When I stand in front of mirror many things of the past revolve around my eyes. According to Biggs (1999) "reflection in a mirror is an exact replica of what is in front of it. Reflection in professional practice gives back not what it is, but what might be, an improvement on the original". Being a nurse I feel proud about my identity as it is related to serving section of the society. Two years back I had completed my General Nursing and Midwifery Diploma from D.M.C institute, Ludhiana, state Punjab. I belong to a nuclear family and right from my childhood I am full with the spirit of serving people. The academics of my life are of great value for me. I believe that I have the strength to translate my dreams into reality. I feel that personal efforts are not enough to attain goals in life. So along with being goal oriented I also believe in hardworking. Stevepavlina (2005) define "hard work" as work that is challenging. Both hard work and "working hard" are required for success. This assignment will be structured using Gibbs model of reflection (1998) and SWOB analysis. Analysis will pervade through each stage of the Gibbs model. Finally I will conclude by reflecting on my role, identifying my strength, weakness and put forward an action plan for my future development in nursing.
In this piece of work, reflection is undertaken to learn from the experience of studying at LJMU. "Reflective practices is a process of reviewing an experience from practice in order to describe analyses and evaluate and so informs learning from practice" Reed et al. (1993). The objectives of this essay are to discuss self assessment and evaluation, range of teaching tools in learning practices, to identify the area where I perform well and emphasize areas that require improvement. My step into General Nursing and Midwifery from secondary education was a great turn in my life toward my final carrier. . During this period I found myself under the guidance of well qualified and well experienced teachers. I was greatly inspired by the spirit of team work and I learnt that how cooperation of different team members can give fruitful result. Shaw et al.(2008) explain about the team work and how the team members consciously attended to a team approach through nurturing consensus, nurturing professional synergy, and nurturing a learning culture. Presently I join B.Sc. (Hons.) program at INSCOL academy through Liverpool John Moores University. The experience in the INSCOL academy is worth exploring. Here the learning and academic work is almost diametrically opposite from past experience. The environment in the institute is very much conducive to learning. Kiran et al. (2010) stated that the learning environment of an institute has a significant impact on students' achievements and learning outcomes.
GIBBS MODEL:
I used Gibbs model to explore my personal style of learning in the inscol academy. First step of Gibbs model is description and I am going to express some of my experiences on the basis of my reflective diary. Reflective diary has become a popular method of learning, particularly when the learning is self directed. The main aim of writing the reflective diary is to know about developed skills of reflection, evaluation and decision making. Reflective portfolio is not only a document of evidence but also as an effective learning tool. It is both retrospective and prospective as well as indicating the current state of development and activity of the individual. According to McMullan (2003) a portfolio may be defined as a purposeful collection of evidence that represents a student's learning, progress, and achievement, inclusive of an introspective, reflective component. From my reflective diary, firstly I want to discuss about the effective communication. Effective communication provides awareness of our personal strength and weaknesses .In the words of Biggs (2003) learning new knowledge about subjects, group projects provide good opportunities to develop a range of other skills: communication, negotiation, listening, persuasion, cooperation, leadership and conflict management can all be put to the test when we are trying to achieve something as a member of a group. It is crucial to the learning dynamic and helps to identify feeling and personal knowledge.
. According to Smith (2001) "while limited opportunities still exist for professional development provided by higher education institutions and employing agencies, the most ubiquitous and powerful opportunities for learning lie in the ongoing systematic investigation of daily practices. Previously the assignments were submitted in the written form but now I do it on computer. The atmosphere and study structure of U.K would be different from my home country due to regional distinction. The studying material is updated with latest syllabus and up-to-date classroom with latest learning methods. Different learning methods include group discussion, virtual learning and the use of blackboard by the students for not only sharing his /her problem with teacher but it also act as a good library source . The student's feels more burden of study in my country but in LJMU, the study stress is very less as the lion's share of studies is learning by doing. In this degree program there is more independent learning and most of the learning is monitored learning.
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In the second stage of the Gibbs model provides a section to explore how I felt and the thoughts 1 had. In the starting my anxiety level was high as I began to realize how disorganized and unknowledgeable I was. After the wave of anxiety comes a period of maintenance, I need to keep the transaction and refine the process so that I achieve the learning environment. The study modules are based on the abilities to deliver content in humorous and creative way. I gained tremendous support from the tutors and validated the dramatic changes as confidence in my skills and knowledge. Through learning not only my communication skills, IT skills are improved along with that my personality is also developed .I have become reflective and establish innovative ways in professional practices. Kenworthy (2000) define learning as the apparent modification of a person's behavior through his activities and experiences so that his knowledge, skills and attitudes, including modes of adjustment towards his environment, are changed, more or less permanently.
As the third step of Gibbs model is evaluation about the good and bad experiences, firstly here I would like to share about the bad experience. When I came in inscol I did not that how to make presentation on computer as well as study pattern is also high and that time my English is poor and I felt dreadful. After being in touch with INSCOL academy I feel that I have improved a lot regarding the knowledge of IT as the assignments are prepared by surfing internet and web access. The learning approach in INSCOL academy includes the use MS office that's why I had gained huge information of computer while studying here. I got motivation from teacher which helps in developing skills, confidence, independent learning and gaining knowledge. According to Ryan and Deci (2000) motivation is a construct that pertains whenever an activity is done in order to attain some separable outcome.
SWOB Analysis:
Using a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Barriers (SWOB) analysis approach, areas of personal strength and weaknesses are discussed. . Reflection requires self-awareness and analysis thus it is a skill that needs to be acquired, developed and maintained (Schutz et al. 2004). One way to evaluate ourselves is through a self evaluation or reflective diary and through the development of a personal professional portfolio. In the strength, I am an optimistic personality and nothing makes me get down. I have good practical skills and good in communication with other people .I understand the challenge of working and as I am having serving nature I help other people before my own. Although of strength every person has weakness too. My weak points are reserved nature, tends to think that everyone is as enthusiastic as me, poor time management, other competing commitments. From my teachers I learnt about the practical behavior towards others which overcome my weaknesses. They always suggest me to be practical in life and I also learnt how to manage time accurately. Behind my weakness the inner strength gives me lots of opportunities. These opportunities help me in building skills, confidence and assertiveness. I can use my previous experience within the course and get help from the tutors and resources available in the academy like blackboard. There are some barriers which act as a hindrance in the learning criteria. These are: not having computer at home and not having IT skills, poor time management, working individually (not as a team work).so if one can able to remove all these barriers then an individual can enhance the learning capacity and professional skills.
CONCLUSION:
To conclude I have learnt a lot, not only from my personal reflection but also from the evidence based literature. Learning through reflection is a powerful medium for developing moral, professional and personal understanding(Sue 2004). By using reflection as a tool, I have gained development skills including reading, listening, problem solving and decision making and word processing skills, accessing information from databases, online journals, the Internet or library searching etc. My analysis explores my knowledge beyond what I could obtain from reflective diary. More than likely different reflective cycles will benefit different situations, much like a plumber selecting the right tool for the job. The effectiveness of the Gibbs model stimulates me to learn more. The above literature suggested that challenging and affirming our learner and teacher identies through reflective practice is crucial for our journey of professional self-discovery.
ACTION PLAN
I accept the challenge of providing education programs that emphasize the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that will motivate and inspire me to examine, clarify and make choices. Reflective diary enables me to learn autonomously and it helps me to know my strength and weaknesses. SWOB analysis has helped me in self directed learning as I can analyse problem on my own.
