Center for Teaching and Learning

What Are Some Questions For Reflection?

Questions For Reflection
( Lowell Benion Community Service Center - University of Utah )

Issue-Focused Questions

Why is there need of your service?
What do you perceive as the underlying issue, and why does it exist?
What social, economic, political and educational systems are maintaining and perpetuating it?
Do you see connections to public policy at the local, state, or national level?
What can you do with the knowledge you gained from the experience to promote change?
How does this [profession/field] affect this issue?
How do your lifestyle choices affect this issue? Is there anything you are doing or are not doing that perpetuates the situation?
What is the responsibility of a person in this field to address this issue?
How has your orientation to or opinion about this issue changed through your service experience?
What would it take to positively impact the situation (from the level of individuals, communities, education, and government)?

Client-Focused Questions

What similarities do you perceive between you and the people you are serving?
How are you perceived by the people you are serving?
What do you think a typical day is like for the people you serve? What pressures do they confront?
How does their situation impact their life socially, educationally, politically, recreationally, etc.?
What stereotypes are you confronting about the people you serve? Have you reconceptualized these stereotypes? What new information lead you to do this?
If you were in charge of the agency/organization in which you are serving, how would you improve the delivery of service to clients?

Self-focused

In what ways are you finding your involvement with your service program difficult? What helps you follow through despite the difficulties you encounter?
What personal qualities (e.g. leadership, communication skills, compassion, etc) have you developed through service? In what ways do you anticipate these qualities will help you in the future? To help others in the future?
How would you motivate others to become involved in service experiences? What would you say to them?
What happened during your service experience that made you feel you would (or would not) like to pursue this field as a career?
What contributions can you bring to your field from your service experience?

ctl