Workshop Exercises: Self-Analysis and Reflection

Dr Abe V Rotor
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The following exercises are used in the teaching of Natural Sciences and Social Sciences by the author at St. Paul University QC, UST, DLSU-D and UPHR. A good number of exercises were presented as part of lectures delivered by the author as resource speaker on different occasions.*


Exercise 1 - Relationships (Family and the World)


Make this tree live again - Using colors (pastel or crayola) and drawing paper, each participant puts life in a dying tree, bringing it back to its prime years. He may imagine himself to be the tree in a manner of reflection, seeing himself at the end, to be enjoying the fullness of life. While the exercise is being done, the resource person will personally play “Violin and Nature” as background music. This consists of violin compositions accompanied by the sounds of birds, waterfalls, wind and running stream. This is a ten-minute exercise, the first half is drawing, and the second is analysis and evaluation. Values derived come from Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory (physiological, safety, love, esteem, self-actualization), and Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation, particularly on sense of achievement and fulfillment), and Concept of Integration-Cooperation. There are ten criteria to evaluate the exercise in an “exchange papers, corrected by” style. This also serves to enhance sharing and good judgement. The drawing must show the following: sun, water, resurrected tree, other trees, landscape, people, other creatures, naturalness of style, artistic quality, full use of space.


Exercise 2 - “Quo vadis?” (Where am I going?)


I am a Sailboat – The participant imagines himself as a Sailboat drifting on the open sea. Using the same coloring materials and a drawing paper, he has five minutes to complete the scenario. Here he expresses himself in relation to what he feels and thinks, and consciously and unconsciously such expression reflects his leadership qualities. Even the drawing itself shows his ability to communicate with the viewer. Does it show self-confidence
and self-motivation? Does it show a particular leadership style and behavior? The second five minutes will be devoted to evaluation in the same manner as in the first exercise. The drawing must show the following: prominent sailboat, other sailboats, destination, people, creatures all, alive sea and sky, artistic quality, full use of space.


Exercise 3 - Dream and Reality


Waterfall – Like the first two, this is also an individual exercise. The participant draws a waterfall from his own experience and imagination. He has five minutes to finish it. The background music is nature’s sound, water flowing and cascading accompanied by songs of birds and other creatures. The theme of this exercise is that in life “somewhere along the way we find a waterfall”. How are we going to deal with it? Some ten minutes will be devoted to analysis and sharing. Criteria lie on the following aspects: fullness of fall, height of fall, natural watershed, clouds, upstream river source, continuity at downstream, power at the fall, presence of life, artistic quality, full use of space.


Exercise 4 – Community Consciousness


Let’s build a house - This is a group exercise with 10 members in a group. Using pentel and easel paper, the members of each group form a queue and complete the drawing within two minutes. Before they do this they have two minutes to confer and plan their house and strategy. A lively music is provided as a background. Like in the other exercises, a set of criteria will be used in evaluating the exercise. The key here is, there are neighbors.


Exercise 5 – How intelligent are you?


The 8 realms of intelligence - All of us are endowed with a wide range of intelligence classified into eight realms or domains. It is not only IQ or EQ or any single sweeping test that tells us how intelligent we are. Here is a simple guide to find out which realms we are superior.


Domain Scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1. Interpersonal (human relations)
2. Intrapersonal (Inner vision, self-
expression, reflection)
3. Kinesthetic (Sports and body
language, dance)
4. Languages or linguistics
5. Logic (dialectics, math)
6. Music (auditory art)
7. Naturalism (relationship with
the natural world, “green thumb”)
8. Spatial (painting, sculpture,
architecture, photography


Analysis takes ten minutes. After completing the table, get the total score and divide it by 8 to get the average. But the average is only secondary to the distribution pattern of his scores. For example there are those who have high scores in 6 and 7, while there are those who got high in say, 3 and 6. During the sharing period, a participant tells his first two or three strong realms from which we can picture his talents. Can we relate the findings with the kind of person he is, his work, likes and dislikes, etc?