Active Process of Witnessing One\'s

¶ … active process of witnessing one's own experience in order to take a better look at it, sometimes briefly, but frequently to explore it in greater depth. This can be done in the middle of an activity or as an activity in itself. The key to reflection is learning how to take a viewpoint on one's own actions and experience, in other words, to look at that experience rather than just living it. By developing the capacity to investigate and be curious about one's own experience and actions, it suddenly open up the possibilities of purposeful learning, derived not just from books or experts, but from one's own work and lives. This is the reason for reflection. It allows for the possibility of learning through experience, whether that is the experience of a meeting, a project, a disaster, a success, a relationship, or any other internal or external event, before, during or after it has taken place (Amulya, n.d).

Some experiences create particularly commanding opportunities for learning by way of reflection. Struggles offer a window onto what is working and not working, and may frequently serve as effective tools for examining the true temperament of a challenge being faced. Some struggles exemplify a dilemma, which can provide a rich source of information about a clash between ones values and their move toward to getting something done. Reflecting on experiences of doubt helps shed light on areas where an approach to ones work is not fully specified. Positive experiences can also offer dominant sources of learning. For instance, advances in action or thinking are supportive in revealing what was learned and what ones theory of success looks like. Breakthroughs can also instruct on an emotional level. By locating when and why one has felt excited or fulfilled by an experience, they gain insight into the conditions that allow their creativity to flourish. This allows one to become more purposeful, not just about our learning but about how to work in more creative and sustaining ways (Amulya, n.d).

The significance of reflecting on what one is doing is part of the learning process. The promotion of the ability to reflect in action, while doing something, and on action, after one has done it, has become an significant feature of professional training progammes in a lot of disciplines, and its support is seen as a particularly vital feature of the role of the mentor of the beginning professional. In fact, it can be said that real reflective practice needs another person as mentor or professional supervisor, who can ask suitable questions to make sure that the reflection goes somewhere, and does not get bogged down in self-justification and self-indulgence (Reflective Practice, 2010).

Experiential learning can be defined as official, supervised learning experiences that rely significantly on students' applying through direct experience the awareness and information acquired through reading, simulations or electronic exercises, faculty teaching, or other modes of learning directly inside the context and extent of the course. Consequently, experiential learning comprises the incorporation of knowledge -- the ideas, facts, and information obtained by way of formal learning and past experience;

activity -- the application of knowledge to real world situations and reflection -- the examination and combination of knowledge and activity to create new knowledge (What is "experiential learning," n.d).

Reflective practice/experiential learning is a great tool to use in order to make sure that progress is being made towards ones learning goals. If check points are used along the way it is much easier for one to see if they veered off track and to correct things before they are too far off course. If things to get off course then reflective practice/experiential learning allows one to make corrections and get back on course in order to accomplish the goals that they have set for themselves.

Learning Agreement

Working and Learning: Learning Agreement/Contract

Tutor Name:

Introduction/Context:

At present I am 23 years old and I am currently studying for my Master in International Business. I left my family when I was 19 and I went to Malaysia in pursue of a Bachelor degree. I have just recently completed a Bachelor degree in Business and Management, University of Sunderland (Off shore delivery programme with SEGI College Malaysia).Living on my own has enabled me to develop self-confidence and maturity. With the number of well-qualified graduates entering the labour market increasing yearly, it is important to my success after completing my Masters that I am aware of precisely the skills have to offer, be it academic, work-related and personal when I start applying for jobs, in carrying my Personal Development Planning I will be able to achieve that. By the end of my studies, I should have developed crucial transferable skills and personal attributes, and other extra-curricular activities that I should be able to articulate to prospective employers. This course will help me in developing both my interpersonal and conceptual skills which are required to get a good job in this highly competitive business world. I am pursuing my Masters with an enthusiasm, flexibility, open minded and desire to learn. Doing my Masters in International Business in the UK will help me in gaining good exposure and develop good communication skills and widen the scope for job opportunities all over the world.

In order to achieve, I need to first indentify my strengths and weakness using SWOT analysis. I will then have to make an action plan on how to correct my deficiencies and improve on my weakness to take advantage of my strengths in attaining growth of myself

Learning Objectives

(what you hope to achieve from the activity)

Learning Activities

(what you are going to do)

Resources

(What you need to be able to do your planned activity)

Assessment Criteria

(How are you going to measure that you have achieved your objectives?

Evidence

(What forma is your evidence going to take e.g. report, feedback from peers)

Timescales

(How long is it going to take and when are you going to start?)

Improve Time management

Improve Communication skills

Improve knowledge of IT packages

Planning and working on time table.

Allot time limit for each activity and complete the task within that period.

Surf the Internet on time management

Read relevant materials.

Spend time and plan everything

Taking

measures to reduce time wasting

Attend classes early

Reading, writing, understanding the subject.

Actively participate in group work

Enrol in training course or workshops

Internet

Reading

Practicing

Learn Microsoft Office packages and other progammes related to business e.g. database

Search engines. Course mates

Library

Lecturer

Part time jobs

Use the Library

Try to speak more and more in English language at home and with friends

Watch more English news and programmes on TV

Try to attend every lecture in order to improve my oral communication skills

Training courses

Reading books on computing

Review the time table weekly and compare how much work is done and the time spent.

Meet the lecturer.

To meet 100% of the deadlines set over the next 6 months

Frequently ask my fellow mates to comment on me.

By self notice improvement

I am able to use the database program effectively.

Ability to use PowerPoint to produce presentations.

Ability to use Microsoft Excel to perform calculations and present information in an informative way e.g. charts

Feedback from friends

Feedback from course mates

Feedback from lecturer.

Feedback from friends

Feedback from lecturer

Feedback from teacher

Engage a friend to provide feedback on my work in every three weeks.

Ongoing till April 2012

Ongoing till April 2012

Ongoing till April 2012

____ ____Date: Sunday, 08 July 2012

____ Date: Sunday, 08 July 2012

Discussion

I have worked very hard to achieve the goals that I set for my self in the above learning agreement. In the first area of improving time management I have made a lot of progress. I searched the internet for ideas on how to improve my time management skills and then tried to implement some of the suggestions that I found. The first thing that I have implemented is setting a timeframe for each activity and then trying to complete each within the allotted amount of time. For the most part I have been able to do this. There have been a couple of things that I was not able to complete on time but this was due to unforeseen circumstances that were beyond my control.

Another thing that I have done in order to try and improve my time management has been to take measures to reduce wasting time. I have tried to stop putting things off until the last minute. I used to be very bad at procrastinating until the last minute and then tackling projects. This always made me behind and ended up wasting a lot of time. I have since tried to start making a plan from the beginning and breaking things down into small parts that can be tackled one by one. This helps me to focus on each piece by itself and not become overwhelmed.

A person working in a professional position often handles several large projects at once and supervises the activities or output of others. A working professional needs reliable time management tactics to manage time effectively for not only the quality and efficiency of work but for personal health and stress management as well. There are three steps that one can take in order to improve their time management skills.

Step 1 - One should plan each day, week and month by prioritizing tasks in order of importance and deadline. It is not possible to tackle projects competently without first evaluating the most significant tasks and the order in which they should be completed. One should separate projects that slow down their efficiency. Then, rearrange their schedule or delegate tasks to others in order to assure that they are not hung up on a project that is costing valuable hours of focus.

Step 2 - One should make a to-do list every day. Keeping things out of one's head and managing a clear and complete inventory of commitments brings a great increase in clarity, focus and control. If one balances multiple projects at once and supervise employees, they need to stay in control, manage stress and focus. Assessing the to-do list at the end of each workday to find out what needs to be carried over to the next day gives one the benefit of tackling one task at a time rather than facing everything at once.

Step 3 - One should identify their biggest time management hang-ups. This means dividing the issues that causes them to lose focus, time and energy during the workday. Thinking that one can tackle everything sometimes gets in the way of accomplishing anything. The best approach is to choose the biggest problem getting in the way and solving it before doing anything else. Once a person has isolated the problem, created a strategy to both recognize it and solve it they are much more successful in the end (Archer, 2012).

Improving my time management skills will allow me to get done what I have to get done in an efficient manner so that I have time to do the things that I want to do. If I am constantly running behind in the things that I have to do, I find that I have no time for me. This does not work well in order to keep my life well rounded. There are many things that I wish I could do on a daily basis but simply find that I don't have the time to do them. This is one that I hope to achieve with improving my time management skills.

The next area that I have worked on has been improving my communication skills. I have worked on the reading, writing and understanding skills in order to make it so that I can better communicate my ideas to others. I have used the library to do research on how to better communicate in both oral and written areas. I have tried to speak more and more English at home and with friends in order to improve my English skills. I find that the more I use English the better I get at it. I have also tried to watch more TV progammes in order to gain as much insight into the language as I can.

I have also begun to participate more in group work. I really think that this has helped me a lot with my communication skills. The more time that I spend around other people, who speak English, the more that I learn about what is correct and what is not. Also being able to ask other people's opinions and get advice is very helpful in my quest to improve my communication skills. It is going to be very important as I enter the business world to have the best communication skills possible. This will help me to better be able to get my ideas and thoughts across to others. In the end this will help be to be successful in whatever I end up doing.

Communication skills are an essential component of a productive workplace, allowing employees to work together cohesively and professionally. Small business owners can do well to hire employees with solid communication skills, and there are also ways to improve communications skills in the workplace to boost employee productivity. Improving employee communication skills through training exercises and behavior modelling can give a company a competitive edge. When considering why communication is important, the bottom line is that if one is a good communicator, they will have better chances of success. One is better able to persuade people, influence others, negotiate effectively and provide valuable feedback. One can inspire, motivate and encourage your staff and employees. One can convey their ideas better to their boss; they can make interesting conversation and network easier and can speak to groups of people with self-confidence and credibility. The better ones communication skills, the greater success they can achieve. The importance of communication skills cannot be understated. Communication is truly achieved when the sender and the receiver share an understanding of the communicated message. Many times, this is easier said than done (Wilhelm, 2012).

Improving my communication skills is going to give me an advantage in the business world. In order to be successful, a person needs to know what it going on and the only way to do this is to be able to communicate with others successfully. Good communication involves both listening to what others have to say as well as being able to make people understand what you are trying to say. The only way that I am going to be able to do this is to master my English communication skills. I need to learn as much as I can so that I can get my ideas across in an intelligent manner. I also need to be able to understand what others are trying to say so that I know what it is that I need to do in order to get the job done.

The next area that I have worked on is that of improving my knowledge of IT packages. Having a better understanding of the IT applications that are used in the business world will better help me to be successful. I have worked on this area by enrolling in training courses and doing as much reading as possible about the different IT packages that are available for use in the business world. There are a lot of businesses which are in need of the software packages for fulfilling their operational as well as practical needs. For fulfilling this necessity, these companies sign deals with the software manufacturing companies. Information technology is useful in making sure the smooth functioning of all the departments in a company such as the human resource department, finance department, manufacturing department and in security related purposes. Many companies are able to get rid of errors or mistakes in the proper functioning of the tools that are used for designing and manufacturing purposes. Due to the progress of the information technology sector, companies are able to keep themselves aware of the changes in the international markets (Importance of Information Technology, 2012).

In order to be successful in the business world today a person has to be proficient in the Microsoft Office suite of products. This includes Word, Excel and Power Point. These applications are vital in the support of how businesses operate. These things are used every day in order to prepare data, presentations and just for general communication. Know how to use these applications is vital to my success in the business world. Everyone else is using these programs and so must I so that I can keep up with the changing business world.

In order to be successful in the business world I need to make sure that I take the time to asses my strengths and weaknesses and put a plan into action to address the weaknesses that I find. Learning and growing are continues practices that must continually be looked at and improved. Things change and people change so continuing to do things the way that one has always done them usually does not work very well. As things change people must be flexible enough to adapt to the change and alter their behavior and actions to accommodate the change that has taken place.