Activities for unit 1 Personal and Interpersonal Skills and Abilities
Year 1 – Placement
- Identifying Skills and Abilities
Activity 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 |
| Working Under Pressure | √ | ||
| Taking Responsibility | √ | ||
| Making Presentations | √ | ||
| Using Technology | √ | ||
| Generating New Ideas | √ | ||
| Organise and Plan | √ | ||
| Take Notes | √ |
Activity 2
- Complete the audit below, using the information from the table above.
Recognition |
Reflection |
Action |
| Skills already developed | How I will use these | How do I know (evidence)** |
| Working Under Pressure | A lot of things may happen in the classroom and there is a lot that needs to be taught throughout the year, pressure may be high however keeping a level head and not getting stressed out is key. | Throughout my working life, I have had many experiences where I have had to feel like an octopus; I have had 20 things to do at once. This has shown that I can work under pressure, I know that I still have room for improvement. |
| Taking Responsibility | One must take responsibility for their own actions, but also understand that some things are preventable and if you have not taken the measures to prevent something from happening, you must take responsibility. | I am always willing to stand up and take the consequences of my own action and mistakes. I understand that we are all human and we all make mistakes. I also know that there is a difference between a mistake and a choice therefore I take responsibility for the things I need to do and always do my best to do thing to the best of my ability. |
| Making Presentations | Classrooms are full of presentations. Yes, you can pick up premade ones on the likes of Twinkl, but where is the personalisation of that? Making fun, interactive presentations for the children in the class can make their learning experience far more enjoyable and encourage them to remember most what is being taught. | I have made many presentations throughout my learning, from general class talks in English, to my computing classes in school. I have also made and used PowerPoints in a nursery setting to help the children interact with novels and enjoy the entire learning experience. |
| Using Technology | In a changing world, technology is becoming ever more important. To not understand how to use technology within a classroom will not only affect you, but also the students in the class. The teacher must teach the children to use and engage with technology to help with their life out with and after education. | I have grown up with technology and enjoy looking into and learning about new and upcoming technology. I enjoy playing around with the new technology accessible to the public and to work out the benefits it could have in different situations, e.g. how something could be useful in the classroom. |
Recognition |
Reflection |
Action |
| Skills to be developed | How I will develop these | How do I know (evidence) ** |
| Generate New Ideas | As I see new ideas forming, it will help me to see the types of ideas others have and give me a good understanding of how to form my own ideas and my own ways of showing my creative side. | |
| Organise and Plan | I will use a calendar to record when and where every lecture is taking place. I will also effectively plan my time ensuring to allocate time to do coursework rather than doing it when I feel ready or can be bothered. | |
| Taking Notes | I will improve this skill throughout lectures and learn to only note what needs to be noted rather than writing the exact words from the PowerPoint as these can be accessed later. |
- Managing My Learning
Activity 1
Complete the table below to identify and reflect on those factors and plan actions for each.
| Recognition/ Reflection | Action |
| What helps my learning? | How can I utilise this? |
| Discussing the topic with others | I will look through other blogs and comment on these and will discuss lectures with those in the course who live near me. |
| Diagrams with bright colours | I bought brightly coloured pens and loads of A3 drawing pads, I will take notes during lectures and rewrite the key points in diagram form so they are easy to look over when required for assessment. |
| Watching videos which relate to the topics | I will keep a note of the key areas we looked at during lectures and keep an eye on the recommended video lists. I will then use resources such as YouTube and BoB to find videos relating to the subjects. |
| Recognition/Reflection | Action | |
| What hinders my learning? | How can I address this factor? | |
| I’m easily distracted at home | Stay in my room whilst doing work as I end up talking for hours when I leave. | |
| The noise in the flat | Try to remind flatmates and those in surrounding flats to be respectful of those who need to work. | |
** This section should be completed as you identify when/where/how you have used/developed these skills.
Year 2 – Learning from Life
- Identifying Skills and Abilities
Activity 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 |
| Working Under Pressure | √ | ||
| Taking Responsibility | √ | ||
| Making Presentations | √ | ||
| Using Technology | √ | ||
| Generating New Ideas | √ | ||
| Organise and Plan | √ | ||
| Take Notes | √ |
Activity 2
- Complete the audit below, using the information from the table above.
Recognition |
Reflection |
Action |
| Skills already developed | How I will use these | How do I know (evidence)** |
| Working Under Pressure | Although the learning in this placement is directed by me, I am still going to keep the pressure on as I have set my bar high and have given myself a lot to do in very little time.
The pressure will be good for me, but I will need to ensure I keep the quality of work up too. |
Throughout school and work, pressure has always been high for me and this is key as it helps me to get things done. |
| Taking Responsibility | One must take responsibility for their own actions, but also understand that some things are preventable and if you have not taken the measures to prevent something from happening, you must take responsibility. | I am always willing to stand up and take the consequences of my own action and mistakes. I understand that we are all human and we all make mistakes. I also know that there is a difference between a mistake and a choice therefore I take responsibility for the things I need to do and always do my best to do thing to the best of my ability. |
| Making Presentations | Classrooms are full of presentations. Yes, you can pick up premade ones on the likes of Twinkl, but where is the personalisation of that? Making fun, interactive presentations for the children in the class can make their learning experience far more enjoyable and encourage them to remember most what is being taught. | I have made many presentations throughout my learning, from general class talks in English, to my computing classes in school. I have also made and used PowerPoints in a nursery setting to help the children interact with novels and enjoy the entire learning experience. |
| Using Technology | In a changing world, technology is becoming ever more important. To not understand how to use technology within a classroom will not only affect you, but also the students in the class. The teacher must teach the children to use and engage with technology to help with their life out with and after education. | I have grown up with technology and enjoy looking into and learning about new and upcoming technology. I enjoy playing around with the new technology accessible to the public and to work out the benefits it could have in different situations, e.g. how something could be useful in the classroom. |
Recognition |
Reflection |
Action |
| Skills to be developed | How I will develop these | How do I know (evidence) ** |
| Generate New Ideas | As I see new ideas forming, it will help me to see the types of ideas others have and give me a good understanding of how to form my own ideas and my own ways of showing my creative side. | |
| Organise and Plan | I will use a calendar to record when and where every lecture is taking place. I will also effectively plan my time ensuring to allocate time to do coursework rather than doing it when I feel ready or can be bothered. | |
| Taking Notes | I will improve this skill throughout lectures and learn to only note what needs to be noted rather than writing the exact words from the PowerPoint as these can be accessed later. |
- Managing My Learning
Activity 1
Complete the table below to identify and reflect on those factors and plan actions for each.
| Recognition/ Reflection | Action |
| What helps my learning? | How can I utilise this? |
| Discussing the topic with others | I will look through other blogs and comment on these and will discuss lectures with those in the course who live near me. |
| Diagrams with bright colours | I bought brightly coloured pens and loads of A3 drawing pads, I will take notes during lectures and rewrite the key points in diagram form so they are easy to look over when required for assessment. |
| Watching videos which relate to the topics | I will keep a note of the key areas we looked at during lectures and keep an eye on the recommended video lists. I will then use resources such as YouTube and BoB to find videos relating to the subjects. |
| Recognition/Reflection | Action | |
| What hinders my learning? | How can I address this factor? | |
| I’m easily distracted at home | Stay in my room whilst doing work as I end up talking for hours when I leave. | |
| The noise in the flat | Try to remind flatmates and those in surrounding flats to be respectful of those who need to work. | |
** This section should be completed as you identify when/where/how you have used/developed these skills.
