Reflective Practice and Personal Development Planning

Introduction

This paper highlights some of the main developmental strengths that I have in my life and how they have been helping me navigate personal development planning. I am aware that I have certain weaknesses that need to be addressed so that I can communicate more effectively and be more successful in achieving and completing my personal development plan. One achievement I have recently reached is the completion of my undergraduate degree and the immediate commencement of a Master's program. Here I would like to highlight the weaknesses I have identified: leadership skills, time management skills, and communication skills. In my view, these are the sets of weaknesses most important to address. Without properly developed communication skills, achieving one's aims is a difficult task to accomplish, and without proper leadership skills, there is a lesser chance that an individual can attain what is wanted and reach his or her goals.

Experiential Learning and Reflective Practice

Understanding what is truly happening and trying to find meaning in real experiences is often referred to as experiential learning. Learning in this case is based on experiences gained — experiences that may have arisen naturally or those that were deliberately staged (Lussier and Achua 2009, p. 52). There is no doubt that one of the best ways to learn how to do things is by directly experiencing how they are actually done. Reflection on action is one of the main sources of experiential learning. Experiential learning stands in great contrast to rote or didactic learning. Experiential learning is more focused on the individual learner compared to experiential education, which is based on the processes that take place between student and teacher. An important example of experiential learning is visiting a zoo, making observations about how animals live in their surroundings, and noting how interactions between the animals and visitors take place (Grasseni 2009). Experiential learning does not depend on interactions between teachers and students; rather, how the individual learns from direct exposure is the central aim of experience-based direct learning (Brezina 2008).

According to David Kolb, there are certain key elements of experiential learning. First, the learner must be willing to learn from the experience gained. Second, learners must be able to reflect on those experiences. Third, the learner must possess the analytical skills necessary to analyse the experiences gained. Finally, the learner must have decision-making and problem-solving skills so that insights gained from new experiences can be applied effectively (Biga and University of South Florida 2007, p. 98).

Reactions on Personal Development Planning

Reflective practice means reflecting on action so that learning can be examined and presented. It has been defined as one of the best characteristics of professional practice. Reflective practice also means giving proper attention to all learned values, experiences, everyday actions, and theories. It has been reported that reflective practice is an important tool in professional learning, particularly in practice-based fields (Parcon 2006).

Personal development planning is an important part of the life of any individual who wants to learn and grow. In order to achieve the main objectives in life, an individual must have a clear understanding of their weaknesses, and strategies must be adopted to reduce or work around those weaknesses. One of the main facts I recognise at this point is the need to make meaningful changes in my personality so that my aims can be achieved more easily. Through detailed self-analysis, I have seen that the weaknesses I possess could be a significant obstacle to achieving my goals. It is therefore necessary that these weaknesses are addressed and converted into strengths (Kelly 2007).