A

Activity 1

1. Below are a list of skills and abilities. Complete an audit of where you are now. Record this in your learning journal/portfolio.

Rate yourself (1=Not very well developed; 3=very well developed)

Skills and Abilities	1	2	3
Work under pressure			X
Share opinions confidently	X
Organise and plan			X
Problem solve		X
Take risks	X
Act as a leader			X
Contribute to discussions			X
Build social networks	X
Self confidence		X

 

Although it is important to identify where we are now, it is not enough to stop there. We need to reflect upon how we can develop the skills where we are less confident and how we can transfer the skills in which we are confident and competent.

Activity 2

Complete the audit below, using the information from the table above.

Recognition	Reflection	Action
Skills already developed	How will I use these	How do I know (evidence)**
Work under pressure	I will use this ability I developed for working under pressure when assignments/essays/presentations are due as this will allow me to work effectively whilst dealing with the stress of producing work within a certain time.	I gained this ability over the years at school. Particularly as I missed a big chunk of 5th year therefore working under pressure to catch up and complete essays for folios in time was very important. I achieved this through time management and prioritising insuring I didn’t fall behind.
Organise and plan	These skills will ensure that any work is handed in on time and planning ahead will provide me with enough time to complete tasks therefore allowing it to reflect the best of my abilities. Being organised for lectures/workshops/tutorials will allow me to make the most of the education provided.	I have been using these skills throughout my years in previous education which made sure I never missed a deadline and all my work was the best it could be. I further developed these skills through my involvement in Girl Guiding whilst organising and planning for events/trips.
Contribute to discussions	Throughout the year working in groups will allow me to use this particular skill. For example when working on a team task, it is important to be able to contribute effectively and get your ideas across therefore playing your part as a member of that group.	Recently these skills were developed during my university interviews at the start of the year. Nearly all of them involved some sort of group discussion or group task therefore prior to the interviews I ensured I had a good enough ability to be able to contribute effectively in these tasks or discussions.
Act as a leader	In my opinion, this skill will come in very useful in my teaching career as I will be able to use the leaderships styles I learnt for day to day teaching such as authorative, knowledge and resource. I think its important for a teacher to be a good role model which can occur by demonstrating good leadership skills. A teacher shouldn’t just be someone who tells a pupil what to do in order to learn but someone they can relate to, a leader.	I developed my skills to act as a leader whilst doing my adult leadership for Girl Guiding which I have since gained. Additionally I did a higher in leadership where I learnt what it meant to be a leader, what a good leader was, who I admire as a good leader. Furthermore, I gained valuable leadership experience whilst responsible for a group at Guide camp.

 

Recognition	Reflection	Action
Skills not yet developed	How will I develop these	How do I know (evidence)**
Share opinions confidently	I will develop confidence in my opinions by expressing my views more openly on my blog and make extra effort in group tasks to speak out with confidence.	Hopefully, over my time at university I will be able to develop my confidence in my opinions through the blog, placement and working with my peers.
Take risks	In order to take more risks, I need to have more confidence in my ability and worry less about consequences. Taking small risks to start off with would be a good way to build up my confidence.	On the rare occasions where I have taken risks, I’ve felt better for it. Therefore, by doing it more often I’ll hopefully build up my confidence to take risks and in turn worry less in the future.
Build social networks	To build social networks, I will need to develop connections with: peers of any ages, qualified teachers at my placement and lecturers. Additionally, joining the EIS as a student teacher should enable me to build more social networks.	Interacting with others about my work and ongoing professional development should help build a social network by which I can learn from.

**This section should be completed as you identify when/where/how you have used/developed these skills.

B

Activity 1

Complete the table below to identify and reflect on those helping and hindering factors and plan actions for each. Record this in your eportfolio or professional learning journal.

Recognition/Reflection	Action
What helps my learning?Example: “Discussing the topic with others”	How can I utilise this Set up a study group of like-minded peers Engage with the online community
Being Organised	Ensure that I have recorded all work that needs to be done and when for, therefore I won’t get stressed. Make sure all my lecture notes and corresponding TDTs are in order for easy access when needed. Using time management techniques.
Getting a second opinion	I can talk to peers about the task and discuss our thoughts. I could ask my friend at Stirling university (studying education) to read my work and give her opinion on it. Alternatively, I could ask a flatmate on a different course to see what they think from a different non-education student perspective.
Group Discussions	By making use of workshops to interact with others whilst working, I can develop my learning through group discussions. Additionally, I can arrange to go to the library with peers where we can work together and have discussions on the current topic.
Being Creative	Using flashcards for studying, writing notes in different colours, drawing illustrations to aid my revision notes. Highlighting key phrases, to make the work more interesting and appealing to the eye.

 

Recognition/Reflection	Action
What hinders my learning?Example: “I am easily distracted”	How can I address this factor? Study in a place were distractions are minimal Read lecture notes before the lecture and then take notes lectures to keep me focused
Unable to concentrate for long periods of time	Study in short bursts throughout the day with small breaks in between. Varying the study technique to try and keep myself interested for longer. Studying with peers to make it more fun and interactive therefore I will have more motivation.
Loud Noise	Study in quiet places such as the library or use ear plugs.
Distractions	Study alone when I have a lot of work to do. Remove myself from the distraction, for example, going to the library to get away from distractions in the flat. Turning off notifications on my laptop and phone in order to really focus on my work.
Being tired	Make sure I go to bed earlier the night before so I’m able to work effectively the next day. Have a nap before I start studying.