Reflective Discussion - Essay Example

?Reflective Discussion I was not an average from the start of my academic life. I used to score high on tests, be good at sports and co curricular activities and develop a healthy relationship with my tutors. However, a fault in my way of learning was that I did not learn for the sake of learning. In fact, my goals were performance oriented. I used to work to prevent myself from failing rather than to master the skills being taught. As the education became tougher with each passing class, my inability to become task-focused became yet more acute. The fact that I could not perform well and the falling expectations that I had from myself made me lose interest in my studies. When I started this independent learning module, I was both a bit reluctant and sceptical. This is because the major way that I learnt was through the lectures given by teachers. I had not been in the habit of learning on my own unless it was to prepare for a test or to do an assignment. Independent learning did not seem to be of any use to me, since I had developed the attitude that when left on my own, I would give other things priority over my learning and education. However the full impact of the module was yet to unfold. Starting the module with scepticism, I saw my attitude and perception towards self-directed learning change over the course of the module. The experience of pursuing information on my own and learning for the sake of learning, without having a supervisor directing me to study taught me a number of things. The experience also brought my strengths and weaknesses to surface. Initially, independent learning was an arduous task for me. I knew that I had to study and it made me feel guilty when I used to waste time in the first few days of the module. However, it took me a class on self-motivation to realize where my problem lay. The class made me aware of my inaptitude to focus on goal-oriented learning. I realized that I lacked the intrinsic drive to study on my own and regulate my own learning. This encouraged me to take a series of steps to solve the problem. I asked my peers who performed well about how they study and balance their study and social life. I read literature on self-motivation. Moreover, I started implementing the philosophy of kaizen into my daily routine. Instead of delaying my assignments till the last day, I started work on them timely. I set short-term goals for myself, rewarding myself when I achieved them. Thus I gradually brought about little changes in my daily routine. These experiences made me appreciate my ability to identify the problem at hand and take concrete measures to counter it. I realized that where there is a will, there is a way. If a person is motivated and dedicated towards the achievement of his/her goals, he is most likely going to achieve them no matter how many challenges come in the way. However one weakness that independent learning highlighted was my tendency to become isolated. Effective independent learning requires that the individual engages in discussions with his/her teacher (CILL 2009). However I felt that I became very isolated with my peers and teachers towards the latter half of the module. I believe that interaction with the tutor is necessary for not only clearing the misconceptions regarding the course work and understanding any concepts that the student does not comprehend, but also for providing guidance to the student. I feel that I did not have adequate interaction with my tutors and peers. There were some things in the course work that I did not get. Initially I remember that I did approach teachers or a peer for help. However later in the module, as I became involved in my own work, my interaction with my peers and teachers decreased so much so that I felt hesitant when it came to approaching them for help. This hesitance did have its consequences. I spent a longer period of time understanding a concept on my own as compared to the time I would have spent if I had received directive from an external source. Moreover teachers provide guidance to the students and make sure that they do not digress from the learning objectives. I felt that I spent time reading unnecessary information that was not relevant to my learning goals. Education is not wasted but it would have been more productive for me if I had spent that time reading literature that is more applicable to our prescribed course of learning. The less amount of time that I spent with my tutors also was a mistake on my part. This prevented me from developing a healthy relationship with my teachers. Moreover the isolation also made me feel a world apart from my peers. Where many of my counterparts had grown close to each other, I felt as if they were strangers whenever I interacted with them. Thus I believe that for the future, I need to take steps to prevent myself from being isolated from both my peers and teachers. The process of independent learning has also made me feel more confident and responsible. Starting from a slacker that I was, I became a goal oriented, intrinsically driven individual who is able to balance studies and social life reasonably well. In this way, this module was a lot different for me than the previous modules. I showed better performance and greater interest in the activities. Also, I consulted several resources to increment my knowledge such as visuals from CDs, simulation technologies, diverse literature from the library and the Internet. For the future too, this module has implications for me. The experiences that I acquired have not only made me more responsible but also have inculcated in me the intrinsic drive that I needed for continued learning. Action Plan Areas for improvement: continuing the habit of independent learning Obstacles to remove: tendency to become isolated Steps: 1. Read literature on how to improve learning and skills in my specific field 2. Interact with peers to know how they study and to maintain a healthy relationship with them 3. Seek the help of the peers if faced with a problem 4. Entertain healthy interactions with teachers, ask them for their advice, follow any guidance and instructions that they give 5. Timely starting work on assignments 6. Maintaining a balance between social life and studies 7. Setting short-term goals for myself and being goal oriented 8. Developing long-term goals of learning such as Masters education 9. Reinforcing the healthy habits that I developed in the independent learning module 10. Taking workshops for self-motivation 11. Keep a diary or audio/video tape a log of activities performed in relation to learning 12. Regularly self-evaluate and reflect about how can I improve myself References CILL 2009, Theoretical Background to this Site, CILL, viewed 5 June 2010, Read More