The Use of Reflective Journals and Strategies - Case Study Example

Reflective Summary Name: Institution: Subject: Instructor: Date of submission: Introduction The use of reflective journals and strategies applied in the learning process contributes positively to the performance of the students. Self set goals and a strategy for learning enhances the learners to become more aware of themselves and identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as challenges that they encounter thereby enabling them to boost their learning by putting in place effective strategies. Goal setting Through setting goals I am able to set sights on the objectives i intend to achieve thereby coming up with a plan that will guide me towards realization of the goals. Setting of goals motivates the learners as well as enhancing creative and critical thinking among them. It also enhances self confidence through believing that the set goals are achievable. A learner is able to think critically as noted by park (2003), through being availed with invaluable experience that assists them in critically analyzing their beliefs. Through goal setting and a planned set of action such as a programme to be followed, one is encouraged to keep track through recording what they have experienced, what they think and any other relevant information pertaining the daily events. With set goals, anxiety that is associated with assessments is eliminated hence I am able to communicate and express views with more confidence. However one of the difficulties associated with this aspect is that undertaking to examine and assess one’s own progress. This is as noted by Schon (1987) that it is critical to leave the learner with the responsibility of self-assessment since they first need to learn how to critically look at their own aspects such as their skills and knowledge and how they apply them. Goal setting is widely accepted as a method of enhancing and supporting performance. It has been established through various studies that individuals perform better when they have difficult goals that are attainable as compared to those with easy or without any goals at all. It is however important to note as indicated by Latham (2003) that individuals should have in place adequate ability, accept the set goals and continuously review the performance. For set goals to be a motivating factor to me I ensure they have the following attributes; They need to be specific, this is because this way an individual has a specified target that they focus on achieving. The goals set should also be attainable even though difficult. The goals set should be within the capabilities of the individual although challenging. This is because this brings out the required improvement in performance (Meale,2005). Goals tend to be more effective if they have a deadline day or date for completion. This way an individual is able to employ more effort so as to attain the goal before the deadline. It is however notable as indicated by Locke and Latham (1990) that the quality of work may be compromised where deadlines are too tight as an individual might strive to meet the deadline hence not necessarily paying attention to the quality of the work being done. It is quite notable that there exists a relationship between setting of goals and performance. When the set goals are abit challenging and specific the performance is more effective. Effective Communication Effective communication is crucial as it helps an individual to understand better another person as well as in resolving disputes as well as in building trust and respect. In most cases people misunderstand each other due to ineffective communication which may result in conflict or an individual feeling frustrated (Wilson, 2002). Through effective communication an individual is in a position to communicate better with their spouses friends or any other party. To be in a position to effectively communicate with someone one should first listen. Listening to someone when speaking gives them a sense of safety makes the person speaking feel heard and understood. For one to fully understand and connect with another person, one needs to be a good listener. To achieve this, one needs to have all the focus on the speaker, to avoid interrupting the other party when they speak, avoid judging them and also show interest in the conversation or what the other party is saying (Pee et al, 2000). Barriers to interpersonal communication may lead to a message being misinterpreted or misunderstood and thereby leading to conflicts or misunderstanding. These barriers include; Negative emotions, negative emotions arise from past experiences and tend to be triggered by circumstances that are similar to the previous experiences. For instance in the conversation between Barbara and peter, past experience which involved Nancy tend to overcome Barbara as she thinks the reason peter is not interested in her is Nancy since she was once involved with peter which left a negative emotion in Barbara. Low self esteem is another barrier to effective communication. When a person lacks confidence in themselves, it might affect the interpersonal communication. For instance Barbara insistence on the subject matter even though peter did not want to talk about it depicts some lack of confidence in her, if otherwise she had full confidence in her self and their relationship she would not be worried about what would happen when they graduate in six months. Low self esteem makes people not to trust themselves which in turn leads to ineffective interpersonal communication. Another barrier to effective interpersonal communication is lack of commitment on an individual. This refers to the situation where one does not know what it is they want or lacking the courage to make the right decisions or take the right actions. For instance with peter and Barbara, peter shows some lack of commitment in the subject Barbara wants them to talk about. This shows lack of attention or ignorance which is not hard to spot. Such a situation makes it hard for people to communicate effectively since the parties communicating have different viewpoints and perceptions about the subject matter. Some situations cause annoyance or disturbance due to lack of effective communication. For instance I have personally experienced such an instance. I was having a conversation with my friend but his statements were always irritating in the sense that they were negative. Such phrases included, why “you always do this” do, “you should stop doing that”, “you are out of your mind”. Such phrases always led me to answering in the same version. At one point I said to him “you should focus more on your life before correcting me” that phrase caused a conflict because my friend felt I was being rude to him. That was not the case however, as my response was motivated by the way he was communicating. However I wanted to save the situation and maintain our friendship hence I used an “I” statement instead. Ii explained to him how bad I felt whenever he questioned everything about my life. I told him; “ I am always hurt by the way you express yourself when talking to me, I am not 100% perfect but I would feel much better if you corrected me instead of always blaming me. I know I make mistakes but the way you express yourself to me in that regard makes me feel like I can never do anything right.” My explanation made him remorseful and apologetic for the way he used to express himself. The use of an “I” statement elicited a completely different response since my friend clearly understood how bad he used to make me feel with his expressions. This would not have otherwise been the case if I had instead started pointing out his negatives to him. Effective communication is vital to the way people relate with each other, the way messages are communicated dictates how the message is going to be received. Use of an “I” statement makes a person engage other people in the conversation from their point of view of a situation without blaming other people. The use of an “I” statement engages the other person in the conversation and they are likely to respond in a friendly manner without getting aggrieved or defensive about the things we say. Conflict management Conflict arises in instances whereby there is no agreement. Conflict may be in different forms. These include; person versus another person. This arises whereby two parties are against each other. For instance, in a robbery where two parties are directly opposed to each other. Man versus society conflict; this arises whereby a man is against an association or institution. For instance whereby a person is accused of bullying or enslaving individuals it brings forth man against society conflict. Man against nature; this type of conflict arises between an individual and nature for instance, forces of nature such as earthquakes or animals. Man against self is another type of conflict whereby the conflict is internal. This is where an individual is forced to make a choice between different situations or circumstances. Conflict may also be political, personal, international, class or racial conflict. It can also be classified as war, litigation, feud or conflict of impersonal ideals. Conflict arises as a result of various happenings. These causes include; Personal differences; Different people have differing natures, attitudes and interests hence two people with differing interests might end up in a conflict due to the clashing of interests. Cultural differences between individuals are also a cause of conflict. This is because different societies have different cultures hence tension arising between such groups and hence conflict arises. Social changes may also lead to conflicts in that the rate at which society changes with respect to norms such as morality or politics might lead to conflict. It is of utmost importance to learn how to deal with conflicts since it’s hard to avoid it as its part of day to day relationships between individuals. The damage caused by conflict depends on the manner in which it is managed. If a conflict is handled in the right manner it brings forth a positive impact through strengthening the bond between the conflicting parties. Surbeck et al, (1991) indicates that to effectively manage conflicts one needs to understand the ways in which to address the conflict in the right way. This ways include; being able to identify and respond to those things that are of importance to the other parties., one should also be in a position to act in calm manner and avoid being too defensive as well as be able to react with respect to reactions. One should also have the willingness to forgive and forget and move on without any resentment or anger. One should also be in a position to compromise and try to avoid punishment. One should also understand that the best way to resolve a conflict for both parties is to face it head on. Giving effective Criticism Giving effective criticism is at times called for in order to enhance change to individuals with undesired behaviour. In my role I had noticed a rather annoying behaviour with a classmate who was also a close friend. He had developed this habit of interrupting me anytime I was saying anything before I completed making my point. To effectively criticize him I had to follow the steps for effective criticism as indicated below; Give more praise than criticism; To start with I engaged him in a conversation telling him how some of his stories amused me. I also tipped him to go for a post as a representative in the student’s union due to his versatility and popularity in the school. But before I could finish making my point he had already interrupted me again and at this point I had to quickly move on to the second step. Criticize immediately; I told him of the habit he had developed and how it had been going on for a while and it was annoying. Considering he had just interrupted me as I was talking he acknowledged his mistake and felt sorry for it. I then went on to advice him to always let someone to finish their statements whenever he is having a conversation. This way communication is more effective and both parties are satisfied. He took the criticism positively and assured me that he would be more considerate from then hence forth. This made me believe that I had been successful in my quest to give effective criticism. However, it was hard at first especially the first step where I had to praise him before criticizing. It was hard because I I had been offended by the behaviour and I felt like going straight to the point with the criticism. There is need to practice more on giving positive criticism that is aimed at improving the other party and not feel like they are being blamed. However, I realized during the criticism that he was not amused by my statements as I was using a “you” statement when referring to his behaviour. I however learnt that for effective communication its always best to use the “I” statement in such conversations. To improve my ability to give positive and effective criticism in the future I will always use the “I” statement when criticizing someone or their unacceptable behaviours. The criticism I gave after the lecture was more convincing and point driven in comparison to the one I role played in class. This is because I was dealing with a real case scenario and having learnt how to give positive criticism in class I was better armed with the right skill and procedure for giving effective criticism. It was however more difficult to give the criticism to my friend unlike in class since it was role played unlike in the real case scenario. References Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. 1990. A theory of goal setting and task performance Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Latham, G. P. 2003. Goal setting: A five-step approach to behavior change. Organizational Dynamics, 32(3), 309-318. Meale, M. 2005. The Effect of Goal Setting, Self-Evaluation and Self-Reflection on Student Art Performance in Selected 4th and 5th Grade Visual Art Classes. Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations. Paper 2510 Pee, B., Woodman, T., Fry, H., & Davenport, E. S. 2000. Appraising and assessing reflection in students’ writing on a structured worksheet.Medical Education, 36,575-585. Park, C. 2003. Engaging students in the learning process: The learning journal. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 27,183-199. Schon, D. 1987. Educating the reflective practitioner.San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. Surbeck, E., Han, E. P., & Moyer, J. E. 1991. Assessing reflective responses in journals. Educational Leadership, 48,25-27. Wilson, T. D. 2002. Strangers to ourselves. Discovering the adaptive unconscious. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Read More

Goals tend to be more effective if they have a deadline day or date for completion. This way an individual is able to employ more effort so as to attain the goal before the deadline. It is however notable as indicated by Locke and Latham (1990) that the quality of work may be compromised where deadlines are too tight as an individual might strive to meet the deadline hence not necessarily paying attention to the quality of the work being done. It is quite notable that there exists a relationship between setting of goals and performance.

When the set goals are abit challenging and specific the performance is more effective. Effective Communication Effective communication is crucial as it helps an individual to understand better another person as well as in resolving disputes as well as in building trust and respect. In most cases people misunderstand each other due to ineffective communication which may result in conflict or an individual feeling frustrated (Wilson, 2002). Through effective communication an individual is in a position to communicate better with their spouses friends or any other party.

To be in a position to effectively communicate with someone one should first listen. Listening to someone when speaking gives them a sense of safety makes the person speaking feel heard and understood. For one to fully understand and connect with another person, one needs to be a good listener. To achieve this, one needs to have all the focus on the speaker, to avoid interrupting the other party when they speak, avoid judging them and also show interest in the conversation or what the other party is saying (Pee et al, 2000).

Barriers to interpersonal communication may lead to a message being misinterpreted or misunderstood and thereby leading to conflicts or misunderstanding. These barriers include; Negative emotions, negative emotions arise from past experiences and tend to be triggered by circumstances that are similar to the previous experiences. For instance in the conversation between Barbara and peter, past experience which involved Nancy tend to overcome Barbara as she thinks the reason peter is not interested in her is Nancy since she was once involved with peter which left a negative emotion in Barbara.

Low self esteem is another barrier to effective communication. When a person lacks confidence in themselves, it might affect the interpersonal communication. For instance Barbara insistence on the subject matter even though peter did not want to talk about it depicts some lack of confidence in her, if otherwise she had full confidence in her self and their relationship she would not be worried about what would happen when they graduate in six months. Low self esteem makes people not to trust themselves which in turn leads to ineffective interpersonal communication.

Another barrier to effective interpersonal communication is lack of commitment on an individual. This refers to the situation where one does not know what it is they want or lacking the courage to make the right decisions or take the right actions. For instance with peter and Barbara, peter shows some lack of commitment in the subject Barbara wants them to talk about. This shows lack of attention or ignorance which is not hard to spot. Such a situation makes it hard for people to communicate effectively since the parties communicating have different viewpoints and perceptions about the subject matter.

Some situations cause annoyance or disturbance due to lack of effective communication. For instance I have personally experienced such an instance. I was having a conversation with my friend but his statements were always irritating in the sense that they were negative. Such phrases included, why “you always do this” do, “you should stop doing that”, “you are out of your mind”. Such phrases always led me to answering in the same version. At one point I said to him “you should focus more on your life before correcting me” that phrase caused a conflict because my friend felt I was being rude to him.

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