UNIT 6 Personal and Development

UNIT 6 – Professional and Development

P1
For this part of the assignment I will be updating the key influences on my learning experiences.
Kolb’s learning theory helps us to recognise how we learn, known as an individual’s cognitive abilities. He found two sets of opposite factors joined as a whole to demonstrate a learning cycle in four stages of: Concrete Experience, Reflective observation, Abstract conceptualisation and Active experimentation. He made a statement that even though it is possible to come into the cycle at every stage, in order for your learning to be successful, you must follow each of the stage in the right order.
Concrete experience is the doing stage where you take part in an action.
A reflective observation is the reviewing stage where you think about what you did and what had occurred throughout the stage.
Abstract conceptualisation is final stage that links to the concrete experience also known as the theorising stage often times. This stage is where you see all of the information you have obtained about the experience in order to put your thoughts in order and understand the experience.
As for active experimentation, this is the planning stage as the key idea in here is that you challenge a feature of the activity in a different way to how you done it before.
While Kolb’s learning cycle is beneficial in assisting us to understand that thinking includes a sequence of stages, there are also some setbacks of his theory that argues the learning cycle does not consider the role of criticism from other individuals as it only reflects on what the individual is thinking. Some also claim that it is not vital to abide to the exact order of the different stages of the cycle for your learning to be productive.
Other learning theorist such as Honey and Mumford (1982) also established a learning styles theory where they assesses the technique in which different workers learned and recognised a learning styles preference of: Pragmatists (having an experience), Activists (reviewing the experience, Theorists (Concluding from the experience) and Reflectors (planning the next stages)
By using the Honey and Mumford’s questionnaire, this had helped me to identify and understand what my preferred learning style is as I am an Activists.

According to Mobbs, R, 2003.” Activists are individuals who learn by doing things. They require to get their hands dirty and to dive in with both feet first. They have an open mind approach to learning, involving themselves fully and without bias in new experiences.”
In terms of skills and strengths with the two different sides of my brain, by using the http://www.bbc.co.uk/keyskills/extra/module1/2.shtml website I have come into a conclusion that I use the skills from both sides of my brain. This shows that I can be adequately flexible to use a range of methods to suit the job in hand. It also states that I can work efficiently as I can have creative concepts and the organisational skills to put into practice.
As for my learning personality, my score shows that I am both Visual/Auditory learner as I learn best when things are demonstrated using visual supports along with explanations. I also need to use videos, diagrams, pictures, charts, mind maps, highlighters and colour encoding to learn and remember things easily. By sharing ideas over other leaners whilst explaining the way I speak will also be effective for me as an individual. More to this, interactive computer programs greatly fit my learning style.
In some situations, I tackle problems through by planning as I then get on with it right away. This shows that I can adapt on my methods to suit my job.
From to time I like to work alone as well with others in order to adapt and respond to most work situations.
I prefer to work in a clear, tidy and well organised setting as clutter and mess distracts me. This suggests that I like to organise of my work since this is a valuable skill to me.
I like a quiet environment where I can focus on my studies as well as assignment works because noise can distract me from working since I work more effectively being in a secluded area where there is less background noise around such as the library, or at home in my room.
Tight deadlines suits me best because working under pressure is often essential and gives me the motivation as learner to get things completed before the due date.

M1
In this part of the assignment I will be assessing the impact of key influences based on my own personal learning experiences in relation to learning where I will be talking about the type of learning styles and study skills I have, time management, the learning environment, my aspiration and motivation, health and my previous placement experiences.
Throughout the two years of this course, there are many factors that made an influence over me both in a positive and negative way. One of these factors involve of my learning styles because it is significant for me to recognise my own type of learning as it makes the most of my education over the time. This also influences me to know which learning style suits me best to use in order to be a good learner and get on with my work well.
Theorists’ such as Honey and Mumford claims that “every learner must acknowledge their learning style and look for any chances to learn using that type style to put into practice.” Knowing the fact that I am currently both a Visual and Auditory learner, this shows that my types of learning styles changes over the course as I learn more effectively when things are presented using visual aids combined with explanations.
By using my preferred learning styles, this has changed me into how I learn and approach my studies in order for me to understand what is being said.

Another factor that can influence my learning in a positive way is my study skills. I prefer to start with identifying what is required for the assignment first by reading each of the criteria as it saves time when re-writing assignments later. I then set myself with main objectives of when I need to get it all completed so I can start with a new different assignment and have more time to do the work. I like to develop my own understanding towards the work as it helps me to take in future resources without any problems. By doing this, it makes reading a lot easier and also improves my memory for that specific topic.
I am always active when researching about the relations between different features of the work, and the relations between what I am learning.
On top of this, I can work well with my peers as I get to share ideas and gain mutual understanding on the topic so when there are times of doing the assignment, it makes more sense and it is more clarified for us on what to do for each criteria. This also in return makes studying a lot fascinating for us as I can also gain a different set of viewpoints of the work when I still don’t understand what the teacher had said.

The learning environment also plays as a factor to my learning since I like to work in to be peaceful and quite as I tend to be more productive when the noise level is down and not get distracted by others such as my friends. For instance, whenever a friend of mine has something interesting to show me I can’t myself but to see what it is and we then find ourselves being distracted on the same topic for quite a while until there is no work in progress.

One of the factors that influences how I learn is time management. With time management I find it difficult to manage with assignment works when there are too many being set out one after another, especially when they all have the exact same completion date. I don’t normally leave my assignments on the last minute as I start working on it on the week commencing. But with so much work and so little time to do, as well as other things to take care of such as revision or homework, it can be quite stressful for me to finish it all before the hand in date.

Being motivated also plays a huge role in my learning development. I have been in a position for many times where I have struggled greatly because my motivation was just about unreal. This was mainly because of procrastination and getting myself distracted with things easily. After observing what others have achieved with their assignments work and realising that I also need to get a head start, this motivates me to focus and do my work so that I can catch to their speed. Being under pressure also motivates me to do my work as I know that I must get it all done before the completion date.
Another thing that gets me motivated is by listening to music while doing my course works as this gets me to stay on task and concentrate on the work.
I am also motivated to get the entire work done and signed off from my course so that I can finally relax and will be stress free from the workload of assignments. This also is a good opportunity for me to have some more time to revise for upcoming exams.
My career aspiration keeps me to be motivated in my education as this plays a factor that influences my learning. Having to aim high and achieve the desired grade I need takes me little step closer towards my career goal. With this, it helps me to not forget what my life goals are and always persevere until get what I wanted in life.
Another one of the factors that can influence my learning in a positive way is my health. Health problems could motivate me to do work because it potentially make me to be more driven and show others that being ill either physically or mentally is not an excuse for me to not do any of my work, in which could also encourage me to go above with my work that I normally do.
In contrast to, if I happen to be extremely ill and had to go to the hospital for a treatment, I would be behind on college work unless one of my friends took some work and made notes for me to copy once I come back from the hospital.
Last but not least, my previous placement experience is also another factor that influences my learning. For every time I go into new a setting of placement, it is a great opportunity for me to gain new skills and knowledge as well as develop on them further. With the skills I have learned so far from placements such as having good communication and people skills with service users and staff members, demonstrating reflective and active listening, having a good initiative and showing more understanding towards service users to meet their individual needs. With these skills I have gained and used, it can be practical for me carry out into my next placement in order reach the role of a placement volunteer. Being a student volunteer also prepares me to experience how the working environments are like in the health sector and how it is important to recognise and meet every of the service users individuals needs by providing them a good service and meeting up to the standards. The use of a reflective journal every week promotes my own reflection that took place on that day and my learning to how I can improve the way carried out things from before to a new approach.

M3
For this task of the assignment I will be using three examples to examine the links amongst theory and practice, in which I will be relating to my work placements that I was assigned on.
As a student volunteer I was instructed to carry out certain tasks such as assisting service users or taking part in a variety of activities with them so that I can get to know them better, as well the members of staff. When doing these tasks, I had to use an effective communication of thinking about what to convey first and choose the type of communication (this can either be spoken language or sign language). Send the message across for service users to notice the message and to interpret what I have said in their own understanding.
For example, one of the placement experiences I had involves of a communication between student nurse and female resident at Dove Court Care Home, where a nurse was using gestures and body language to notify the resident that she will be checking her oxygen tank and assessing her health. The female resident then smiled at her to show that she had understood her message.
A bad example of a communication that took place in a Care Home was where a senior nurse was giving out medications on one the Units and was trying to persuade one of the female residents to take her medicine. Through my observation it appears that the female resident did not fully understand the message she was getting across as she kept asking who it was for. This shows that the message that was sent by the senior nurse might had been too unclear for the resident to understand.
These two examples can be linked to Argyle’s theory who studied and developed the theories of social communication and interpersonal interaction, in addition to creating the six stages of communication cycle for individuals to understand, explain, and predict how communication occurs between 1-1 interactions as it will also help them to interact effectively.
Tuckman’s theory carried out a study on group communication based on the four stages of forming, storming, norming and performing. His theory concentrates on the group improvements as where groups go into each of these stages to have an effective communication.
An example of this theory that I can relate it to one of my placement experiences took place where I was observing two carers who were planning on how to rearrange and decorate the Dining/Lounge room to celebrate one of the residents birthday. They first discuss about of each of the tasks that they will be both doing and shared ideas on how to decorate the place. After that they both talked about the problems that might occur when carrying out the task and solved them along the way as they tried different methods and decided at one objective that they both agreed on to achieve a good result. As they both got on with their task, they were working effectively as a team and were a lot focused. Interaction between the two carers became more successful because the both of them rely on each other to keep the group going and not cause any conflicts. In the end they both paid attention on each other’s opinions and produced a great result on their job.
Another theory that I can link into practise will be based on Honey and Mumford’s learning styles at St. Andrews Primary School. As a student volunteer I observe children on how they learn where their teacher try to get every single one of them to participate in class activities and discussion. When carry out a lesson of phonics on the interactive board, there are a small number of children who prefers to sit back, think over and observe their classmates first before raising their hands up to answer a question. They tend to be also cautious and listens to the answers of what their friends had said to pick up what the correct answer.
According to Mobbs, R, 2003. “Reflectors like to stand back to ponder experiences and observe them from many different perspectives. They collect data, both first hand and from others, and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to a conclusion.”

The last theory I will be linking in to placement will be Kolb’s learning theory. For every placement I have been assigned to, I get the chance to learn and gain new skills that could come in good use for every time I work in a health sector. With these skills I tend to use them whenever I can in different settings in order to give a good service and meet the responsibility of a student volunteer. This is an example of Kolb’s final stage of learning cycle where I reflect upon on how I will be applying what I have learnt into practice.

D1

In this of the assignment I will be evaluating how my personal learning and development can benefit others.
Personal learning does not only influence me but also others around me such as my friends, service users and staff members in placements. For the skills I have learnt and developed on from placements, others can also benefit from this too. For instance, I appear to be a good be a listener so when it comes to spending some time with a service user to get them know more and assisting them, this skill can be beneficial for them as they can also gain trust around me.
In terms of developing my understanding or new skills, this can also have an impact on my performance as a student volunteer because I turn out to be more confident towards my role. This shows that I can do many things in the setting when putting these skills and understanding into practice. The members of staff in the placements can be also affected by this as it takes a bit pressure of their shoulders knowing that I have learnt so many skills from previous placements.

Sharing my knowledge and computer skills can be also beneficial for my friends when teaching them how to use an app called Office Lens to save time. The app is like a pocket scanner for word document files and whiteboard images that can be then converted to PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files. Using this app can save their trouble from copying out tables and information.

Having a positive attitude and motivation is very significant to me and I feel it is essential to help my friends to be motivated who might be lack of motivation in relation to their personal learning. I think this can benefit them because it can assist them to choose what that want accomplish, and what is needed of them in the aim of meeting their goals. For instance, assisting my friends who might find it to be challenging to be motivated to finish all of their assignments work on time and up to a great standard would be supportive for both myself and them. Doing this can simulate my skills and can be developed further on while I help others who needs motivation. I can also help others to not get distracted and procrastinate by restricting them from things such as gadgets that can easily distract them.

When applying for University and student finance, it was a very stressful process for me to do since there were many things to be completed and things that I wasn’t fully aware of at first. After being taught on how to do each of the application by my PDC, I am more confident to help others who may want to apply for University or Student Finance next year, in which can be beneficial for them.

To conclude, sharing my own personal experiences with others such as my friends can also benefit them. For example, if I ever go through a bad experience that took place during a practical exam in science I can give them practical advice of what I did wrong and what I should have done right in order to help them gain more awareness about it so they don’t ever come across with the same situation as I did.

In general I believe that it is valuable to benefit others from what you have learnt as you get to share your own personal experiences and teach others around you. By doing this, it can enhance their understanding on many things and can also benefit them to have a varied choice of viewpoints.

D2
In this last task of the assignment, I will be evaluating on my own personal development and how well I have developed throughout the duration of the course.
To reflect on my own development over the past two years of the course I have learnt so many topics and gained valuable skills and experiences within college and placements.
At the start of the course I wasn’t fully prepared to be put in the deep end of the workloads I had to do compare to the work I did in level 2 Health and Social care. This made me realise that it entire course was a preparatory stage for us to get an idea of how the teaching process, course works, exams, and placement work will be like when going to University. So with this particular Unit it helped me to evaluate on my own development, accomplish, and acknowledge the roles and responsibilities being carried out as care professional within a health and social care setting in the aim of meeting each of the service users’ individual needs. With this Unit I am more aware on what to anticipate what’s coming to me and what staff members and service users anticipates of me during my placement work.
As an individual I recognise myself a whole lot better to be a good leaner and a student volunteer when comparing my development as how I used to be from the beginning of the course. This is beneficial to me because I now know how care professionals apply their jobs into practice. This also made me to organise myself in the future in terms of training to be a dietician or in employment within a health and social care establishment.
Moreover, as a learner this course had helped to have more self confidence in myself and boosted my self-esteem in greater levels as I don’t find it difficult to engage into conversations with people such as service users and staff members during placement work.
This course also influenced me to make a firm career option to advance closer to my career goal and onto the next stage after my successful completion.
Being around with my friends had also made a contribution towards my confidence as I find myself to be a lot comfortable to express who I am truly around them. I have benefited from them in a lot ways as they have also benefitted from in return. In times of doing an assignment work, we always find ourselves helping one another on how to understand a particular criteria much clearer, share out notes and resources of websites that can help each once of us do an assignment as well as, we motivate each other to aim high and support every person in the group.
Through my placements I have been very attentive and fascinated how care professionals carry out their work with service users as I shadow alongside them. By shadowing it’s also a good chance for me to learn and attain new knowledge on each of the service users, care professionals in a multi-disciplinary team, different types of care specialists as well as different types of care settings.
In conclusion to this, I can positively say that my knowledge and skills have developed significantly as get to learn a lot of things during placements and then evaluate on my own development through the course.

Reference page:
Richard Mobbs. (2003). Honey and Mumford Learning Styles. Available: http://www.le.ac.uk/users/rjm1/etutor/resources/learningtheories/honeymumford.html. Last accessed 04/06/2015.
Richard Mobbs. (2003). David Kolb. Available: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/training/eresources/teaching/theories/kolb, Last accessed 04/06/2015.

Image references: image 1: http://www.emtrain.eu/learning-styles/