My Learning Strategies

Different people use different techniques when studying. I signed up for "Effective Learning Techniques" workshop to find out different approaches of learning which I have not tried yet. I found it a good extention of the Core workshop I did first.

The most interesting part was VARK questionnaire. Although I knew the outcome(Visual and Kinestetic) it still was interesting to check myself. I always use my vision during the process of learning and I find it the most effective. However, I also want to try developing my Auditory skills which are essential in learning a French language which I am currently studying.  In addition, we were given a questionnaire on deep/surface approaches of learning. Although I scored higher score as a deep learner I still think I have to develop my deep learning further.

My action points:

1) First of all try to get a good sleep before studying and get into a right mood

1) Make learning French fun by using videos, music. Also ask my friend to learn it with me

2) Clean the table each time before starting studying

3) Try to switch of mobile phone and internet so I do not get distracted by others

4) Have a study plan and give myself little breaks in between

5) Train my memory by reading newspapers and discussing interesting articles with my friends

Overall, it was a really useful and fun workshop where I made few good friends in addition tofinding new learning techniques.

: 18 Nov 2010 14:12 |  Tags: A4 Portfolio |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

My progress…

My time-management skills have improved significantly since I started keeping a diary of all important events and deadlines. When you commit your goals to paper it is much easier to achieve them. Now I even have more spare time for my friends and interests.

I have also got a big group project coming where I might be able to develop my team-working and taking initiative skills. 

: 31 Oct 2010 20:56 |  Tags: P1 Portfolio |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Searching for my perfect career

Career planning is probably one of the most difficult decisions I have to make in my life. That is why when I have heard about Career planning workshop I got very excited. I thought I might actually get some help with making sure I make a right decision. Here is what I have learned from it. 

It is very difficult to find a perfect job especially with amount of opportunities you get these days! To begin with you have to be able to understand yourself, your needs, reflect your strengths and weaknesses. Once you have done that it is a good question to ask yourself: "Is there a career out there which can suite my needs?" If the answer is: "I'm not sure or don't know", it might be worth thinking about some sacrifices which have to be made. However, in my case I picked out 4 most essential things for my career(which in my opinion don't contradict with each other):

- A balanced personal and professional lifestyles; this is the most important point since I don't see the point working 24/7 and not having time to enjoy your life.

- Working in a stable, well-known organisation; I think it's important to work in a secure company and actually like what that company is doing.

- Providing a service to help others; I enjoy working with different people, sometimes it might be challenging but it's worth it.

- Being recognised as an expert in the field; I think everyone should do something they are actually good at, something they enjoy the most.

During the workshop I matched all these work values with a position I'm currently applying for internships - Auditor. Clearly, I can not be 100% sure it is my best choice, but I would like to get a work experience in this particular area and see for myself. 

Another useful technique which I learned during the workshop was a technique of setting effective goals. I'm actually planning to implement this method  in the next 1-2 months for my studies and applications for internships. I will have a special sheet on the wall where I will write down all my deadlines and important events. That way I can keep myself motivated in order to achieve my goals. I will also try to find as many people as possible who achieved similar goals. Thus I might learn something useful what will help to reach my targets.

In addition, I will keep attending more of personal and academic skills development workshops. Hopefully, it will help me with my future career.

: 31 Oct 2010 20:42 |  Tags: C1 Portfolio |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Building my Skills Portfolio

To be perfectly honest when I was singing for this workshop I thought to myself: "What could possibly these 3 hours give new to me?" It turns out a lot! Not only I got to meet new interesting people but also found out bunch of new things about myself. 

When completing the Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire I scored the highest score as Theorist, meaning I tend to adapt and integrate observations into complex and logically sound theories. Furthermore, Theorists think problems through in a step by step way. They tend to be perfectionists who like to fit things into a rational scheme. They tend to be detached and analytical rather than subjective and emotive in their thinking.

Does anybody thought about the meaning of Reflection? I did not until I started applying for summer internships. Questions like, Describe a time that you faced an important task with challenging time constraints, made me reflect on my previous thoughts and actions. During the workshop I found out that in order to do better in the future you have to train reflective thinking by keeping a diary/blog, taking assessment questionnaires etc. One of the first things I will try to implement within the next four weeks is keeping a diary of all the most important events of my life. That way I can keep a track of my positive/negative experiences and learn from them.  

There was another skills questionnaire which helped me to analyse my weaknesses and ways I could turn them into my strengths. 

• Team working could be improved by participating more actively in seminar discussions and upcoming group projects.
• Leadership could be improved by working as a Careers&Skills Representative, facilitate the dissemination of information from Student Careers and Skills to students in my department to enable students to make the most of services and events available to them. Taking initiative is another skill which I could improve through Representative role by introducing more effective ways of reaching students.
• Time-management could be improved by keeping a diary of all deadlines and upcoming events.
• Critical thinking is one of the most difficult skills which I will try to develop. The first step will be attending one of the skills workshops called Critical Thinking. Hopefully, it will give some guidelines.

Overall P1 workshop was really useful to me and I would definitely recommend it to my fellow students in order to develop new skills which will be useful in both academic and working life. 

: 17 Oct 2010 16:16 |  Tags: P1 Portfolio |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem