Reflective Journal: Strengths, Weaknesses And Areas For Development

Reflective practice can be used to reflect on your strengths, weaknesses and areas for development.
Different methods of gathering information and feedback from learning and development are:
 Reflective Journal: A reflective journal is a way of thinking in a very important and investigative way about your work in progress. It shows how different aspects of your work connect.
1. Observation and Analysis
What was I trying to achieve?
Why did I respond/react as I did?
What were the consequences or outcomes for the patient, others and me?
How were the patients feeling?
How do I know how they were feeling?
2. Emotional Response
How did I feel in this situation?
How did I react physically to this situation? (Anxiety, confidence etc)
3. Conflicts
Did my actions match with my own beliefs and values? If yes, How? If No, why not?
What are my own beliefs in relation to this situation?
4. Knowledge
What knowledge did or should have helped me?
5. Interpretation of Experience & Future Action
How does this connect with previous experience?
Could I have managed the situation better?
What would be the consequences of alternative action for the patient, others or myself?
How do I feel about the experience?
Has this incident changed my ways of dealing with a similar situation?
What do I need to do to learn from this situation?

 Seeking feedback from appropriate sources: Seeking feedback from the appropriate people is a good method to gather an insight on how learning and development has been put into practice and what can be implemented.
 Reviewing own actions: Reviewing your own actions can involve witnessing any non-verbal communication cues the respondent expresses, such as rolling of the eyes or a genuine smile. On the other hand, the teacher’s tone of voice and facial expressions could affect the learner’s answers.
 Engaging with a mentor: Engaging with a mentor can involve observations and feedback. This can help you to practice and learn different learning and development skills to improve and advance your skills.

Advantages of Reflective practice:
 the practitioner will have a deeper understanding for teachers of their own teaching style
 the practitioner will have increased effectiveness as a teacher
 the practitioner will learn beneficial challenges and different approaches of teaching styles
 the practitioner can recognition of teaching as "originality"
Disadvantages of Reflective practice:
 the reflective practice may be time consuming to evaluate and put into training
 the practitioner may not fully understand the reflective process
 the practitioner may feel uncomfortable testing and evaluating different practice
 the practitioner may not know which subjects to reflect on
1.2 Critically evaluate why learning and development practitioners must engage in reflective practice and continuing professional development.
Practitioners must engage in reflective practice to show the knowledge and understanding of the methods and reasons for reflecting and developing own practice. Practitioners are required to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the values, legislative and organisational policies, procedures and practices relating to reflecting on own practice within health and social care.
 Reflecting on
• Developing reflective techniques and applying them to teaching
• Reflective writing
• Reflective speaking
• Visualising
• Recording reflection
• Developing reflective practice and using reflection to develop our teaching
 Moving on with reflective practice
• RP in teaching sessions
• RP in teaching observations
• RP in tutorials
• RP in interviews
 Tools for reflection
• Media - cameras; videos; digital audio
Continuing Professional Development programme is designed to be flexible so that it can be personalised to meet specific needs. The design of the programme is based on topics which are relevant to be undertaken to develop practitioner’s needs. Practitioners need to take full advantage of the CPD opportunities provided.
1.3 Analyse own values, beliefs and attitudes and their impact on practice.
We all have our own values, beliefs and attitudes that we have developed throughout the course of our lives.
Practitioners often work with people who are vulnerable or who may live a lifestyle that involves different cultures and views as being different. Practitioners are to provide a service that meets the needs of target groups and helps them to feel equal. Practitioners need to be aware of their own personal values, beliefs and attitudes and be prepared to implement the professional values and not inflict own ideas on the clients. Everyone is entitled to their own values, attitudes and beliefs. It is important to accept and respect that other people may well have different attitudes, values and beliefs. We do not have the right to expect that others change their values, attitudes and beliefs just because they are different to others.
It is quite possible that you may face situations at work that either challenge or compromise your own values, attitudes or beliefs when working to support people with a disability. It is not always easy to avoid communicating your beliefs and values to clients, but it is something you need to be very aware of. It can be very easy to influence. Simple things like body language, gestures, the way you say something or even actions, can give a client the impression you agree or disagree with their values or
beliefs.
It is important to develop yourself and seek opportunities the will help increase your knowledge. Asking for feedback from your colleagues and using the advice to see where you need to improve.

Smart is a training techniques to guide people when they set objectives, for example for employee performance management and personal development.

S Specific Significant, stretching, simple.
M Measurable Motivational, manageable, meaningful.
A Attainable/Achievable Appropriate, achievable, agreed, assignable, actionable, adjustable, ambitious, aligned, aspirational, acceptable, and action-focused.
R Relevant/Realistic Result-based, results-oriented, resourced, resonant, realistic.
T Time-bound Time-oriented, time framed, timed, time-based, time boxed, time-specific, timetabled, time limited, trackable, tangible, and timely.

Specific
Specific means the goal is clear and decided.
To make goals specific, they must tell exactly what is expected, why it is important, who’s involved, where is it going to happen and which attributes are important.
 What: What do I want to accomplish?
 Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
 Who: Who is involved?
 Where: Identify a location.
 Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
Measurable
The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether you are making progress toward the finishing point. Measuring progress is to help stay on track and reach its target dates to reach the required goal.
 How much?
 How many?
 How will I know when it is accomplished?
 What level of frequency is expected?
 What are the quality measures?
 Which stakeholders or service users would be useful in providing feedback?

Attainable/Achievable
The important of goals is that they are realistic and attainable. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach
them.
 How: How can the goal be accomplished?
 What support measures are available / required?
 What resources do they require?


Relevant/Realistic
Relevant goals drive the practitioner forward. A goal that supports or is in alignment with other goals would be considered a relevant goal.
A relevant goal can answer yes to these questions:
• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Does this match our other efforts/needs?
• Are you the right person?

Time-bound
A commitment to a deadline helps a practitioner focus their commitments on the goal. A time-bound goal is intended to set up a sense of importance.
A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:
• When?
• What can I do six months from now?
• What can I do six weeks from now?
• What can I do today?