There are many models to assist with critical reflection on action. I have chosen a simple and portable one for teaching this course, and will include samples of other models later. The model we will be using is called Ralph's what So what now what you can work on it by journaling, or by just thinking through, or you can go through the steps in discussion with a trusted friend or colleague. doing it alone means ultimate privacy and autonomy. writing things down, provide you with a document, a sort of archive for reference. Also, many people find that they can gain clarity and insight by seeing the facts and their thoughts about them down in print.

Reflecting with others can give you new perspectives and insights, colleagues or friends may have some hard won. wisdom to share. Reflection partners can also validate your experience decisions and support you in carrying out your plan. How you choose to do it is not as important as getting around to it in the first place. First ask what this is where you take a deep breath, step back from the situation and look at it as objectively as possible. Describe the incident, what happened, how you felt how others responded at any other information that will help form a clear picture.

Here are some questions to ask. What happened? What did I notice? If it's applicable use all five senses. What was I thinking or feeling? What stood out What role did I or others play?

What was I trying to achieve? What was different from what I expected What was good or bad about the experience? What did I do? Well, not so well. Next ask. So what this is where you truly reflect, you look for the meaning and examine the implications of the incident.

Why is a big component of this part? It is important to be as honest as possible. Some questions you could ask are, why did I respond as I did? What is the importance of this? What factors influenced me? Why did others respond as they did?

Did I make any assumptions? Did my actions match my ideals? How else can I look at the situation? What could I have done differently and what can I learn from this? Dan asked me Now what this section is about creating a plan going forward? What will you do differently?

What do you need to learn in order to improve the outcome? What supports do you need? Here are some questions. Now what can I do? What could I do differently going forward? What will be the consequences of doing it differently?

What else do I need to learn? What supports do I need? What goals do I want to set? How do I feel about the experience now? You can go through the cycle as many times as you want for each situation. For example, once you develop and try out a plan, you can do a what So what now what reflection on how your new plan worked.

Now that we've looked at the whole model, I'm just going to provide you with an example of how to use it. To take a situation. And there are many situations that you can use it on from a fight with your spouse to winning a lottery, I'm going to use the workplace one that maybe some of you can relate to. I'm going to say that I have just come from my first performance review at a new job. And it was not as good as I was hoping it would be and kind of a trifle know, a lot upset about it. So I'm going to sit down and apply the what So what now what model?

Before I start, I just want to say that there is no right way to do this. Well, I will try to answer all the questions. You don't need to answer them all each time you use this model, only the ones that are relevant to you. Okay, so first comes the wet part. What happened? Well, I went into the performance review thinking I was doing just fine and then found out They saw me as really weak in some areas.

What did I see or notice? Oh, I don't think I'm going to use all five senses for this one. But let's see. I noticed that my supervisor looked a bit nervous about giving me the performance appraisal. I can't think of anything else right now. So we'll go on.

What was I thinking or feeling? I was thinking and feeling a lot of things. I was feeling hurt. I was feeling upset. I was thinking that I was being unfairly treated. What stood out?

I hadn't expected it. It came out of left field and it took me completely by surprise. What role did I or others play? Hmm. Well, my supervisor and I were both trying to be professional about it. I tried not to show my feelings too much.

I'm not sure I succeeded, though. What was I trying to achieve? I wanted my supervisor To see how mature I was, and what an asset I was to her department. What was different from what I expected? I expected to have my skills and work appreciated and praised as it had been at my last job. What was good or bad about the experience?

Hmm? Was there anything good about the experience? Well come to think of it. It was good that I was able to stay mostly professional. I didn't cry or run screaming from the room. I didn't get fired, or even a warning.

Actually, I was doing pretty good in most areas when I come to think of it. What was bad about the experience? Well, there were a couple of areas in which I was completely surprised that I was not doing as well as I thought I was. What did I do well, and not so well. My supervisor basically told me in nicer language, that my Excel spreadsheet sucked and that I needed to be More of a team player. On the other hand, she praised my punctuality and my general work ethic and the quality of some of my work.

So, already, I'm getting a feeling that maybe I didn't need to be as upset about it as I was, that maybe my upset has something to do with my perfectionism. Let's go on to the next part. So what? Why did I respond as I did? Okay, I got upset about it because I had been taken by surprise. And because I'm a perfectionist, and like to think I'm doing everything, right.

And because at my last job, they had been happy with my spreadsheets and felt that I was a team player. What is the importance of this? Well, I really want this job. It's better money than my last one, and has more opportunities for advancement. And I want to do well at it. What factors influenced me I think I was influenced by my last job as to what I thought they would expect at this job.

Why did others respond as they did? Maybe they have higher standards here than at my last job. Did I make any assumptions? I think I assume that I could keep on doing what I've always done and get the same results. Did my actions meet my ideals and values? I like to be completely professional.

I like I'd like to not have this perfectionism. My ideal would be to stay calm and eager to learn at all times, no matter what. And I don't think I quite met that ideal in this situation. How else can I look at the situation? Okay, that's interesting. Well, to be a devil's advocate, or maybe my own advocate, I could say that since I had thrived at my other job.

Maybe the culture here is different, and not a good fit for my talents and skills. Maybe they want something that I don't want to give. Maybe I need to consider if this is the job for me. Okay, I've considered it. And I think now you know what I want to learn and grow. I generally like the job and my colleagues.

I think I'll scratch that idea for now. But I'll put it on the back burner just in case it keeps coming up. What could I have done differently? Well, I could have watched what other people didn't work closely. When I first came into the job, and brushed up on my Excel skills before I started, maybe I could have been a bit more friendly and contributed more in meetings. I do tend to hang back in new situations until I get a feel for things.

What can I learn from this? I can learn a lot of things. That different jobs have different things. standards that I still need to work on my perfectionism. I can also learn about the newest features of Excel and learn how to be a better team player. So now what?

Now what can I do? Well, I don't want my supervisor to stay uncomfortable with that whole interaction. I want to come to her with a learning plan to show her that I want to address these issues and how I plan to go about it. I hope that that will build her confidence in me. What could I do differently going forward? I could be more friendly and approachable at team meetings.

I could speak more and offered to help more. I could ask for feedback. After all, to be a good team player. You have to feel part of the team. I could find out what I need to learn to improve my Excel skills. I could ask my colleagues and also my supervisor when I meet with her to show me what I need to learn what will be the consequences of doing it differently.

Well, I hope to have a better performance review next time. I hope I'll do my job better. And I hope that I am seen as a valuable member of the team. And I also want to have a fulfilling work experience. What else do I need to learn? I talked a lot about what I want to learn already.

As I said, not every question is needed in every situation. But thinking about what else I need. Maybe I need to learn what my co workers need from me or ask for their feedback on how to participate better. I need to learn the work culture better, maybe two, so that I can understand what is expected. What supports do I need? Well, I need my supervisor support and I hope to get it by showing her my learning plan.

I also need support from my colleagues and learning about teamwork in this agency, as well as Excel. What goals do I want to set Well, let's say that by the end of the next three months, I want to be caught up with agency standards for Excel. And I want to be seen as a good team player. How do I feel about the experience now? Well, I'm feeling a lot better than I did when I came out of that meeting. I've acknowledged that a lot of my strengths were recognized, and I can feel good about that.

I also feel confident that I have a plan to address my challenge areas. Remember that the questions I've listed, which you can also find in resources on a printable PDF are just suggestions. Feel free to add more or delete some from the list as it suits your situation and needs. Now that you've learned about the what So what now what model, there's nothing like trying it for yourself to really learn it and discover what it can do for you. I invite you to print off the what So what now what worksheet provided or just Go back to the questions in the previous slides, and use the model to explore an issue, situation or dilemma in your life. You are welcome to send me a message to let me know how it went for you.

In the next section, we will look at some of the important components that can support your practice of critical reflection.