Reflection is a way of thinking about learning and What is reflection? Employability skills The EURO Process How to access Advantage and the EE resources Q&A might take you
Reflection is a way of thinking about learning and helping you to understand what, how and why you learn. This skill allows you to Develop the capacity to make judgments and evaluating where learning might take you
Reflection is a way of thinking about learning and helping you to understand what, how and why you learn. This skill allows you to Develop the capacity to make judgments and evaluating where learning might take you
• We learn by experience and by trial and error. • We have the potential to learn from our mistakes. • In Western culture phrases such as 'that'll teach you' or 'you'll learn' are common reprimands when experience shows us the error of our ways.
True, repetition and practice help us to • learn but they do not substitute for the process of actively thinking about how we did, what we did well and what less well. With the aid of a simple prompt question • such as 'what might I do better next time?' or 'what could I do differently?' we have the potential to draw on the past and present and direct ourselves into a better future. It is this power to effect change that makes • reflective practice so fundamental to higher education and to the creation of a lifelong learning ability.
Now consider the following revised text which could be the result of applying reflective skills: I was over thirty minutes late for my exam which meant I was not allowed to sit it. This will have repercussions on my degree mark and on my holiday plans. This is the first time I have actually missed an exam but not the first time I’ve been late to exams and important interviews. What have the y realised through reflection: How are they going to develop: I need to improve my time ‐ keeping Have a process to check all the clocks in the house The university has strict rules governing late exam arrivals Make sure I have a back up such as the alarm on my I need to be better prepared mobile phone Catch an earlier bus on exam days The reasons I arrived late were: Ensure I know the correct room well in advance My alarm clock didn’t ring because I forgot to set it Reflect further on my priorities I totally rely on the alarm clock; I have no back ‐ up I rely on the bus If I had known which room the exam was, I might have been a few minutes late but could still have sat the exam
Reflection can help learning by helping the individual to make • connections between the theory and their experiences. Take driving a car as an example, the driver becomes more • accomplished if they can make a connection between the learning theory and Highway Code mediated by the driving instructor and the process of changing gear, steering and road awareness. Reflection can also provide a structure and framework by which the • individual can 'unpack' an experience and consider the implications of what has happened.
(1) Describe an event/experience (2) How it made you feel/how did you respond to the event or the experience? (3) How might you respond to a similar event in the future/what would you do differently?
Developing employability skills • should be a core part of a student’s university experience. When asked in a recent survey • what Higher Education Institutions should prioritise, 82% of employers chose ‘improving students' employability skills, suggesting this should be a key focus for Higher Education Institutions .
1. Communication Skills 2. Honesty Integrity 3. Teamwork/ Leadership 4. Negotiation and persuasion 5. Motivated (Strong Work Ethic) 6. Problem solving 7. Analytical Skills 8. Flexibility/Adaptability 9. I.T. 10. Self-Confidence
Motivated (Strong Work Ethic) Flexibility/Adaptability Self-Confidence Honesty Integrity Communication Skills I.T. Teamwork/ Leadership Analytical Skills Negotiation and persuasion Problem solving
It allows you to be specific about what skills you really have and to identify your strengths and weaknesses with these skills. Decide which of your skills you want to or need to use or develop during the project. Gives you evidence to convince employers you have the right skills. Gives you a starting Point for your EURO Reflective Log! E mail depict@salford.ac.uk for a copy
E – Explain objectively what happened Give the details of what happened. Answer the question: ‘What did I do, read, see, and hear?’ U – Understand the events Understand your learning: new insights, connections with other learning, your feelings, hypotheses, conclusions. Answer the questions: ‘What was the reason I did this activity?’ ‘What might it mean?’ R – Review what you learned Make judgments connected to observations you have made. Answer the question: ‘How was this useful?’ O – Organise and Plan how this learning will be applied
Reflect on your experience, using this list of prompt questions to help you complete the EURO reflection: 1.Which single activity that you have undertaken this week do you consider to be your best achievement? 2.How could you further improve upon that achievement? 3.Which single activity that you have undertaken this week do you consider to be your least successful achievement? 4.Why do you think you were unable to do better than you did? 5.How would you go about doing that activity differently if you were called to do it again?
What should you write? Remember we are trying to access experience and thoughts about what you have done how it has affected your development personally. Don’t worry if you discover your answers overlap or if you feel one question has already been answered in response to another. Try to write something, no matter how brief your response may be to each question. If you find that you have nothing to comment on in certain sections note so, may be this is telling you something important about your role and its ability to meet you intended learning outcomes
Think of a recent experience it can be • anything that has been significant to you (academic, social) Work through either of the previous models • (1) Describe an event/experience (2) How it made you feel/how did you respond to the event or the experience? (3) How might you respond to a similar event in the future/what would you do differently?
Reflective Logbook Process You will receive an e mail with your unique Advantage username and password. Login to Advantage at the webpage http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/euroemployability This will start your Skills and Reflective Course. Please follow the link to the First Time User form. One you have completed this form you will be forwarded onto your first EURO reflection sheet this needs to be completed by Thursday 10th October. You will receive further links after completing each EURO sheet or you can access them online. Please complete your other EURO Sheet by the deadlines: 14 th October 21 st October 28 th October 4 th November All your forms can be edited up until the final teaching day of the course (16/11/13)by following the my forms link in the My Profile option.
Reflective Logbook Process You can access the links online and you will receive an email with a link to that week’s form. As a rough guide, each EURO entry should take approximately 10 ‐ 20 minutes. You may take more or less time depending upon your time constraints and the amount of detailed information you wish to include. You will be e mailed a link to your completed form which you should use to help you complete the Personal Brand section of the project. A link to the recording of the session will be posted at the website and at the DEPICT Employability blog on Advantage (left hand side of the page). Personal Brand The link to the Personal Brand seminar 0n the 4 th November is accessible on the website.
Anything else to remember? 1. Remember to complete each EURO Reflection sheet by the deadline . 2. The process of learning is as important as the content of your EURO Logbook . 3. Avoid cataloguing what you've done– in a good EURO logbook you reflect on what works or doesn't work successes and failures and how you can address the failures and use the successes in the future. 4. Use plenty of examples and details. 5. Feelings are an important part of the logbook. Interest, joy, frustration and anger can be included. Reflect on why and when and what you can do about certain situations.
Good Luck Any questions? Please contact the team at depict@Salford.ac.uk if you have any questions throughout the course.
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