603-09 RECORDING, REFLECTING AND REVIEWING FORMAT – Community Learning Development

Community Learning Development Resource 603 – 09

A RECORDING, REFLECTING AND REVIEWING FORMAT

SUMMARY

A practical tool for daily reflection and review that can be adapted for a variety of community development work situations. The format is particularly useful for prompting daily reflection and providing records of individual and group engagements, experiences and changes over periods of time.

DAILY RECORD & REFLECTION Date : Tuesday September 30^th

NATURE OF CONTACT

CC = Casual Contact / IC = Intentional Contact / PSC = Problem Solving Contact.

Contact/ Activity

Name/Description, nature of contact (CC/IC/PSC) and context

Observations

Target Group

Jenny –red hair – two kids (CC) In queue at co-op : got talking about childcare

Mo – friend of Jenny’s(CC) Limited conversation

Sharon Jones (IC) to check out whether she and her friends wanted to follow up the ‘planning a trip’ idea

Maggie (PSC) After conversation re men and doctors and her husband’s prostate, I’d cut out an article I’d seen in Men’s Health and dropped by to give it to her

J –pleasant/chatty,bright(?), frustrated. Lives at14 Swan Street. Follow-up ?

Very enthusiastic. She’ll get them together at her house on Thursday 9.30am. I stressed I’d help them think it through, not do it for them and I think she realised my position.

No grounds to suspect literacy difficulties. Need to check out later whether she’s read it.

Intermed-iaries

Frank, Chairman of Tenants and Residents Association (IC), to ask him about the area and also to identify issues his members faced

Mrs Iles, Ward Councillor. Went to her surgery.

Rather cautious but seemed willing to consider occasional outside presentations in meetings. I suggested home insulation – as I thought I’d got a good contact at the council. He eventually invited me to next meeting to see what went on.

Hard work. I should have researched beforehand what her agenda and interests really were so that I could link the learning dimension in better. Will follow up with a letter and keep plugging away.

Systems

Mrs Morris, health visitor. Saw her on her rounds and went up to her (Very brave !)

Explained myself more clearly than usual ! Her concerns are : missed appointments at the clinic ; obesity in young kids; and a throwaway line about massage and babies. Quite a bit to work on here.

Overall Reflections / Reviewing :

Still no men target group contacts ! I need to check out with other workers as to what their position and strategies are. I suspect I need to brave the Working Men’s Club but I’d feel better to have an intermediary. Perhaps drop in one morning.

When someone looks blank, I panic and become more muddled in my explanation !But generally am getting better at initiating contact and find the responses are positive on a personal level though they may not have a clue what I’m on about.

‘Research my contacts’ where possible before meeting them.

Chairman could be a ‘gatekeeper’

The importance of recording, reflecting and reviewing – a daily half-an-hour well spent!

· Guards against loss of memory, in a complex and fast moving work situation

· This is the grounding of the work and achievements

Records inputs, outputs and outcomes – provides prompts for planning next moves
Sets agendas
Builds up the pictures and networking
Helps the worker to identify what success is
Identifies barriers and difficulties, and ways of overcoming them
Evidences just how much work is being done
Enables quality development and improvement within engagements and experiences
Contributes to the development of own practice – a learning tool for the worker
A rich source of experiences and ideas for sharing and building practice.

PROMPT FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

· Explore and develop a format for a daily record of your own work