BTEC Assignemnt Solution-Personal and Professional Development

Unit 13 Personal & Professional Development

Table of Contents 1

Introduction.......................................................................................3 Task 1: Understand how self managed learning can enhance lifelong development......................................................................................4 1.1 Evaluate approaches to self managed learning............................................4 1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged, use any learning style for this criterion.............5 1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self managed learning to the individual and organization........................................................................................................ 5 M1 Identify and find your own learning style using the Honey Mumford system 6 Task 2: Be able to take responsibility for own personal and professional development......................................................................................6 2.1 Evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional standards and organizational needs...................................................................6 2.2 Identify own development needs and the activities required to meet them.7 M2 Carry out self skills audits and spot out the areas of development..............8 2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs.................................................................................................................. 9 2.4 Devise a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs................................................................................................................ 10 Task 3: Be able to implement and continually review own personal and professional.....................................................................................12 3.1 Discuss the process and activities required to implement the development plan.................................................................................................................. 12 M3 Present your curriculum vitae with professional format..............................12 3.2 Undertake and document development activities as planned....................13 3.3 Reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the.................................................................................................................... 14 3.4 Update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation.............14 Task 4 Be able to demonstrate acquired interpersonal and transferrable skills................................................................................................15 4.1 Select solutions to work based problems...................................................15 4.2 communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels in the negotiation practice of the class..................................................16 4.3 Evaluate and use effective time management strategies..........................16 Conclusion........................................................................................................ 18 References:....................................................................................................... 19

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Introduction Generally, every organization focuses on achieving its own objectives by taking any sort of means. These objectives are set by people and later on completed by people. So the core element of achieving organizational objectives are ‘people’ and by people we mean, individual who puts his or her abilities, skills, potentials and knowledge for the betterment of the organization. So it is important for an organization to check the personal and professional development of an individual, because it defines what an individual is capable of. An individual backing with a personal and professional development plan is the best asset an organization can have, because he or she is always ready to face problems and knows how to deal with them easily.

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Task 1: Understand how self managed learning can enhance lifelong development 1.1 Evaluate approaches to self managed learning A person can learn in various ways. It is difficult to select a single approach because the content of the self managed learning is constantly changing. With the introduction of latest technology, and easy access to information the formal ways of learning methods are becoming obsolete. One approach to self managed learning can be ‘learning from experience’, which was developed by American educational theorist Kolb (1984) under the title ‘Experiential Learning’. Though one can learn by observing others or reading about it, Kolb (1984) suggested that people actually learn best from the experiences they were exposed to. He developed a learning cycle that includes 4 steps:

Other approaches to self managed learning can be free choice learning, service learning, adventure learning, or enquiry based learning. While every learning method is unique and has its own methodology of teachings, the common factor is that- each of the learning methods mentioned above focuses greatly on experience, personal choice, and preference of the learner as well as direct exposure of the learners to certain events. 4

1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged, use any learning style for this criterion.

Many ways are out there by which, learning can be practiced. They are: Learning from the environment: A person can learn by himself from the very environment he lives in. For example, ‘internet’ is a widely used tool for self managed learning. A person can also learn from his friends, from virtual chartrooms, from forums or discussions, by attending seminars & conferences, by participating training programs and by doing research etc. Collaborative learning: Collaborative learning refers to the process of learning naturally when people work together to achieve a common goal. Bird (1995) tells, true learning begins when people share their own and authentic beliefs to the group and when other group members provide essential assistance. Self-directed learning: self managed learning allows a person to learn whatever he or she wants. It creates an opportunity for that person to choose his own goals, methods and resources. Using SDL, a person can be motivated strong enough because it fulfills one’s needs of highest orders, which Maslow(1943) defined as ‘self actualization’ Strategic learning: According to (Cunningham, 1994), SML ‘synchronizes managing and learning’. As SML is a lifelong learning process, the people following SML methods are well aware of the change in learning in each area. Now they can come up with new and innovative strategies that may overcome the day to day organizational and personal problems.

1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self managed learning to the individual and organization Self directed learning plays a vital role to enhance the personal and professional performance of the learner by allowing him to choose what he wants to learn and how he wants to learn. It is a whole new learning method that replaces the traditional routine based boring learning by offering with more flexible way of learning along with greater freedom. Self directed learning facilitates a person and a company in many ways. 5

Advantages for an individual  

individual enjoys greater freedom of learning Individuals can learn anything at anywhere with the help of any resource they want. Individual forms a habit of learning at every step of his life. Thus learning becomes



lifelong As learning happens with everyday work activities, individual start to face many challenges and thus get greater knowledge from the experience.

Benefits to the organizations:     

individuals are more skilled, better at communications while working with others individuals have greater motivation towards organization individual can provide innovative, creative ideas managers can come up with extraordinary strategic plans individuals are now more willing to help and learn from others

M1 Identify and find your own learning style using the Honey Mumford system Peter Honey and Alan Mumford (1982) developed four learning styles based on the theory of Kolb: Activist, Theorist, Pragmatist, and Reflector.    

Activist: a person who learns by activities (doing things) Theorist: a person who learns by theories (understanding the facts behind actions) Pragmatist: a person who tries fresh and new ideas into practice (avoids old ones) Reflector: a person who analyzes the experiences from different perspectives.

To find out what learning style is best for one, Honey & Mumford have also prepared a set of learning style questions. By answering these questions one can get idea what learning style he should follow.

Task 2: Be able to take responsibility for own personal and professional development 2.1 Evaluate own current skills and competencies against professional standards and organizational needs My own current values are: 

honesty: being authentic in very situation 6

    

flexibility: being adaptive to multiple situations loyalty: being loyal to work objectives as well as senior members reliability: being a friendly colleague and providing assistance when necessary self motivated: being a passionate and energetic employee strive for learning: having a hunger for learning at every stage of my life

My own current professional skills and competencies are: 

communication skill: be able to write, listen and communicate smoothly, even with a



person of different language analytical skill: be able to find out exact path of decision making by analyzing

 

evidence multitasking skill: be able to do multiple tasks simultaneously computer/technical literacy: be able to use computer and computer related software



perfectly leadership skill: be able to manage people, guide them and motivate them toward a



goal organizing skill: be able to build plans and coordinate resources to execute projects and assignments within desired time frame

2.2 Identify own development needs and the activities required to meet them To asses self improvement needs, I have decided to use SWOT analysis. Though SWOT analysis is widely used to understand the risk and strength related to specific business situation, it can also give excellent output for self assessment.

SWOT analysis: Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats Strength

Weakness

    

  

be able to use an foreign language self motivated friendly and reliable an expert in computer and software honest, flexible, good in convincing

others Opportunity

  Threats

impatient not timely cannot handle

stress

and

work

pressures easily distracted fear of taking risk

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   

getting promotions getting important assignments raise in pay scale training availability that opens doors



to new skills and competencies getting technical knowledge from

 

complete projects in time rejection and avoidance by other

  

colleagues stress from work financial breakdown of organization competitors of the organization

senior colleagues

M2 Carry out self skills audits and spot out the areas of development

Self skills audits give an individual clear idea about his or her abilities and weaknesses. An individual may have many personal and professional abilities but some abilities are must to get a high position in society. I’ve listed some of my abilities below and rated them based on 4 points scale in a chart. Scale of rating: not satisfactory- 1 up to the mark- 3

satisfactory- 2 exceptional- 4

Self skills audit chart: skills and potentials 1. able to use computer and related software 2. able to use an foreign language 3. able to handle work stress 4. able to work with team and groups 5. able to finish projects in time 6. able to involve other persons in decision making 7. able to do overtime 8. able to cope up with flexible work time 9. able to appreciate and praise other collages 10. able to adjust with different situation 11. able to take decisions quickly 12. able to understand organizational politics 13. able to communicate smoothly 14. able to use analytical tool to measure risk and profitability

points 4 3 2 3 4 3 4 2 3 3 2 4 4 2

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According to my rating, I’m not very good at item no. 3, 8, 11, and 14. So my areas of development are: 1. 2. 3. 4.

to be good at handling work stress to be good at coping up with flexible work time to be good at taking decisions quickly to be good at using analytical tool to measure risk and profitability

2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs Many methods of learning can be found in an organization. They are described in a table in brief: On the job learning learning a job by actually doing it apprenticeship becoming a skilled person by working under another skilled person learning informal learning job instruction

learning through informal and natural engagement with other collages being skilled in a job by learning the standard sequence of steps to do

training lectures programmed

it getting important knowledge from classroom and official lectures learning by responding to relevant questions and getting immediate

learning computer based

feedback on the accuracy of answers using computer and computer softwares- CD, DVD or other materials

training Tele-training from internet

to learn about specific subject learning from an expert person via teleconference or video chatting learning about specific matter from internet sites, video tutorials,

research &

blogs and social medias learning about specific subject by doing research and assignments on

assignments seminar and

it learning about specific subject by attending seminars and workshops

workshops

on it

2.4 Devise a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs

Personal and professional development plan helps one to create one’s own goal and provide a clear idea about how to achieve that goal within a desired time frame. Based on the SWOT

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analysis, I’ve already found out the key areas where I should put more efforts. So here is my personal and professional development plan: Objectives

learning

methods & resources

desired

review progress

style

used

timeframe

and expected

to be good at Honey handling stress

&



work Mumford 

(activist)

 

observing achieve

by

result weekly meeting

this with senior others by apprenticeship objective members learning within next by talking to Januarysenior members March by get myself admitted into a relaxation

to be good at Honey

&



training program avoiding

achieve

coping up with Mumford

unnecessary work this

flexible

that

work (pragmatist)

time 

a April-June calendar

of agenda talking

the

calendar

daily,

informal

within next discussions with

busy maintaining proper



me objective

makes

checking

other colleagues to

suggest

a

fixed work hour

to

manager to setup a

fixed

work

schedule taking online quiz achieve

enrolling

taking decisions Mumford

to assess current this

evidence based

quickly

decision making objective

management

to be good at Honey

&



(activist) 

ability performing situation analysis



within next program July-Sept.

into

to

check performance

every time not following gut instincts, create a 10



backup plan consult with experienced

to be good at Honey

&



colleagues take

the achieve

Make someone

this

monitor to check

using analytical Mumford

organization’s

tool

analytical training objective

my

within next program take consultancy Oct-Dec. when analyzing

performance

(activist) 



data use courses

analytical

weekly.

online to

enhance analytical ability

Task 3: Be able to implement and continually review own personal and professional development plan 3.1 Discuss the process and activities required to implement the development plan The processes required are: 1. using online courses to enhance analytical ability 2. take organization’s necessary training programs 3. avoiding unnecessary work loads 4. taking consultancy while analyzing data 5. conducting weekly meeting with supervisors and managers 6. following the leadership style of CEO 7. being coached by experienced colleague 8. studying technical and professional journals, books on relevant subject matter 9. getting information about competitors and marketplace 10. visiting other branches and get knowledge from others

M3 Present your curriculum vitae with professional format Curriculum Vitae is a written document used to represent one’s personal skills and qualities in front of employer in order to get a job or make an interview. Actually no ideal or best way to

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prepare a CV is out there, but there are some items that a CV must contain that every employer seeks. Two professional formats of writing CV are: 1. Chronological: listing every detail of education and experience with most recent information first. 2. Functional: highlighting skills and experience that are relevant to the job The most important items of a CV that managers and employers actually seek are:

So any professional CV containing the above mentioned items will result in a good feedback from the employer.

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3.2 Undertake and document development activities as planned Self improvement activities should include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

attending seminars, conferences etc. on relevant subject matter not taking project that is excessively big and beyond the capability of me participate in training programs preparing presentations and assignments conducting surveys and structured interviews getting consultancy from experienced colleagues and senior staff members getting myself admitted into an analytical skill enhance program getting regular review check from coach

To support the development activities- there are many learning methods. They are: 1. formal learning and training- officially prepared training programs on different 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

subject matter observation- by carefully observing the way that a skilled person follows mentoring- by being coached by a experienced supervisor or colleague supervision- by the regular consultancy from supervisor tutorials- by online and hard copy instruction manuals Informal networks- from social network sites, office blogs, and colleague work

groups etc. 7. team members- by getting input from team members 8. line managers- by getting information from line managers 9. other professionals- by following the organization’s leader such as CEO or President

3.3 Reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the development plan A learner can evaluate his or her learning critically after taking every training class. He or she can recheck what he or she has actually learnt. This sort of review can be done solely or with the help of instructor. There might be some areas where it was hard for learner to learn. Those areas can be identified and a different learning plan can be developed that will assist learner to learn easily. Taking review or mock tests is a good way to check whether a learner has actually learned something or not. The score of the test will reflect if any further improvement is necessary. The instructor should compare the developments of the learn with the predetermined learning goals that were developed earlier. This comparison will help the 13

learner to understand the performance gap and will make him realize where more focus is necessary.

3.4 Update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation After evaluating and collecting appropriate feedback of self improvement, it is crucial to modify the development plan and identify the issues where more emphasis is needed. Modification should be done to the plan is such way so that every modification adds value to learning. This special modified guideline will tell how the required goals can be met by a desired but quick period. The modified guideline should also be specific, measureable, attainable, and realistic and time-based. As new changes have been introduced in the plan, the plan should be revised repeatedly to check on improvements and learning. Learning process is somewhat slow and complicated but in every step, it gives a learner idea about his or her potentials and improve them where necessary.

Task 4 Be able to demonstrate acquired interpersonal and transferrable skills 4.1 Select solutions to work based problems

As an organization is big, each work based problem may be unique in nature. So there is no standard way to solve those problems. But if the employees of the organization are being introduced to a set of problems and then asked to respond, their will response will pave a way to the solutions. For example, I may supply a quiz to the employee and ask them to fill up the quiz questions. I might mention 5 questions (or more if needed) in the quiz. Each question is associated with a real life work problem. I may also mention 4 or 5 options, where a learner needs to select only one. It will be more like “Choose the Best answer”. The learning will select the best choice according with his or her taste. The quiz will become more enjoyable if I deliver a prize. The person scoring the highest point will be the prize taker. An example of the question migh be- “What will you do take if you have a get together party with your fellow employee but your manager calls of an important meeting with the whole department?” After getting the whole result, an open discussion class can be taken where the

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learners can give logics behind selecting a specific choice. This workshop will enable learner to experience and manage work based problems in an easy way.

4.2 communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels in the negotiation practice of the class.

Communication techniques have been dramatically improved by the introduction of new technology and advancement in computer science. The traditional method of communication is written communication, where a person leaves a paper for his or her intended receiver. This particular paper is later stored in important paper indexes. The modern technology has enabled us to communicate digitally by sending mails and faxes (Murphy-Latta, 2008). Though there have been some improvements in digital storage, many companies still use written method of communication throughout the workplace. The risk of storing digital files that, they might be deleted accidentally. Second method of communication is oral communication- communication by sharing voice with others. Oral communication can be done by meeting the real person or talking via cell phone. With the advancement of mobile and communication technology, many chatting softwares are out there that can call a person digitally or make group conference call with more than two people (skype, viber etc.) Oral communication is widely used in educational areas (schools, colleges or universities), defense unit (army, police etc) and hospital field. As now many people use smart phones, text messages and emails are a good way of communication. Traditional way of calling employees via their cell phone number is still used, especially when important instructions are being delivered. Calling on cell phone is however sometimes considered ineffective due to network issues and ‘the person not responding’. Many companies have their own digital dashboard, bulletin services or intranet where they can put their thoughts and chat with group members in a more secured manner.

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4.3 Evaluate and use effective time management strategies Managing time effectively is still considered one of the very important factor for any potential employee. Many factors influence a person’s time management skill such as “personalities and character”, “amount of stress he or she can handle”, “how he or she is attached to the work”, “how he or she can balance his or her personal and professional life” and “frequency of using modern technologies that helps to keep someone updated” (Golding and Gray, 2006) Time management is very much related to prioritizing tasks. If one is able to prioritize one’s tasks according to its importance, he or she will ultimately not waste time. Wasting time creates a loophole in productivity and develops a sense of carelessness towards important things. When every employee of an organization starts wasting time in a regular manner, it will create a negative impact on company’s profitability. Some people uses a checklist or personal digital calendar that helps them to remind about important tasks ahead of time so that they don’t miss any important task. Updating the personal calendar on a regular basis can create a habit of doing things on time. Again, one should not take excess of assignments or try to do all tasks altogether because it will create huge stress for him and eventually he or she won’t be able to perform those tasks correctly.

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Conclusion

Self managed learning is a method of self development by which one can determine his or her skills and potentials and find out where more efforts should be given to make those skills more effective. It is called a lifelong process because there is no end of learning; a person learns from the childhood till he or she dies. The importance of self managed learning is not only limited to an individual but is has great importance to shape the professional capabilities of an individual. Self managed learning is considered the best way of learning because it gives the learner the opportunity to learn whatever he or she wants and with the help of any resource he or she intends.

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References: 1. Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. p. 21 2. Bird, G. (1994). A Presentation to the EFMD Annual Conference: The Self-Managed Learning Glass 3. Maslow, A. (1943) .A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, vol. 50, no 4 pp 370-96 4. Cunningham, I (1994).The Wisdom of Strategic Learning: the self managed solution. London: McGraw-Hill 5. Honey, P. & Mumford, A. (1982). Manual of Learning Styles. London: Peter Honey Publications 6. Lawrence G Fine (2009).The SWOT Analysis. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition 7. Murphy-Latta, T (2008). A Comparative Study of Professional Development Utilizing the Missouri Commissioner's Award of Excellence and Indicators of Student Achievement. ProQuest. p. 19. [ebook-accessed: 19th November,2014] 8. Golding, L. & Gray, I. (2006).Continuing professional development for clinical psychologists: A practical handbook. The British Psychological Society. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing

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9. Eric Hilden, 2010 Orange County Resume Survey.[online survey report-accessed 19th November,2014]

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