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 |
| Self Confidence | ✔ | ||
| Take Responsibility | ✔ | ||
| Converse confidently | ✔ | ||
| Be creative | ✔ | ||
| Problem solve | ✔ | ||
| Generate new ideas | ✔ | ||
| Evaluate information | ✔ | ||
| Listen to others | ✔ | ||
| Act as a leader |
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 on own initiative | I will need this skill throughout university to manage my studies and make sure I am up to date. | |
| Evaluate information | I need to be able to evaluate information in order to find the positives and negatives of situations and to work out ways of handling a situation. | |
| Take responsiblity | I need to take responsibility of my studies in order to succeed in the course and to get everything done. | |
| Work under pressure | I will need to be able to work under pressure in order to manage my assignments and work on time and of a good standard. | |
| Think critically | I will use this to reflect on my own practice throughout my career so that i can know where i need to improve. | |
| Listen to others | It’s important to listen to what others have to say in order to work well as a team. I will use this as a teacher when working with my colleagues. |
| Recognition | Reflection | Action |
| Skills not yet developed | How will I develop these | How do I know (evidence)** |
| Creativity | I will develop these through time, as I begin to gain experience in the classroom and base my ideas on different things i have seen and on previous lessons that I have carried out. | |
| Negotiation | I have never really had any experience of negotiating with anyone, therefore I feel that this is a skill that I am lacking. As I begin to work with other colleagues and pupils, I feel that my negotiation skills will improve and help me to work as a team. | |
| Problem Solving | I feel that I do need to improve my problem solving skills as sometimes I do find it difficult to come up with a solution when in an unusual situation. I will do this by remaining calm in stressful situations in order to problem solve in the best way. | |
| Use technology | I feel that I need to be more confident when using technology such as interactive white boards which are beneficial to classroom learning. Also I would like to become more confident when using sites for educational games and activities. | |
| Act as a leader | I feel that i need to have more confidence in acting as a leader as this is important in being able to lead a class in a lesson and also act as a role model. | |
| Take risks | I need to be able to take risks and experiment with ideas that I have never done before in order to make lessons interesting and fun for learning |
** This section should be completed as you identify when/where/how you have used/developed these skills.
| Recognition/ Reflection | Action |
| What helps my learning? | How can I utilise this? |
| Creating a Study plan | Decide what I want to be studying and organise time limits to get all work done in time given. |
| Making checklists | Create a list and then tick off the tasks that I have completed in order to ensure I have completed everything |
| Being in a quiet environment | Spending regular periods of time in the library so that I can concentrate properly on what I am supposed to be doing |
| Having regular breaks | Designating breaks to consolidate my learning and to have some time to relax before starting studying again |
| Drinking water to keep me hydrated | Always bring a bottle of water with me to keep me feeling alert and this will help me to concentrate |
| Organise my studies before I start | Decide what I’m going to be studying before I start in order to avoid wasting time and organising all my resources before I start |
| Having an organised study environment | If I’m studying at home, make sure my desk is tidy and free of clutter to avoid distractions |
| Recognition/Reflection | Action | |
| What hinders my learning? | How can I address this factor? | |
| Getting easily distracted | Going to the silent study section of the library so I don’t get distracted by people talking in the group study section or chatting to my friends | |
| Procrastinating | Focusing on what I have to do and set goals for myself to motivate myself to finish my studies | |
| Having my phone beside me and going on social media | Leaving my phone at home or turning it off so that I don’t get distracted by texts or notifications coming through | |
| Snacking | Having something to eat before I start studying so that I am not distracted by going to get snacks, but have small, healthy snacks on my designated breaks | |
| Listening to music | Don’t listen to loud music as this is distracting, so listen to relaxing music with no singing | |
