Reflection

Throughout this module, I have gained new knowledge and fresh experiences that have helped me build up my character to prepare me for my future career path.I learnt how to be truthful to myself while doing personality tests so that I can obtain the most accurate results possible. I also realised that cooperation is key to achieve goals as  a team and to reach a common understanding, we need to communicate with each it when effectively. Self-reflection was strongly  emphasized throughout this module and I agree that we need to reflect on our own thoughts and actions from time to time to understand ourselves better and identify our strengths and weaknesses.

The first lesson was about Taylors Graduate Capabilities which consists of 8 domains which are Discipline Specific Knowledge,Lifelong Learning,Thinking and Problem Solving Skills,Communication Skills,Interpersonal Skills,Intrapersonal Skills,Citizenship and Global Perspectives and lastly is Digital Literacy.These eight capabilities are all essential skills for students to not just strive in their future careers but also be ever ready to embrace the increasing demands of society. In my humble opinion, all eight capabilities are important and are linked to one another .

The second lesson was about SMART goals .Smart means Specific , Measurable , 

Attainable , Relevant , and Time-bound.From this session I've learned that setting goals are important.From a student’s point of view, goals that we set for ourselves are extremely important because they serve as motivation for us. We always want to feel the satisfaction of attaining our own goals, hence will work hard to achieve them no matter what.

The third lesson was about us taking our personality test .We were introduced to this personality test which reflects who we truly are on the inside . I got to know more about myself by taking this personality test .Out of the four semantic comparisons, the greatest difference was between extroverted (84%) and introverted (16%). This is very true because I am inclined to engage in social activities such as making new friends, hanging out with classmates, joining club events .

The fourth lesson was for us to get to know our learning styles . I got to know my studying pattern in depth . My learning style will be reading , writing ,and visual .Reading and writing learning skill is considered as a skill as a whole , while visual is another type of learning skill.I got to know that for reading and writing skill preference is for information displayed as words. While for visual learners i got to know how a visual learner should learn which is by  pictures or photographs of reality, movies, videos or PowerPoint. It does include designs, whitespace, patterns, shapes and the different formats that are used to highlight and convey information.


The fifth lesson was about SWOT analysis .SWOT analysis stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats .During this lesson I had to think of my strengths , weaknesses , opportunity and threats . After doing so i had to write that down and think of ways to overcome them .I need to strive for improvement on my weak spots and change the way I perceive myself. I shall look at my weaknesses as challenges, not something I should ignore or purposely neglect.As for the threats I will encounter soon, I will have to brace myself and accept the fact that I must face these issues sooner or later. I might as well buck up now to prepare myself for the rocky road ahead of me!


The sixth lesson was where we had to take a career test .In this career test , I got to know the types of careers which are suitable for me according to my personality . And the career choices that were suitable for my personality were very similar to what I inspire to be .My possible career paths always consist of authors, reporters, teachers, public relations and diplomats.

CAREER TEST

We did a career test today based on our personalities. To my surprise, my personality test results were slightly different compared to the first personality test I previously. My previous results were ENTP whereas my latest results showed ENFP. However, it is just a minor difference which I accept because sometimes I really think more than I feel, yet at moments I am inclined to feelings rather than cognitive processes.

This is not the first time I get such results in career tests. My possible career paths always consist of authors, reporters, teachers, public relations and diplomats. However, the explanation of my test results are quite interesting as I think the description of ENFP personality fits me pretty well.

SWOT ANALYSIS

I learnt something new today!

SWOT analysis stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. So, how does this thing work?

A good example of SWOT analysis being applied to an organization.

Of course, SWOT analysis can be used on individuals like you and I too, and this is what we did today. We were asked to list down five of S, W, O an Ts.

So, here’s my SWOT analysis!

Strengths : Good communication skills v Leadership qualities v Confident v Hard-working v Determined	Weaknesses : Procrastinator v Does not exercise v Talk more than I think sometimes v Indecisive v Easily influenced emotions
Opportunities : Scholarships v New skills v Dream universities v Desired career path v Engagement in club activities	Threats : Time management issues v Homesickness v Separation with friends v Difficulties to find time for hobbies v Being all by myself in a foreign nation

It will definitely not be easy to change my weaknesses into my strengths, but through the session we had today I have a rough idea of how I am going to do it.

I will have to set reasonable goals to overcome my weaknesses. To do this, I need to strive for improvement on my weak spots and change the way I perceive myself. I shall look at my weaknesses as challenges, not something I should ignore or purposely neglect.

As for the threats I will encounter soon, I will have to brace myself and accept the fact that I must face these issues sooner or later. I might as well buck up now to prepare myself for the rocky road ahead of me! To fight these threats, I must first attack the inner me who is afraid of difficult situations. I am aware that this is only the beginning of the journey named life and one day in retrospect I may regret being the one who ran away at the very start of the road. Instead of fleeing the scene, I should be the brazened one doing whatever is takes to achieve my goals. I will not let anything get in the way of chasing my dreams.

Learning Styles

                       

                   My learning style will be reading , writing ,and visual .Reading and writing learning skill is considered as a skill as a whole , while visual is another type of learning skill.A brief description for reading and writing skill is that this preference is for information displayed as words. Not surprisingly, many teachers and students have a strong preference for this mode. Being able to write well and read widely are attributes sought by employers of graduates. This preference includes the depiction of information in maps, spider diagrams, charts, graphs, flow charts, labelled diagrams, and all the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies and other devices, that people use to represent what could have been presented in words. This mode could have been called Graphic (G) as that better explains what it covers. It does NOT include still pictures or photographs of reality, movies, videos or PowerPoint. It does include designs, whitespace, patterns, shapes and the different formats that are used to highlight and convey information. When a whiteboard is used to draw a diagram with meaningful symbols for the relationship between different things that will be helpful for those with a Visual preference. It must be more than mere words in boxes that would be helpful to those who have a Read/write preference.

 For reading and writing learning skill , i would use all these methods to ensure i do well in my examinations.When i take down information , I would take it down in these forms and my sources

Take in the information as :

lists

headings

dictionaries

glossaries

definitions

handouts

textbooks

readings – library

notes (often verbatim)

teachers who use words well and have lots of information in sentences and notes

essays

manuals (computing and laboratory)

After that i would convert my notes to a different form that isto make a learnable package:

I would convert my “notes” into a learnable package by reducing them . I would 

Write out the words again and again.

Read your notes (silently) again and again.

Rewrite the ideas and principles into other words.

Organize any diagrams, graphs … into statements, e.g. “The trend is…”

Turn reactions, actions, diagrams, charts and flows into words.

Imagine my lists arranged in multiple choice questions and distinguish each from each.

Then I believe , I would perform well in any test, assignment or examination by using these techniques , that is 

Write exam answers again and again .

Practice with multiple choice questions.

Write paragraphs, beginnings and endings.

Write my lists (a,b,c,d,1,2,3,4).

Arrange my words into hierarchies and points.

Next for visual learning , I would to down the information in these manner:

- I woukd remember lecturers who use gestures and picturesque language

   pictures, videos, posters, slides

- Flowcharts

- Underlining, different colours, highlighters

- Purchase textbooks with diagrams and pictures

- Draw graphs

- Use symbols @ and white space

Then I would ,convert my “notes” into a learnable package by reducing them that is 

Using all of the techniques above

Reconstruct the images in different ways…try different spatial arrangements.

Redraw my pages from memory

Replace words with symbols or initials

Look at my pages again .

In the examination , I would

Draw things, using diagrams
Recall the pictures made by on my pagese
 Turn my visuals back into words

Personality Test

We were introduced to this personality test which reflects who we truly are on the inside. I have been truthful and serious when taking this test, hence I believe the test results are pretty accurate.

My results were ENTP – “The Originator”, with intellectual temperament and extroverted intuition as my primary function. ENTP stands for Extravert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiving and represents individual’s preferences in four dimensions characterising personality type, according to Jung’s and Briggs Myers’ theories of personality type.

This means that I

a) am more extroverted than introverted

b) am more based on intuition rather than sensing

c) am more of a ‘thinker’ than a ‘feeler’ and

d) perceive more than I judge

Out of the four semantic comparisons, the greatest difference was between extroverted (84%) and introverted (16%). This is very true because I am inclined to engage in social activities such as making new friends, hanging out with classmates, joining club events and so on.

SMART Goals

What are SMART goals?

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound

Read the first letters of each word from top to bottom and tada! You get the word SMART. In today’s session, our lecturer shared how to set realistic goals for ourselves AND achieve them.

Learning how to frame goals as SMART goals and being willing to adjust them to get SMARTer is an important skill that would help every student get off to a better start and have a better school year, this year and into the future.

It’s not easy to write SMART goals. This skill takes time to develop, and it’s especially important to have in place for students at pre-university level. A goal is an outcome, something that will make a difference as a result of achieving it. It can’t be too ambitious to be out of reach, but also not so simple that it does not challenge. A goal has to be realistic with a stretch, requiring effort and focus to achieve it. That’s why goals need time frames and measurable action steps along the way so that we can keep track of progress and make adjustments as necessary.

Extracted from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/smart-goal-setting-with-students-maurice-elias

From a student’s point of view, goals that we set for ourselves are extremely important because they serve as motivation for us. We always want to feel the satisfaction of attaining our own goals, hence will work hard to achieve them no matter what.

Here’s my SMART goal:

Specific – I want to get 4A* in my A2 examination.

Measurable – The marks will serve as a standard.

Attainable – Yes, with combination of time management skills, perseverance and hard work

Relevant – Definitely. It will be one of the entry requirements for my undergraduate studies. I also need this for my scholarship applications.

Time-bound – 1.5 years

The Domains That I Lack

             

   

















          These eight capabilities are all essential skills for students to not just strive in their future careers but also be ever ready to embrace the increasing demands of society. In my humble opinion, all eight capabilities are important and are linked to one another. For example, communication skills is closely related to interpersonal skills as one needs to know how to communicate before he or she can apply relationship management skills in daily life. Digital literacy, on the other hand, is key to understand the diverse cultures in the globalised era because we rely on technology to establish connections with people on the other side of the world. And without knowledge and cognitive skills, we would never spark intelligent discussions with others to create something new and useful. As you can see, none of these eight capabilities should be neglected when it comes to self-enrichment. We need to understand the connections between all of them and work hard to expand our strengths and overcome our weaknesses in order to achieve a good command of all these skills. Good grades may guarantee you a good school but a good character is what will take you far.

So, how will these 8 capabilities enhance my learning and help me enter my university of choice?

1) Discipline Specific Knowledge – I will be able to apply my knowledge of my preferred discipline (psychology) in the writing of my personal statement. Besides that, I will be able to put written theories into practice by applying whatever I know to my field of study.

2) Lifelong Learning – I will be able to learn continuously throughout my life, whether it is from daily matters or classroom experiences. Independent study will be one of the keys to my learning methods and I will carry out research to understand psychology better.

3)Thinking and Problem Solving Skills – Through my learning experience at Taylor’s,  I will acquire essential skills that will assist me in my cognitive processes throughout my journey to undergraduate level studies. I will engage in metacognition and try to resolve all the difficulties I will face in this journey.

4) Communication Skills – I will learn how to communicate effectively with my peers and my lecturers. This will help me in collaborative learning in classrooms and also in obtaining new knowledge.

5) Interpersonal Skills – Establishing connections with others is not an easy task when you enter the real society, but maintaining a good relationship is even harder. With interpersonal skills, I will be able to create new socialcircles and enhance my current relationships.

6) Intrapersonal Skills – Being comfortable with yourself is what keeps you contented with your life. By reflecting my actions and thoughts on a daily basis, I will get to know myself better and correct my mistakes as soon as possible.

7) Citizenship and Global Perspectives – Having a broad knowledge does not mean that you are a wholesome person. We need to have insights not just for our own country’s future, but also from a global perspective. In this globalised era, we need to learn how to embrace diverse cultures and respect one another to prevent conflicts that may cause damage to the human race.

8) Digital Literacy – Through e-learning in Taylor’s College, I will acquire essential ICT knowledge and computer skills that will aid me in my university level research in the future.