Review of Own Personal and Professional Academic Learning and Development Experience - Assignment Example

Review of own personal and professional academic learning and development experience Introduction CPD refers to continuous professional development.This process involves a series of steps that need to be carefully followed. The first step is conducting a SWOT analysis, then coming up with a PDP, implementing it, and lastly reviewing the development progress in order to apply necessary corrective measures. In order for an individual to improve his capabilities, a Self-SWOT analysis has to be conducted. It is the responsibility of the individual to devise a Personal Development Plan so as to come up with activities to improve on his weaknesses (Feeney, 1995, pp. 13). All resources needed to implement the activities outlined in the plan need to be well sourced. Commitment to the plan needs to be shown by the individual in order for professional and personal development opportunities to be realised. If by any chance, an individual is not committed to executing outlined development activities, improving his skills and knowledge is very difficult, and vice versa. In this report, I am going to outline my own personal and professional strengths and weaknesses, and strategies to improve them. Personal information I am an Omani by nationally, and was born in a place known as Sultanate of Oman. I am aged 30 years and married. I am a statistics specialist and teacher by profession. I have been very successful in my academic career. Currently, I am studying an English course at the University of Salford, United Kingdom. I have a bachelor degree in education and a third certificate secondary school certificate. I have been lucky to work in a number of schools that have been instrumental in my professional development. Having opportunities to exercise my personal skills and knowledge has played a significant role in the process of improving my competencies. Career information My skills and knowledge in the education, statistics and administration field has played a significant role in enabling me secure various employment opportunities. In all my workplaces, I have always emerged as the best employee and leader. From 3rd November to present, I am employed as a Statistician at the ministry of civil service in Oman. My roles and duties are as outlined below; Managing the statistics department of the General Directorate of Statistics and Information Managing incoming messages from government agencies affiliated to the civil service system and briefing the Department of Statistics team From 2nd September 2006 to 2nd November 2012, I got an opportunity to work as a mathematics teacher at the ministry of education in Oman. My roles and duties as a Math teacher are as outlined below; In charge of the mathematics department and setting semi-annual school budgets Follow-up work of teachers’ needs to be done during school week Student Administration Management Groups School for three years I have also had a good experience in managing workforce, working as an assistant human resource manager. I used to manage employees in a friendly manner, hence the reason why my team used to realise set goals and objectives within the set period of time. As a HR profession, my roles and responsibilities were; Coordinate staff recruitment and selection process in order to ensure a timely organized and comprehensive procedure is used to hire staff Provide advice and assistance to supervisors on staff recruitment Management and implementation of programs of "equal opportunity employment" and "positive action, "Schedule and organize interviews Participate in applicant interviews Conduct reference checks on possible candidates Prepare, develop and implement procedures and policies on staff recruitment Inform unsuccessful applicants Conduct exit interviews. Develop and implement a human resource plan and personnel management policies and procedures Promote workplace safety Provide advice and assistance to staff and management on pay and benefits systems Research and monitor human resource systems in other organizations within the community Explain and provisions of the personnel policy Explain employment standards and legislation such as workers compensation, lab our standards and Fair Practice Act Work skills gained I have been able to gain a number of work skills in my career development and experience. Skills gained have tremendously improved me competitive wise. Below are the skills that I have gained working as an administrator, Statistician and teacher; Forming measurable and realistic goals Analyzing current situations and forming future visions Exploring the skills, knowledge and behaviours required for an effective manager Recognizing the importance that culture plays in the organization Understanding performance management and the need for an effective performance appraisal system Acts very promptly and effectively on all jobs related to the administration of the Human Resource Department Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems, and develop recommendations for improvement of organization personnel policies and practices  Analyze training needs to design employee development and health and safety programs Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee turnover Facilitate change in organization to help transition all levels. Forecast future staffing and organizations needs Goals/aims Finish my HRM masters degree Develop good decision making skills Be an exceptional leader, manager, Statistician and teacher Assist the society through my skills and knowledge SWOT analysis of personal characteristics The power of positive thinking Business generalist with record of achievement in applying administrative and human resource skills to effectively manage projects and ongoing operations For me problems are not "problems", but opportunities.  Honest and realistic to determine the art of the possible Knowledgeable about my goals & about the variety of means for reaching the goals  Motivate followers to become involved in getting the job done Able to delegate Ability to network Good communication skills Good relationship builder Good planner and organizer Analysis of own current skills against professional standards and organisational objectives Management skills Management skills are vital to an individual in the process of executing assigned duties and responsibilities. They assist an individual to meet set goals and objectives on time. My management skills are average. This simply means that I do not meet my professional goals at all times. However, I know how to manage my time well in most cases, and this gives me opportunities to accomplish my duties on time. Leadership skills Leadership skills play an integral part when a person is assigned duties and responsibilities (Gerrish, McManus and Ashworth, 2003, pp. 105). When a person has good leadership skills, it becomes easier for him to accomplish assigned tasks since he is aware of what to do to meet set standards. Leaders perform over expectations. In relevance to that, my leadership skills are good. I tend to lead myself and mates to the achievement of set goals and objectives set. I am sure of this due to the achievements I have had in leading team in class work and field events. Creativity and innovative skills In order to be a competent employee, one has to have creative and innovative skills. This is very significant in the process of developing new strategies of conducting assigned duties and responsibilities. Also, they are vital in enabling an organisation develop good competitive advantages by given logical contributions. My creativity and innovative skills are good. I have the ability to come up with effective and efficient ways of devising new strategies to realise set goals and objectives. I also participate actively in enabling my organisation devise effective strategies to handle threats that might arise. Communication skills Communication skills are vital in enhancing effective communication in an organisation. For an organisation to attain its objectives, its employees should be able to exchange information and idea clearly and freely through good communication (Hyson, 2003). My communication skills are good and this has enabled me to relate well with mates. I have been able to utilise them to acquire vital information from my superiors to improve my professional skills and knowledge. Development needs and activities to meet them Negotiation skills Negotiation skills are vital in the process of developing good relationships with family and friends (Mitchell, 2007, pp. 6). They are also instrumental when bargaining. My negotiation skills are below average. I lack the skills to broke deals that favour me. It’s also difficult for me to come up with good solutions that can solve conflicting interest of my family and friends. Poor negotiation skills have affected my leadership opportunities since I fail to convince followers on the best way to go. Decision making skills Decision making skills are significant to an individual both at a personal and professional level. They enable an individual to make decisions that will benefit him in future. My decision making skills are not that good. I tend to make poor decisions at some points and this hugely affects my personal and professional development. Also, this affects my desire to become an exceptional leader in the society. Computer skills In the current world, technological advancements are continuously being made, hence requiring individual to keep on improving their technological skills and knowledge (Mitchell, 2007, pp. 7). Most things are done via the use of computers in work places, learning institutions, hospitals and homes. My computer skills are average. In order for me to become a competent employee, I have to improve on my computer skills to become an IT expert. Team work skills Achieving goals and objectives when working in groups is far much easier than when working individually. This is the reason why most organisations group their employees into teams to tackle complex and urgent tasks. My team work skills are average. I tend to deliver quality and quantity outputs when working individually than in a team. These average team work skills affect my leadership opportunities. Development opportunities to meet current and future needs Mentorship programmes Mentorship programs play a significant role in enabling an individual to develop nicely both at a personal and professional level (Hyson, 2003). Mentors are always willing to help students realise their short term and long term development needs. They give them direction and avail resources to do so. Mentorship programs are one of the development opportunities that I will take advantage of. I will keep a close contact with my mentor so that to learn various ways on how to meet my current and future needs. My mentor will also be instrumental in availing all the necessary resources that I require to keep on developing and meeting my needs. Library resources Library sources are vital in enabling me meet my personal and professional development needs. Through the books that have been written by successful leaders and managers, I will be able to learn how to improve my leadership, decision making and negotiation skills. I will also get the opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge in various fields through access and reading of books stored in the library. Sporting facilities Exercises are vital in good physical development. They enable an individual to stay healthy, hence giving him opportunities to realise own goals and objectives (Feeney, 1995, pp. 15). The available sporting facilities in my institution will assist me meet my physical development needs. Physical development will be significant in boosting my health and well being, hence giving me opportunities to meet my current and future development needs. They will give me a good frame of mind to learn new things when in and outside of class. This is significant in the process of boosting my skills and knowledge in different areas. Learning approaches to improve on personal and development needs Online learning (Self-managed learning) One of the approaches to self-managed learning is online learning whereby an individual acquires knowledge and skills through the internet academic sources. All over the world, academic institutions are offering online courses. By enrolling in such courses, a person is able to learn on his own and does examinations through the internet. This has been instrumental in enabling students globally acquire knowledge from institutions of their choice. Social networks (Informal learning) Social networks are continually gaining popularity in the whole world (Gerrish, McManus and Ashworth, 2003, pp. 110). Through such networks, individuals exchange vital ideas and information that improve knowledge and skills of friends and families. This shows that social networks are another approach that facilitates self managed learning. For example face book recently reported to have acquired more than one billion users, this shows that it is a nice platform for self-managed learning. Seminars and conferences (Formal learning) Seminars and conferences are headed by different speakers who freely share information and ideas with their audience. They in most cases engage their audience in their speeches so that they can facilitate their concentration. This shows that individuals globally can use seminars and conferences as another approach to self-managed learning. Ways in which life-long learning in personal and professional contexts can be encouraged SWOT analysis SWOT analysis refers to the process of evaluating my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that might affect my personal development (Hyson, 2003). This strategy is significant in enabling me learn and improve at a personal level. By understanding my weaknesses and opportunities to improve on them, my life-long learning in personal context will be encouraged. This is so since I will maximize my potential and available opportunities to keep on learning so as to improve on my skills and knowledge. Self-reflective learning Self reflective learning is very vital in enabling a person to improve in a professional context (Feeney, 1995, pp. 14). Once assigned duties and responsibilities, a person reviews his results upon accomplishment of the tasks. After the review, one identifies the places that he went wrong and comes up with ways of improving his professional skills and knowledge so as to do a nice job in future. There, the self-reflective learning and Continuing professional development (CDP) re very instrumental in my life-long learning in professional context. PDP plan CATEGORY CURRENT PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES Negotiation skills Poor Learn from mentors Read books and other scholarly articles on the concept of negotiation Participate in coming up with solutions to solve conflicting interest of peers Computer skills Average Attend computer classes Conduct computer practical frequently Decision making skills Poor Learn from successful leaders Exercise the practice of good decision making practice Consult when facing critical challenges that need good decisions Team work skills Average Participate actively in groups while in class or at home Do aware with the attitude of individualism Freely interact with peers t all times Processes and activities required to implement the PDP For a PDP plan to be implemented effectively, all necessary activities need to be effectively conducted (Hyson, 2003). It is the responsibility of an individual to devise appropriate ways to implement his PDP. In order to implement my PDP plan, I will have to commit fully to all activities necessary to improve my skills and knowledge. First, I will have to develop a time schedule of conducting all activities outlined in the plan. I will have to make my timetable flexible so that I can respond well to changes that might arise when implementing my plan. After that, I will have to source all the necessary resources that are required to implement the plan fully. I will conduct an effective research to identify sources of the required resources. This will be vital in enabling me not to lack any resource that I need to fully implement the plan. After that, I will have to stay true to my word. I will have to go step by step in implementing the plan by following my timetable appropriately with no distraction. My commitment will play a significant role in the successful implementation of the plan. Undertaking and documenting Development activities as planned DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES TIME PERIOD Learn from mentors Read books and other scholarly articles on the concept of negotiation Participate in coming up with solutions to solve conflicting interest of peers 2 weeks Attend computer classes Conduct computer practical frequently 3 months Learn from successful leaders Exercise the practice of good decision making practice Consult when facing critical challenges that need good decisions 2 weeks Participate actively in groups while in class or at home Do aware with the attitude of individualism Freely interact with peers t all times Daily basis Reflection on own learning against original aims of my PDP From my personal and professional plan, I aimed to develop my personal and professional skills and knowledge. I aimed to improve my computer skills, decision making skills, negotiation skills and team work skills. From self-managed learning, I was able to realise outlined objectives. I closely followed all activities outlined in the plan step by step. This was very instrumental as I was able to improve on different areas that I was weak both at a personal and professional level. From opinions of friends, lecturers and family members that observed my transformation, I can say that I was able to make tremendous progress from my own learning. However, I still have room for improvement especially on my planning skills and numeric ones. Update of my PDP CATEGORY CURRENT PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES Numeric skills Average Do mathematical practice frequently Seek help from lecturers on mathematical concepts Participate in mathematics groups Planning skills Average Learn from scholarly articles on planning and management Try to plan my daily tasks on the order of priority Take leadership opportunities that might come up to improve my planning skills Conclusion After analysing my professional and personal skills closely, I have realised that there a number of them that I have to improve. This will highly boots my competencies and make a vital person in the society at large. In order to do this, I will have to ensure that my PDP is implemented fully. In order to implement my PDP plan, I will have to commit fully to all activities necessary to improve my skills and knowledge. First, I will have to develop a time schedule of conducting all activities outlined in the plan. I will have to make my timetable flexible so that I can respond well to changes that might arise when implementing my plan. After that, I will have to source all the necessary resources that are required to implement the plan fully. There are a number of sources that I will acquire development resources from. One of them is the library, where all necessary scholarly articles on personal and development strategies can be accessed. Through the books that have been written by successful leaders and managers, I will be able to learn how to improve my leadership, decision making and negotiation skills. I will also get the opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge in various fields through access and reading of books stored in the library. References Feeney, S. 1995. Professionalism in early childhood teacher education: Focus on ethics. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education 16 (3), pp. 13–15. Gerrish, K., M. McManus, and Ashworth. P. 2003. Creating what sort of professional? Master’s level nurse education as a professionalizing strategy. Nursing Inquiry 10 (2), pp. 103– 112. Hyson, M., ed., 2003. Preparing early childhood professionals: NAEYC’s standards for initial licensure, advanced, and associate degree programs. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Mitchell, A. 2007. Developing our profession. Young Children 62 (4), pp. 6–7. Read More