Reflective Essay: Practice Session
Practice Session & Reflective Essay
PRACTICE SESSION
This assessment requires you to make an audio and visual recording of a practice session in which you apply interpersonal skills and then to write a reflective essay in which you reflect upon and critique your interpersonal skills used in the practice session. The scenario is to be a choice from those two listed in the Assessment Requirements Section of the Unit.
INFORMATION ON RECORDING AND REFLECTIVE ESSAY
The recording and the reflective essay are both to be submitted for marking. If the recording is unplayable or not of clear visual quality or if both you and the other person cannot be clearly heard and understood when playing the recording, it will need to be returned with …show more content…
a Resubmit result. Both the recording and the reflective essay are to be submitted online by uploading them onto the assessment submission section of my.acap (go to Section 10 in the Weekly Outline on the home page for this Unit). Both need to be uploaded by midnight Sunday 6th May 2012.
There will be instructions on how to upload your recorded practice session and reflective essay when you go onto the “Submit Assessment 2 – Practice Session” link and the “Submit Assessment 2 – Reflective Essay” link at Section 10.
The recording needs to show you face-on so that your facial expressions and other body language are observed. For this to be possible, it may be necessary for the other person to be filmed at an angle.
The purpose of the recorded session is for you to demonstrate your interpersonal skills through a practice session. You are to do this by role playing the chosen issue with your ‘colleague’ or ‘friend’. So as to enhance the standard of your recorded demonstration which accounts for 25% of your final mark for this Unit, prepare for the session in a general way with the other person, well before recording it. Just as it is important for you to demonstrate your interpersonal skills in this recorded session, it is essential for the other person to take on the role of the colleague or friend and to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your interpersonal skills.
Do not use a script for the practice session. By the time you are due to do the practice session for Assessment 2, it is expected that you will have a satisfactory level of competency in using interpersonal communication skills. Thus the need to have practiced those skills throughout the Term.
APPROXIMATE TIME FOR PRACTICE SESSION
The practice session needs to run for approximately ten minutes. There is an allowance of 10% so your session needs to run for between 9 and 11 minutes. Anything less may very possibly be marked as a Resubmit. Anything more may be stopped at or soon after the 11 minute mark. Remember that within this time frame you do need to satisfy all the requirements of the assessment criteria, including the six dot points listed in the Unit Information and Assignment Requirements Section of the Unit.
PURPOSE OF REFLECTIVE ESSAY
The purpose of the reflective essay is for you to write about your application of interpersonal skills.
You need to focus on a minimum of four key interpersonal skills (two of which need to be - active listening and positive non-verbal communication). Write about what you did well, what you could improve upon and what you might do different next time. Ensure that your reflective essay meets the requirements of all ten dot points listed in the Unit Information and Assignment Requirements Section of the Unit.
The reflective essay is meant to focus on your application of skills and not about the other person in the recording. Certainly, you will need to refer to some things about the other person (e.g. their attitude, their values, their communication style, their responses, their perceptions) as you reflect on your application of skills but the focus should be on you and your application of interpersonal skills and their impact, including what you could have done differently to improve the impact or outcome. You also need to include an evaluation of your influences (and the other person’s influences) on attitudes, values and …show more content…
perceptions.
MARKING CRITERIA
In preparing for the practice session and when writing your reflective essay, remain mindful of the Marking Criteria set out in the tables accompanying the assessment question.
The written reflection is to be in the style of an essay. An essay is a formal writing and is not a set of notes written in dot-point form. Because the reflective essay is a critique, you should use First Person writing style (“I”, “me”, “my”, “mine”) as well as Third Person. Refer to the Academic Skills Guide, the Study Skills Guide and Academic Skills Resources on the my.acap website for guidance in writing essays (including reflective essays).
Your reflective essay will be marked according to the Marking Criteria set out in the tables accompanying the assessment question. Check that your assessment tasks have satisfied each marking criteria.
VERBATIM EXAMPLES
The marking criteria requires “verbatim examples of comments during the practice session and verbatim examples of what you could have said”. These need to be throughout your reflective essay to support and explain what you are writing about the practice session. Don’t use lengthy verbatim extracts, preferably just long enough to make your
point.
INTEGRATED THEORISTS THROUGHOUT YOUR REFLECTIVE ESSAY
It is essential that theorists are integrated throughout your Reflective Essay so as to relate theory to what you write in your reflective essay.
SIMILARITY SCORE
Please be mindful of your Similarity Score percentages. Once the percentage for the “Bibliography has been excluded” (which is the Reference List), together with the percentage for the cover page, ACAP has recommended that the Similarity Score be approximately 10%. There can be a slight variation over this amount, however, please keep this in mind. Anything over 15% or a high percentage from one source is not advisable.
COVER PAGE/REFEENCE LIST/ WORD COUNT /CLIENT/INTERVIEWEE CONSENT FORM
Word count requirement is 2000. A variance of plus or minus 10% (200) is allowed. Anything less than 1800 words will very possibly be marked as a Resubmit. Ensure that you note on the Assessment Cover Page, the word count. In calculating word count, do not include the Assessment Cover Page, the title page (if you use one) or the Reference list.
Verbatim extracts from your practice session plus any direct quotes from the literature and other sources are to count in total for no more than ten percent of your total word count. A written transcript of the audio/visual recording of your practice session is not required to be submitted.
Contact me with any queries you may have. You may wish to post your questions onto the “Discussion Forum” so that your student colleagues have the benefit of seeing your question and my response.
Marie Novella-McMahon
Mobile: 0408214441
Email: marie.novellamcmahon@gmail.com OR: send my.acap Message
-----------------------
REFLECTIVE ESSAY:
Some essays will also require reflection on the application of skills in client sessions and role plays, providing verbatim examples from the recorded session demonstrating the application of skills. For example you may outline a concept from a theory, quote examples from a client and the counsellor’s responses, and then provide your own reflections on personal impact that fit with theory or future development needs.
(ACAP Academic Skills Guide)
ASSESSMENT 2 SUBMISSION
The recorded practice session and the reflective essay are both to be uploaded into the my.acap assessment section by Midnight, Sunday 6th May, 2012. Assessment 2 has an overall mark of 50%. The Practice Session is out of 25% and the Reflective Essay is out of 25% = 50%.
PRACTICE SESSION
This assessment requires you to make an audio and visual recording of a practice session in which you apply interpersonal skills and then to write a reflective essay in which you reflect upon and critique your interpersonal skills used in the practice session. The scenario is to be a choice from those two listed in the Assessment Requirements Section of the Unit.
INFORMATION ON RECORDING AND REFLECTIVE ESSAY
The recording and the reflective essay are both to be submitted for marking. If the recording is unplayable or not of clear visual quality or if both you and the other person cannot be clearly heard and understood when playing the recording, it will need to be returned with …show more content…
a Resubmit result. Both the recording and the reflective essay are to be submitted online by uploading them onto the assessment submission section of my.acap (go to Section 10 in the Weekly Outline on the home page for this Unit). Both need to be uploaded by midnight Sunday 6th May 2012.
There will be instructions on how to upload your recorded practice session and reflective essay when you go onto the “Submit Assessment 2 – Practice Session” link and the “Submit Assessment 2 – Reflective Essay” link at Section 10.
The recording needs to show you face-on so that your facial expressions and other body language are observed. For this to be possible, it may be necessary for the other person to be filmed at an angle.
The purpose of the recorded session is for you to demonstrate your interpersonal skills through a practice session. You are to do this by role playing the chosen issue with your ‘colleague’ or ‘friend’. So as to enhance the standard of your recorded demonstration which accounts for 25% of your final mark for this Unit, prepare for the session in a general way with the other person, well before recording it. Just as it is important for you to demonstrate your interpersonal skills in this recorded session, it is essential for the other person to take on the role of the colleague or friend and to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your interpersonal skills.
Do not use a script for the practice session. By the time you are due to do the practice session for Assessment 2, it is expected that you will have a satisfactory level of competency in using interpersonal communication skills. Thus the need to have practiced those skills throughout the Term.
APPROXIMATE TIME FOR PRACTICE SESSION
The practice session needs to run for approximately ten minutes. There is an allowance of 10% so your session needs to run for between 9 and 11 minutes. Anything less may very possibly be marked as a Resubmit. Anything more may be stopped at or soon after the 11 minute mark. Remember that within this time frame you do need to satisfy all the requirements of the assessment criteria, including the six dot points listed in the Unit Information and Assignment Requirements Section of the Unit.
PURPOSE OF REFLECTIVE ESSAY
The purpose of the reflective essay is for you to write about your application of interpersonal skills.
You need to focus on a minimum of four key interpersonal skills (two of which need to be - active listening and positive non-verbal communication). Write about what you did well, what you could improve upon and what you might do different next time. Ensure that your reflective essay meets the requirements of all ten dot points listed in the Unit Information and Assignment Requirements Section of the Unit.
The reflective essay is meant to focus on your application of skills and not about the other person in the recording. Certainly, you will need to refer to some things about the other person (e.g. their attitude, their values, their communication style, their responses, their perceptions) as you reflect on your application of skills but the focus should be on you and your application of interpersonal skills and their impact, including what you could have done differently to improve the impact or outcome. You also need to include an evaluation of your influences (and the other person’s influences) on attitudes, values and …show more content…
perceptions.
MARKING CRITERIA
In preparing for the practice session and when writing your reflective essay, remain mindful of the Marking Criteria set out in the tables accompanying the assessment question.
The written reflection is to be in the style of an essay. An essay is a formal writing and is not a set of notes written in dot-point form. Because the reflective essay is a critique, you should use First Person writing style (“I”, “me”, “my”, “mine”) as well as Third Person. Refer to the Academic Skills Guide, the Study Skills Guide and Academic Skills Resources on the my.acap website for guidance in writing essays (including reflective essays).
Your reflective essay will be marked according to the Marking Criteria set out in the tables accompanying the assessment question. Check that your assessment tasks have satisfied each marking criteria.
VERBATIM EXAMPLES
The marking criteria requires “verbatim examples of comments during the practice session and verbatim examples of what you could have said”. These need to be throughout your reflective essay to support and explain what you are writing about the practice session. Don’t use lengthy verbatim extracts, preferably just long enough to make your
point.
INTEGRATED THEORISTS THROUGHOUT YOUR REFLECTIVE ESSAY
It is essential that theorists are integrated throughout your Reflective Essay so as to relate theory to what you write in your reflective essay.
SIMILARITY SCORE
Please be mindful of your Similarity Score percentages. Once the percentage for the “Bibliography has been excluded” (which is the Reference List), together with the percentage for the cover page, ACAP has recommended that the Similarity Score be approximately 10%. There can be a slight variation over this amount, however, please keep this in mind. Anything over 15% or a high percentage from one source is not advisable.
COVER PAGE/REFEENCE LIST/ WORD COUNT /CLIENT/INTERVIEWEE CONSENT FORM
Word count requirement is 2000. A variance of plus or minus 10% (200) is allowed. Anything less than 1800 words will very possibly be marked as a Resubmit. Ensure that you note on the Assessment Cover Page, the word count. In calculating word count, do not include the Assessment Cover Page, the title page (if you use one) or the Reference list.
Verbatim extracts from your practice session plus any direct quotes from the literature and other sources are to count in total for no more than ten percent of your total word count. A written transcript of the audio/visual recording of your practice session is not required to be submitted.
Contact me with any queries you may have. You may wish to post your questions onto the “Discussion Forum” so that your student colleagues have the benefit of seeing your question and my response.
Marie Novella-McMahon
Mobile: 0408214441
Email: marie.novellamcmahon@gmail.com OR: send my.acap Message
-----------------------
REFLECTIVE ESSAY:
Some essays will also require reflection on the application of skills in client sessions and role plays, providing verbatim examples from the recorded session demonstrating the application of skills. For example you may outline a concept from a theory, quote examples from a client and the counsellor’s responses, and then provide your own reflections on personal impact that fit with theory or future development needs.
(ACAP Academic Skills Guide)
ASSESSMENT 2 SUBMISSION
The recorded practice session and the reflective essay are both to be uploaded into the my.acap assessment section by Midnight, Sunday 6th May, 2012. Assessment 2 has an overall mark of 50%. The Practice Session is out of 25% and the Reflective Essay is out of 25% = 50%.