Weekly Reflection Prompts
(Use these questions to guide your 30-minute reflection each week. Write thoughtfully and honestly.)

1. Strengths in Action
   Reflect on one strength you identified this week using the Skill Inventory Chart. Describe a specific moment when you used it. How did it influence your confidence and your progress toward your career goal?

1. SMART Goals Check-In
   Review the SMART career goals you set last session. What progress have you made toward each goal? Identify any obstacles you encountered and propose at least one strategy to overcome them.

1. Mentor Feedback Reflection
   Think about the feedback you received in your mentoring conversation (Mentor Feedback Dialogue). What was the most valuable insight you gained? How will you incorporate this feedback into your next steps?

1. Action Plan for Next Week
   Based on your reflections, outline 2–3 concrete actions you will take next week to move closer to your career goals. Specify timelines, resources you’ll need, and how you will measure success.

(Save your responses in your journal and be prepared to discuss them at your next mentoring session.)

Skill Inventory Chart

Use this chart to identify and organize your strengths. Refer to Mapping Your Strengths for guidance on categories and examples.

Add more rows as needed.

Once completed, review your entries to spot patterns and discuss these insights during your next mentoring session.

Mentor Feedback Dialogue

A structured guide for mentors to provide constructive feedback, encourage student reflection, and co-create next steps. Use this dialogue after the student completes their Weekly Reflection Prompts and updates the Skill Inventory Chart.

Purpose

• Reinforce student strengths and growth
• Clarify obstacles and problem-solve strategies
• Co-develop actionable next steps toward SMART career goals

Meeting Structure (30 minutes)

1. Opening & Reconnection (2 min)
2. Strengths Reinforcement (8 min)
3. Reflection Exploration (10 min)
4. Action Planning (8 min)
5. Closing Summary (2 min)

1. Opening & Reconnection (2 min)

• Greet the student warmly: “Hi [Name], great to see your progress this week!”
• Briefly recap last week’s goals and commitments.
• Confirm today’s focus: deepening insights and planning next steps.

2. Strengths Reinforcement (8 min)

Teacher prompts:

• “You rated your communication skill as a 4 on your Skill Inventory Chart. Can you share an example where this strength really helped you?”
• “What about that moment gave you confidence?”

Follow-ups:

• “How might you leverage this strength in your upcoming goal related to [specific career interest]?”
• “What challenges did you face when applying this skill?”

3. Reflection Exploration (10 min)

Dive into the student’s journal responses from the Weekly Reflection Prompts:

Prompt 1: Strengths in Action

• “You wrote about using empathy during your project. What did you learn about how empathy impacts teamwork?”

Prompt 2: SMART Goals Check-In

• “You aimed to connect with two professionals this week. You met one — what helped you succeed, and what will you try differently for the second?”

Prompt 3: Mentor Feedback Reflection

• “Looking back at our last conversation, which piece of feedback changed your approach the most? Why?”

Encourage the student to elaborate by asking “Tell me more about…,” “What makes that important to you?” or “How did that feel?”

4. Action Planning (8 min)

Co-create concrete steps using the Goal Achievement Tracker:

1. Identify 2–3 specific actions (e.g., research a mentor, draft a resume section, attend a workshop).
2. Assign timelines (by Friday, next session).
3. Determine supports (resources, contacts, tools).
4. Define success indicators (e.g., secured an informational interview, completed resume draft).

Teacher modeling:

• “Let’s write your first action: ‘Email Ms. Lee at the engineering firm by Wednesday.’ Does that feel clear and achievable?”

5. Closing Summary (2 min)

• Summarize key insights and actions.
• Confirm the student’s confidence with the plan: “On a scale of 1–5, how ready do you feel to carry out these steps?”
• Schedule or remind of the next meeting.
• End on an encouraging note: “I’m excited to see how you apply these steps this week!”

Goal Achievement Tracker Rubric

Use this rubric to assess your progress on SMART career goals each week. Select the descriptor that best matches your work for each criterion and record your score (1–4).

Scoring Guide:

1 = Not Started

2 = In Progress

3 = Achieved

4 = Exceeded

Total Score: ___/16

Use your total score to identify areas for growth and celebrate successes!

Career Coach Script

Use this script word-for-word to guide an individual 11th-grade coaching session. Replace [Student Name] with your student’s name.

1. Session Kick-Off (5 minutes)

Teacher: “Hi [Student Name], it’s great to see you today! Last week, you set two SMART career goals. Before we begin, could you briefly remind me what those goals are and share one quick win or challenge you experienced?”

Pause for student response.

Teacher: “Thank you for sharing. Today, our focus is to map your strengths more deeply and refine those SMART goals so they guide your next steps clearly. Let’s get started!”

2. Strengths Assessment (10 minutes)

Teacher: “Please open up the slide deck: Mapping Your Strengths. We’ll go through the first few slides together.”

Teacher (Slide: “What Is Strengths Mapping?”): “Strengths mapping is a visual process where you organize your unique talents into categories like interpersonal, technical, creative, and leadership. Understanding these helps you pick goals that play to your best abilities.”

Teacher (Slide: “Examples of Strengths”): “Which of these example strengths—empathy, coding fundamentals, project coordination—resonates most with your experience? Tell me about a moment you used that skill.”

Pause; ask follow-ups:

• “What about that moment felt most rewarding?”
• “How did it impact your confidence?”

Teacher (Slide: “Using the Skill Inventory Chart”): “Great. Now let’s complete the Skill Inventory Chart. On the left, list your strength. In the next column, give it a confidence rating from 1 to 5. Then write a concrete example and one next step to build on it.”

Guide the student as they fill in one or two rows, prompting:

• “What evidence can you share to support that rating?”
• “What’s one small action you could take this week to strengthen it?”

3. Goal Setting (5 minutes)

Teacher: “You’ve identified your top 2–3 strengths. Let’s turn each into a SMART goal. For instance, instead of ‘improve my coding,’ we could say, ‘By next Friday, I will complete Module 2 of the online Python course and practice three new functions.’”

Teacher: “What SMART goal can you write for your interpersonal strength? I’ll type it in your roadmap.”

Work with the student to phrase goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

4. Reflection & Feedback (10 minutes)

Teacher: “Next, open your Weekly Reflection Prompts. Let’s fill out question 1 together.”

Teacher: “Reflect on one strength you used this week. Describe when you used it and how it moved you closer to your goal.”

After student writes or speaks:

• “That’s insightful. How will you use that same strength in the coming week?”

Teacher: “Now, let’s role-play a mentor conversation using the Mentor Feedback Dialogue. I’ll be your mentor.”

Teacher (as Mentor): “I noticed you rated your organization skill as 3 on your chart. Can you share an example where being organized really helped you?”

Switch back and forth, prompting deeper reflection:

• “What obstacles did you face?”
• “How might you adapt your approach next time?”

Teacher: “Finally, record the mentor’s suggestions and your next steps in the Goal Achievement Tracker. What are the two to three actions you’ll commit to this week, with deadlines and success indicators?”

Confirm and document each action.

5. Closing Summary (2 minutes)

Teacher: “Today we mapped your strengths, refined SMART goals, reflected on progress, and planned next steps. On a scale from 1 to 5, how confident do you feel about completing these actions?”

After response:
Teacher: “Fantastic. I’m excited to see your progress next week. Keep your roadmap and journal handy, and reach out if you need support. See you at our next session!”