Prior Learning And Future Learning
In this essay, I will reflect upon two skills and identify how they have evolved through prior learning and current learning. Also, viewing past experiences from these skills to find further improvements that will aid future learning. The two skills that I will reflect upon are; communication and organisation & planning.
The first key skill is organisation and planning. To achieve my short term and long term priorities I began by writing them down in a diary; with immediate goals at the top and future goals towards the end. Thus, allowing myself plenty of planning time on how to achieve these goals.
Organisation has helped me keep track of my personal commitments as well as revision sessions during my GCSE's and A levels. With my priorities …show more content…
determined and written down in my diary, I immediately started planning for my exams and created a revision timetable. Family encouragement was a form of motivation that enthused me to abide by the revision timetable. Revisions sessions with peers were effective because we all had different talents and when combined, it acted as a positive reinforcer. For example, one had better management skills on the revision timetable, while the other had better revision techniques. As the time grew closer to exams we all revised a topic each and came together and taught it to the rest of the group, with regular intervals. This method facilitated me in achieving desired grades, both in my GCSE's and A levels. Striving to perform one hundred percent in my work inspired me further, thus building self-assurance that the next time I will achieve higher.
During my first semester as a University student, I had to complete three assignments, this made time management slightly difficult as I didn’t expect to receive assignments immediately. In addition, the transition from a college student into a University student was a hurdle I was still overcoming. Nonetheless, I determine my short-term priorities per what was important; which are my assignments and these ultimately lead to my long-term priorities to be attained, which is graduation and employment.
Following this, I added precise dates for when my assignments were due in, along with filling in other personal priorities that were respectively important such as birthdays and family events. Creating spider diagrams using coloured pens and highlighters made planning more vibrant and enabled wider ideas to develop. Northedge, (2005, pg. 153) in The Good Study Guide suggests, ‘making a mind map lets you work more creatively and helps you to see how different aspects of a topic link together.’ An example of how I managed my time is writing down all the important dates on a calendar, thus infusing them in my everyday life. As I had to complete three assignments, I organised them in a pattern that ensured I dedicated one day per assignment. Finally, all that remained were days for leisure. As Northedge (2005, pg. 35) implies ‘a study week chart shows time spent on your typical week activities and see where there is room for manoeuvre.’
As I delve into semester one, the experience I have attained through organisation and planning have enabled me to work in a logical and clear pattern.
Therefore, proving to be useful for my future learnings. From this experience, I consider my development need is to split the day into convenient time slots. I found that jotting down activities on a calendar helped me to be organised and ready for the day. However, I must establish my high-quality study time and consume this chunk of time entirely focussed on my work. Therefore, my development needs for this year and coming years at University is structuring my day in short time spans that are suitable for my needs. This method will ensure I strike a balance between personal commitments and priorities, and complete work during beneficial …show more content…
times.
The second skill I will be reflecting upon is communication skills. There are four main types of communication means; reading, writing, speaking and listening. Out of these four, speaking is enforced from the moment of birth and is useful for learning throughout life. As it is mentioned in The Good Study Guide (Northedge 2005, pg. 157) ‘talk is the main means of learning.’
At the beginning of secondary school, I was not openly communicative towards others as I had a shy nature and required time to accommodate into a new environment.
Consequently, I couldn’t express myself during tutor or peer discussions. However, as these sessions continued to take place, I had familiarised with the environment as well as formed an understanding with individuals. An example of taking part in discussions include many from my GCSE and A level subjects, whether it was discussing my progress with tutors or sharing important scenes from a novel.
Throughout sixth form I had to produce written work that was recited by others, either by staff, myself or peers. Communication skills are important throughout life, therefore there should be relentless focus on these skills in primary teaching. In the CBI Education and Skills Survey (2012 pg. 24) it mentions ‘employers also believe it is important for children to start developing effective communication skills that are essential later in personal and working
life.’
I performed a presentation with a peer group on a serious taboo subject, which was based on mental health. For this, we worked in a medium sized group of eight people, and rehearsed the presentation several times within our group. As mentioned in The Good Study Guide ‘there is the need for turn-taking and waiting for appropriate opportunities to speak.’ This allows everyone to be able to speak at some point and therefore encouraging better management of the group. My focus was to be able to speak confidently in front of a group of people. The presentation took place in front of an audience of fifty-sixty students and staff. This was a great experience performing in front of a big crowd.
This year I entered a new stage in my life yet again, as a University student. One significant difference between sixth form and University is independency. Attending lectures at University is down to oneself, whereas in sixth form attending lessons is compulsory. Each lecture is reliant on ones listening skills. Therefore, I believe my listening skill is further enhanced during lectures as I have close attention on tutor and peer discussions. This is because if any important detail is missed out then it won’t be repeatedly continuously.
As I have mentioned before in my organisation and planning skill. I had assignments to complete within the first semester, recited by lectures and personal tutors. To find evidence that backed up my points required a lot of reading. One method that has always aided me when finding relevant information is skimming. This allows me to get essence of a topic and decide whether I should read it. In addition to this, Exhibit 19 in the CBI Education and Skills Survey (2012 pg. 24) indicates reading is one the top three business priorities for primary education, with a 45% rating.
At present, I feel my communication skills have developed vastly, however there is always room for improvement. Therefore, my development needs for the coming years at University is to seek academic skills advice, this will further enhance the four types of communication skills. It is important in any professional field to have good communication skills as pointed out by Northedge (2005 pg. 157) that ‘communication is one of the six key skills identified by the UK government.’ There are many useful links on the University site that provide detailed information on how to improve communication skills as well as many others.
The exhibit 32 graph in the CBI Education and Skills Survey (2012, pg. 33), shows that although basic literacy and use of English is one of the top three areas for employer satisfaction, with a rating of 84% satisfied or very satisfied. There are 15% of employers who ‘are not satisfied with standards of literacy/use of English among graduate candidates.’ Therefore it is essential that communication skills are constantly improved as it is of great importance for employers and can possible affect employment.
Moreover, I reflect on how my previous experience of these skills have affected my first semester at University. Lastly, I include what my development needs are for the following years at university.
To conclude, in this essay I have reflected upon two skills that I attained before joining the University of Bradford, and how they have progressed since. This essay has enabled me to accentuate areas where I must improve my skills further for the betterment of future learning. it has also enabled me to recognise past techniques I have used that can still prove to be beneficial for my current learning and future learning. Northedge (2005, pg. 22) in The Good Study Guide mentions, reflective learning allows you to ‘ponder over your successes and your failures, so that you bring increasingly subtle insight to your studies,’ which through this essay I feel I have achieved for my current and future learning.
The first key skill is organisation and planning. To achieve my short term and long term priorities I began by writing them down in a diary; with immediate goals at the top and future goals towards the end. Thus, allowing myself plenty of planning time on how to achieve these goals.
Organisation has helped me keep track of my personal commitments as well as revision sessions during my GCSE's and A levels. With my priorities …show more content…
determined and written down in my diary, I immediately started planning for my exams and created a revision timetable. Family encouragement was a form of motivation that enthused me to abide by the revision timetable. Revisions sessions with peers were effective because we all had different talents and when combined, it acted as a positive reinforcer. For example, one had better management skills on the revision timetable, while the other had better revision techniques. As the time grew closer to exams we all revised a topic each and came together and taught it to the rest of the group, with regular intervals. This method facilitated me in achieving desired grades, both in my GCSE's and A levels. Striving to perform one hundred percent in my work inspired me further, thus building self-assurance that the next time I will achieve higher.
During my first semester as a University student, I had to complete three assignments, this made time management slightly difficult as I didn’t expect to receive assignments immediately. In addition, the transition from a college student into a University student was a hurdle I was still overcoming. Nonetheless, I determine my short-term priorities per what was important; which are my assignments and these ultimately lead to my long-term priorities to be attained, which is graduation and employment.
Following this, I added precise dates for when my assignments were due in, along with filling in other personal priorities that were respectively important such as birthdays and family events. Creating spider diagrams using coloured pens and highlighters made planning more vibrant and enabled wider ideas to develop. Northedge, (2005, pg. 153) in The Good Study Guide suggests, ‘making a mind map lets you work more creatively and helps you to see how different aspects of a topic link together.’ An example of how I managed my time is writing down all the important dates on a calendar, thus infusing them in my everyday life. As I had to complete three assignments, I organised them in a pattern that ensured I dedicated one day per assignment. Finally, all that remained were days for leisure. As Northedge (2005, pg. 35) implies ‘a study week chart shows time spent on your typical week activities and see where there is room for manoeuvre.’
As I delve into semester one, the experience I have attained through organisation and planning have enabled me to work in a logical and clear pattern.
Therefore, proving to be useful for my future learnings. From this experience, I consider my development need is to split the day into convenient time slots. I found that jotting down activities on a calendar helped me to be organised and ready for the day. However, I must establish my high-quality study time and consume this chunk of time entirely focussed on my work. Therefore, my development needs for this year and coming years at University is structuring my day in short time spans that are suitable for my needs. This method will ensure I strike a balance between personal commitments and priorities, and complete work during beneficial …show more content…
times.
The second skill I will be reflecting upon is communication skills. There are four main types of communication means; reading, writing, speaking and listening. Out of these four, speaking is enforced from the moment of birth and is useful for learning throughout life. As it is mentioned in The Good Study Guide (Northedge 2005, pg. 157) ‘talk is the main means of learning.’
At the beginning of secondary school, I was not openly communicative towards others as I had a shy nature and required time to accommodate into a new environment.
Consequently, I couldn’t express myself during tutor or peer discussions. However, as these sessions continued to take place, I had familiarised with the environment as well as formed an understanding with individuals. An example of taking part in discussions include many from my GCSE and A level subjects, whether it was discussing my progress with tutors or sharing important scenes from a novel.
Throughout sixth form I had to produce written work that was recited by others, either by staff, myself or peers. Communication skills are important throughout life, therefore there should be relentless focus on these skills in primary teaching. In the CBI Education and Skills Survey (2012 pg. 24) it mentions ‘employers also believe it is important for children to start developing effective communication skills that are essential later in personal and working
life.’
I performed a presentation with a peer group on a serious taboo subject, which was based on mental health. For this, we worked in a medium sized group of eight people, and rehearsed the presentation several times within our group. As mentioned in The Good Study Guide ‘there is the need for turn-taking and waiting for appropriate opportunities to speak.’ This allows everyone to be able to speak at some point and therefore encouraging better management of the group. My focus was to be able to speak confidently in front of a group of people. The presentation took place in front of an audience of fifty-sixty students and staff. This was a great experience performing in front of a big crowd.
This year I entered a new stage in my life yet again, as a University student. One significant difference between sixth form and University is independency. Attending lectures at University is down to oneself, whereas in sixth form attending lessons is compulsory. Each lecture is reliant on ones listening skills. Therefore, I believe my listening skill is further enhanced during lectures as I have close attention on tutor and peer discussions. This is because if any important detail is missed out then it won’t be repeatedly continuously.
As I have mentioned before in my organisation and planning skill. I had assignments to complete within the first semester, recited by lectures and personal tutors. To find evidence that backed up my points required a lot of reading. One method that has always aided me when finding relevant information is skimming. This allows me to get essence of a topic and decide whether I should read it. In addition to this, Exhibit 19 in the CBI Education and Skills Survey (2012 pg. 24) indicates reading is one the top three business priorities for primary education, with a 45% rating.
At present, I feel my communication skills have developed vastly, however there is always room for improvement. Therefore, my development needs for the coming years at University is to seek academic skills advice, this will further enhance the four types of communication skills. It is important in any professional field to have good communication skills as pointed out by Northedge (2005 pg. 157) that ‘communication is one of the six key skills identified by the UK government.’ There are many useful links on the University site that provide detailed information on how to improve communication skills as well as many others.
The exhibit 32 graph in the CBI Education and Skills Survey (2012, pg. 33), shows that although basic literacy and use of English is one of the top three areas for employer satisfaction, with a rating of 84% satisfied or very satisfied. There are 15% of employers who ‘are not satisfied with standards of literacy/use of English among graduate candidates.’ Therefore it is essential that communication skills are constantly improved as it is of great importance for employers and can possible affect employment.
Moreover, I reflect on how my previous experience of these skills have affected my first semester at University. Lastly, I include what my development needs are for the following years at university.
To conclude, in this essay I have reflected upon two skills that I attained before joining the University of Bradford, and how they have progressed since. This essay has enabled me to accentuate areas where I must improve my skills further for the betterment of future learning. it has also enabled me to recognise past techniques I have used that can still prove to be beneficial for my current learning and future learning. Northedge (2005, pg. 22) in The Good Study Guide mentions, reflective learning allows you to ‘ponder over your successes and your failures, so that you bring increasingly subtle insight to your studies,’ which through this essay I feel I have achieved for my current and future learning.