Personal Development Planning Professional Identity - Essay Example

?Personal Development Planning – Professional Identity Personal development planning (PDP) is described as a prepared and supported procedure performed by an individual in order to reflect their performance, learning, accomplishments and to plan for their career, educational and personal development (The Higher Education Academy 2011). Lee (2007, p28) describes personal development planning learning in a holistic manner (that is, both non-academic and academic) and it is a process that entails the development of a personal record, self-reflection, planning and examining the progress towards the attainment of individual objectives. PDP accommodates a number of approaches towards learning that link planning (the individual’s purposes and goals for accomplishments and learning) and recording (these are experiences, ideas and thoughts that assist the individual to comprehend and evidence the outcomes and process of learning). PDP also links reflection (analysis and evaluation of experiences and the outcomes of learning) and doing (making the actions straight with the intentions) (The Higher Education Academy 2011). List and Schedule of Accessing Readily Accessible Data on the Current Job and Career A personal professional development plan contains three main components and they include pathways, goals and the portfolio (Boreen, Johnson, and Niday 2009, p144). In personal development planning, a portfolio can be used in learning. Thus, a portfolio of learning is concerned with the evidence that learning took place. In other words, it is a physical proof that the learning process took place (Attwood and While 2000, p10). The professional model focuses on the improvement of a particular professional linked with employability in that particular field (Bradley and Clegg 2006, p64). Some of the information or data that can be readily accessed regarding an individual’s current job role and career include job descriptions, person specifications, list of competencies, company literature, professional literature, relevant websites, company, government, news media and others. These data describe the individual and they are the basis for professional development and acquiring professional identity. In other words, they describe the person in full both in academic and non-academic terms. It is a holistic view of the individual and this is what constitutes personal development planning. A List of Academic Journals and Books Source: Bradley, S. & Clegg, S. (2006) Models of personal development planning: Practice and processes. British Educational Research Journal, 32(1), pp57-76. The focus of the journal is on the models of personal development planning. The academic journal offers models that can be used for personal development planning; three models are given and they are academic, employment and professional models. These models are important in developing and enhancing personal development. Thus, in this study, the academic journal will be vital in providing information concerning personal development planning. Source: Boreen, J., Johnson, M. K. & Niday, D. (2009) Mentoring beginning teachers: Guiding, reflecting, coaching, Stenhouse Publishers. The core focus of the book is mentoring beginning teachers and one of the steps used here to mentor them is personal development planning. In regard to personal development planning, the book specifically focuses on individual professional development plan. This section provides beginning teachers with detailed information of how they can become professional teachers. In other words, it offers the current picture of the teachers (as beginners) and what they aspire to be (that is, professional teachers). Thus, the book is essential for this study. Source: Attwood, M. & While, R. (2000) Professional development: A guide for general practice, Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. The theme of the book is professional development for individuals in the general practice. Personal development planning has been elaborated in this book concerning professionals in the general practice. One of the ways that personal development planning is enhanced is through learning. In other words, a portfolio of learning is important in professional identity among the individuals in general practice. The book offers methods in which the portfolio of learning can be improved. In general, personal development planning is enhanced through the creation of a learning culture. Source: Mausbach, A. T. & Mooney, N. J. (2008) Align the design: A blueprint for school improvement, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The book focuses on aligning the school’s improvement processes with those of the teachers’ professional development processes. The book attempts to offer a striking balance between the goals of the school and professional development of the teacher. One of the tools used is the professional development plan. It offers ways in which professional development plan for the teacher can be enhanced. Source: Eliot, M. & Turns, J. (2011) Constructing professional portfolios: Sense-making and professional development for engineering undergraduates. Journal of Engineering Education, 100(4), pp630-645. The journal investigates professional identity problems and offers suggestions that can alleviate these problems for the emerging engineers and future professionals. Professional identity problems are an obstacle to personal development planning. The authors consider professional identity construction as a process of development. Professional identity develops over time and it is determined by the types of interaction made by the individual and his or her external forces (such as employers, faculty, industrial representatives and peers). Thus, the journal is very important for this study since it offers ways in which professional identity can be enhanced, and not only in the workplace but within the school setting. Professional Development Areas That Need To Be Developed Various areas in professional development need to be developed. These areas include updating the individual curriculum vitae, requesting for new assignment in the individual’s current job, rotation to various jobs, seeking a mentor for the reengineering process, taking part in conferences and seminars. Others include enrollment in university courses and attending contracted or commercial courses. Professional development is enhanced through these areas because they offer ways in which the individual can develop professionally. For instance, managers may be required to develop the following to improve their professional development. These areas include global awareness, project management, understanding the concepts of cultural diversity, change management, and computer literacy. These areas are important to the manager and they occupy most of their daily activities. Thus to develop professionally, they are required to develop the areas mentioned. References Attwood, M. & While, R. (2000) Professional development: A guide for general practice, Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Boreen, J., Johnson, M. K. & Niday, D. (2009) Mentoring beginning teachers: Guiding, reflecting, coaching, Stenhouse Publishers. Bradley, S. & Clegg, S. (2006) Models of personal development planning: Practice and processes. British Educational Research Journal, 32(1), pp57-76. Lee, A. (2007) Personal development planning and the economics tribe. International Review of Economics Education, pp27-47. The Higher Education Academy. (2011) PDP – Personal development planning [online], The Higher Education Academy. Available from: [accessed 18 Nov. 2011]. Read More