective Journal:
The Learning Journal: This is a record of what you have learnt during a session You might like to extend it to the work you do with your coach or mentor or your project at school.
There are 3 key questions in the Learning Journal:
  • The main points I have learnt from this session are…
  • How I can develop my skills as a result of this session
  • How I could develop my knowledge and understanding as a result of this session
The CPD record: This is a record of the skills you have and those that you need to develop to enable you to move on to the ideal self:the person and leader you truly want to be.
The Reflective Diary: This is your individual and private account of the personal challenges that you might be presented with as a result working with this programme. We need to be aware of those explicit assumptions that frame how we think and act.Need to know ourselves well and be honest with ourselves!
You can record your thoughts, feelings and emotions in your Reflective Diary at any time. Keep it with you always.
Personal Details
Current address: / Work address:
Phone number: / Phone number:
e-mail contact: / e-mail contact:
Current qualifications:
Context of Teaching (roles / responsibilities / situation)
Context of Management (roles / responsibilities / situation)
Current Continuing Professional Development
Other things to note
Please take the time to update your CV
A model proforma is available at the back of this document
Personal SWOT Analysis

Strengths / Weaknesses
Opportunities / Threats
Initial Personal Profile
What I hope to gain from the Programme:
Any initial concerns about the Programme, or my ability to cope with it:
Any particular support needs I may have:
I find that I learn best by:
I find that I do not like learning by:
Other comments:

Initial Action Plan
SWOT Analysis (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats)
Self evaluation:
Action required: / Target date
Coaching Record
Name:
Name of Coach:
Issues discussed:
Agreed action points:
Mentoring Record
Name:
Name of Mentor:
Issues discussed:
Agreed action points:
End of Programme Review
How have my expectations of the programme been met?
What impact has the programme had on my practice as a teacher?
What impact has the programme had on my practice as a manager?
What impact has the programme had on my values?
Which aspects of the programme do I wish I had tackled differently?

Learning Log Record
Name: ______Date: ______
The main points I have learnt from this session are:
Reflection is focused thought, focusing on the ways in which you respond to, understand and develop and apply your learning in new situations.
How I can develop my own practical skills as a result of this session
Reflection is a way of learning from your direct experiences, rather than from the second-hand experiences of others.
How I could develop my knowledge and understanding as a result of this session
This is ‘experiential learning’ – real activity with real consequences.
Questions to help with Reflection for your Learning Log
What did I read for this session (apart from the notes)?
What was the most interesting thing I read for this session (mark it above with an asterisk) - why was that?
What were three main things I learned from this session?
What did I previously think was true, but now know to be wrong?
What did we not cover that I expected we should?
What was new or surprising to me?
What have I changed my mind about, as a result of this session?
One thing I learned in this session that I may be able to use in future is...
I am still unsure about...
Issues that interested me a lot, and that I would like to study in more detail
Ideas for action, based on this session...
What I most liked about this session was...
What I most disliked about this session was...
Miscellaneous interesting facts I learned in this session...
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Details
Name:
Address:
Telephone:
e-mail address:
National Insurance Number:
GTC / DES Registration Number:
Present Employment
Occupational History: Most recent first
Name and Address of Employer / Dates / Job Title, Key Responsibilities and Relevant Experience / Final Salary and Reason for Leaving
ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Qualifications gained and Professional Membership (most recent first) / Grade and Date Achieved / Awarding Body
Membership of professional bodies
Interests
Professional Referees:
Name
Address
Daytime telephone no
Capacity in which I know this person
Name
Address
Daytime telephone no
Capacity in which I know this person
Name
Address
Daytime telephone no
Capacity in which I know this person

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CPD Record

Name:
Covering the period from: / To:
Key dates / What did I do? / Why? / What did I learn from this? / How have/will I use this?
Any further action?

CPD Plan

Name:
Covering the period from: / To:

Planned outcome

Where do I want to be by the end of this period? What do I want to be doing?
This may be evolutionary or “more of the same”
What do I want/need to learn? / What will I do to achieve this? / What resources or support will I need? / What will my success criteria be? / Target dates for review and completion

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Boyatzis’ Intentional Change Theory - formerly known as the Self-Directed Learning Model
The theory underpins how adults learn
  1. My ideal self: the person and leader I truly want to be
  2. My real self: our current nature and how this compares to our ideal self
  3. Strengths: where my Ideal Self and Real Self are Similar
  4. Gaps: where my Ideal Self and Real Self are Different
  5. My personal Learning Agenda: building on strengths while reducing Gaps
  6. Opportunities forexperimenting with andpracticing new behaviours – Experimenting as a Leader / Practising being a Leader
  7. Trusting Relationships that help, support, challenge and encourage each step in the process as we work on changing our behaviour

This also builds on the Experiential Learning Model of Kolb
  • Have an experience
  • Reflect on the Experience
  • Learn from the Experience
  • Try out what you have learnt

Reflection lies at the heart of the learning process!
Your Reflective Diary
What is a Reflective Diary?
  • a vehicle for being reflective, which may include some factual writing, but is mainly an accumulation of material based on the writer’s process of reflection
  • is written over time, rather than in one go
  • is based on an overall intention by the writer that their learning will be enhanced by the process
  • is almost like a personal conversation
  • it might contain drawings, diagrams and stories
  • is individual and personal to each trainee – there is not one ‘recipe’ for writing
  • is written with the self as audience
  • it encourages the development of your inner voice

Why Write one?
“In writing we capture a thought. We create order from fleeting metaphor, document meaning found in the world around us, place ourselves in time.
We take something from inside ourselves and we set it out: it is a means of discovering whom we are, that we exist, that we change and grow.
The personal journal has been used for hundreds of years to articulate the human drama of living and to explore new knowledge.”
Wolf (1989)
Coaching Style Questions
Choosing a Topic
• What is inspiring you?
• What do you really want to achieve?
• How worthwhile is that?
• How much does this inspire you?
• How far will it challenge and stretch you? (Is it worth putting energy into?)
• What resources do you need?
• If you choose this topic, what would you do next?
• What is your first step?
• What is your next step?
• What might be useful?
Checking on Progress
• How do you feel about what you are doing?
• How are you getting on?
• What appears to be working?
• Why do you think that is?
• What have you learnt so far?
• How confident do you feel?
• What help might you still want?
• What are you going to do now?
• What resources do you need?
Blockbusting
• What isn’t working?
• Why do you think that is?
• Does the problem really lie in the task or how you feel about the task?
• What is it about this problem that is problematic?
• What other options can you think of?
• What motivates you?
• What can you control in the situation?
• What can’t you control in the situation?
• What is the worst thing / the best thing that could happen?
Look for more precise information, eg: ‘What exactly have you tried?’
Challenge people who make generalisations, eg:
‘it always happens’ say: always?
‘it never works’ say: never?
General Questions
What if you were able to get past your (fill in the blank)?
What if your employees were properly motivated?
What will be different when you have your solution?
What’s missing for you?
What is it about this problem that is problematic?
What’s missing?
Why are you telling me this?
What will it mean for your life/business/career if you don’t....
What will be different about the way you see yourself if you...
What major fear will you be addressing if you...
What solution’ would make that fear decrease/disappear?
How can you/ Who can help you make that ‚ solution’ become reality?
What makes that important to you?
Where do you know you are stopping short?
How is that working for you?
How will it feel to do that?
What other options can you think of?
How does that fit in with your goal?
What is the worst thing / the best thing that could happen?
If you take this step, what would you do next?
What inspires you about you?
What is the gift in this challenge?
How do you know?
What can you control in the situation?
What can’t you control in the situation?
What might you control that you haven’t been?
Questioning aide-mémoire
Purpose and direction of questioning / Sample openers and question stems
Narrative / Tell us about…
What happened?
What happened next?
Description / Can you describe it?
Connecting to previous knowledge / Can you think of anything similar from previous experience?
What did it remind you of?
Connecting to external research or practice / How do you think that compares with what … wrote on that issue?
Finding analogies and metaphors / What does this remind you of?
Is there a sound, image or picture you would use to describe this?
Analysis / What are the implications of…?
Describe what you think led up to this or what caused it.
How does it affect…?
Conceptual development / Are there any general principles you can draw from that?
If you were to put those ideas into a model or diagram, how would you draw them?
Challenge / What would be the counter-argument to what you are saying?
Let’s look at some different perspectives on this.
Can I play back to you what you have just said?
Self-awareness / How did you feel…?
What would an observer have noted about your behaviour, tone of voice…?
What reasons did you give for…?
Were there any reasons that you didn’t make public, but were present?
Identifying with others / What did you observe about…’s actions?
Did you make any inference about that at the time?
Do you now?
Application and action / What would happen if…?
How can …be used to…?
What’s the worst that can happen?
Let’s look at all the options.
Do you have other examples of this?
What are your next steps?
Explicit reference to the learning process / What have we learned?
What did the process show us?
Do we have a new model for…?
Ref: Leading Coaching in School Jane Creasy and Fred Paterson
National College for School Leadership (NCSL) September 2005 (Page 54)
Coaching skills inventory / Use the rating scale 1 = high confidence
4 = an area for development
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / Comments
appropriate body language:
• suitable posture
• sensitive eye contact
• reinforcing and affirming gestures
• open and positive, non-threatening, non-intimidating
• mirroring
questioning for understanding:
• use of open questions – what, when, where, who
• ask probing questions – how much, how often, how many
• avoid closed and leading questions
• start broad
• question to narrow focus
• use of questions to test, check and clarify
listening for meaning:
• positive engagement
• be alert to what is important to the learner
• regular summarising – use learner words
• attentive body language to signal attention
• accommodate and value silence
giving feedback:
• specific and focused on evidence
• continuing understanding
• checking feelings and emotions
• summarising
• building and explaining
• create feedback loop
communication:
• clear and concise use of language
• appropriate vocabulary
• confirming and clarifying
managing structured coaching sessions:
• agreeing the agenda
• managing time
• reaching consensus
• maintaining the focus
personal qualities:
• sense of humour
• empathy and rapport
• non-judgmental
• supportive and engaged
• honesty
• enthusiasm
• optimism
Leading Coaching in School Jane Creasy and Fred Paterson
National College for School Leadership (NCSL) September 2005 (Page 51 & 52)

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