Tips for Completing Your 2-Minute Reflective Journaling Exercises
»These reflections are for your eyes and your instructor’s eyes only.
» We recommend the use of pen or pencil to paper (if able to do so) when journaling as neuroscience research indicates more neural connection occurs when writing happens this way, as opposed to using a computer pad. Or you are welcome to upload a digital narrative, photo, artwork or other form of creative healthy expression that represents your reflection response.
» Read the prompt provided and then set a timer for 2-minutes.
» Allow your thoughts to flow onto the page without stopping to edit or judge; there are no “right” or “wrong” thoughts when it comes to reflective journaling.
» Do not worry about grammar or spelling; what’s important is to let your thoughts flow.
» When “freeflow” journaling, keep writing until time is up. If you get stuck and have nothing to write, then keep writing, “I have nothing to write…” until a new thought emerges.
» When you’re done writing, take a few minutes to read over what you’ve written and reflect on what you discover.
» Next, submit your journal reflection per your instructor’s advised technology in the variety of ways provided to you.
Enjoy!
Positive Future Self Prompts
- When I think of living into my vision of my Positive Future Self with my daily choices, I notice…
- When I think of how well my daily choices are leading me closer or further from my vision of my positive future self, I notice…
- When I think of revising my vision of my positive future self, based on what I am learning about myself this term, I want to…
- While just being at this college/university for a short while, what advice would you want to give your peers so that they can achieve their vision for their positive future selves?
- When I think about how relevant my in-class and out-of-class experiences are to what I want to do with my life, I notice…
- When I think of how well my degree options prepare me for a future career and the life I would love living, I want to…
Emotion Regulation
- When I think of the stress management techniques that work best for me, I notice…
- When I think of asking for help for mental health and well-being, I want to…
Sense of Belonging
- When I think of becoming engaged at (insert name of college/university) to increase my sense of belonging to (insert name of college/university), I notice…”
- When I consider how well I belong here at (insert name of college/university), I ….
- When I consider my community cultural wealth, I want to…
- What about my identities empowers me within these contexts:
- Work,
- Class,
- Out-of-Class activities,
- Family?
Sense of Agency
- When I think of my “go-to” person for helping me manage the discomfort of asking for help, I want to…
- When I think about talking with my instructors about what I know I am learning in their class and how I know I am learning it, I want to …
- Whenever I feel I need to get some personal help or emotional support, I ….
- Now, when I know I need some academic help, I ….
- When I think of how I access faculty as experts in providing me with academic and professional guidance, I notice…
Conscientiousness
- When I think of what would prevent me from engaging in active and empathetic listening, I…
Reflective Learning
- When I think about reflecting on how well I am learning in different subjects, cultures, and contexts, I …
- When I am told to reflect on what I have learned, I ….
- When someone tells me to think critically, I ….
- When I think of how to apply various learning and study strategies to my college classes, I want to…
Self-Regulation
- What steps (big or small!) can I take toward maintaining a more ideal physical well-being for myself?
- When I think about taking responsibility for my own learning, I …
- When I think of how I recognize and utilize the various academic and personal student resources available at (insert name of college/university), I notice….
- When I think of what it means for me to make daily choices based on accurate self-awareness, I notice…
Two Minute Journaling Prompts to Consider: Capturing Students’ Experience for NLP Analysis For 16-Week Semester Design
Week One: When I think of how successful I will be at (insert name of university), I notice…
Week Four: Having completed three weeks of school at (insert name of university), I want to…
Week Eight: When I reflect on what I have learned thus far at and what I feel I need to learn, I …
Week Twelve: As the semester experience at (insert name of university) begins to wind down, I want to…
Week Sixteen: When asked to consider my future semesters at (insert name of university), I notice…
Longer Positive Future Self Reflections
- What do I know about who I am and how that influences how I want to be in my work and life?
- What brings me joy in my work and what does it feel like when I am experiencing joy in the body?
- In what ways do I give myself permission to savor my work joy? What do I notice in the body when I practice savoring joy as I work?
- In what ways do I notice the absence of joy in my work and what does it feel like in the body?
- In what ways do I leverage the experiences of joy in my work to validate who I know I am and how I want to be in my work?
- In what ways do I use experiences of lack of joy in my work to invalidate who I know I am and how I want to be in my work?
- What is possible for me now? What empowering choices do I want to make that bring me no harm nor bring anyone else harm?