Outcomes

After going through a month of training and lessons, I hope you would now have a better understanding of what the trip is all about. At this point in time, I want you to seriously think what you really want to achieve from this trip and what are the outcomes you would like to see of yourself. 

Drop me a page on this and list at least 3 outcomes of yourself that you want to achieve at the end of the trip. Please list them in order of priority and explain why these outcomes are important to you.

"I do believe that when we face challenges in life that are far beyond our own power, it's an opportunity to build on our faith, inner strength, and courage. I've learned that how we face challenges plays a big role in the outcome of them."
                                                              Sasha Azevedo (American Actress, Athlete and Model)

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome.”
William James (American Philosopher and Psychologist, Leader of the Philosophical Movement of Pragmatism, 1842 - 1910)

Reminders

For those of you who have not reflected on the experience and the learning of the whole day trek on 30 August Saturday, please do so. And for those that needs to improve, please add on to what you have written. Your log book are to be submitted when school reopens on 16 September Tuesday. Leave it in my pigeon hole.

Below is an adaptation taken from the website Inspired to Serve http://www.inspiredtoserve.org/reflect on how we better reflect our experiences.

Three Guiding Questions

Three questions can be helpful in thinking through the flow of a reflection process (whether written, verbal, or in another approach):

• What? Begin by articulating your experiences and your feelings about the activities. Examine what happened within and around themselves, as individuals and as a team. What were their thoughts, experiences, feelings, hopes, and concerns?
• So what? Interpret the experience and formulate new concepts out of that experience. During this phase, connect and make meaning of the experiences with your specific learning and development goals. This may also be a time when you invite others or research to inform your perspectives on the issues. 
• Now what? This final phase focuses on integrating learning so it affects future actions. It may involve individual, whole-group (or subgroup) commitments to follow through with the change and continue addressing the issues. It should also solidify how the knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Some Sample Reflection Questions

What?

• What did you do?
• What did you see, hear, smell, taste?
• What did you think?
• What did you feel?
• What happened?

So What?

• What does it mean?
• What difference did our actions make? For whom? How?
• Why do you think things are the way they are?
• What issues (personal, social, political, values system, life etc.) are involved in activity/incident?
• What stories in your tradition or personal history help us understand how we respond to these issues?
• What is unique and distinct about how we understand these issues in each of our traditions?

Now What?

• What changes will you make because of what you learned and experienced?
• How will you apply what you’ve learned to your everyday life and learning?
• How will you apply what you’ve learned to the broader issues that you care about?
• What implications does this experience have for future actions?

Please have these guiding questions in your notebook so that you can refer to them anytime.

Looking forward to your insights on the trek.