Personal Development Plan: 2015

Thursday, 26 February 2015

Week 25

Weekly Reflection

I have started week 25 of the academic year. I have recently come back to college from half term, it was a relaxing week and I am ready to get focused to make a final push for a grade that I will be personally satisfied with. The week has started off well as I have managed to get to college ten minutes before my first lesson of the day every day so far. I have also managed to hand in outstanding work as well as get started on assignments that aren’t due for a couple of weeks. I have managed to reach a turning point since coming back from half term and I am ready to stay improved by being punctual with getting to college on time, as well as starting coursework as soon as it is assigned to use my time more efficiently.

The week started off well but I am going off track with bad time keeping as I have managed to miss the bus by just a couple of seconds twice in the last two days and that has caused me to be late. However I am getting into good habits of not going to bed incredibly late and starting to complete coursework a couple of weeks before its due date, so my time keeping has improved but still is a work in progress. My recent discovery of what type of learner I am has also helped me study and complete coursework as I have started to be more practical by taking action in completing coursework, as well as reading and watching the news to help me with Media studies. I am predominately a kinaesthetic learner but I am also developing my other learning styles to become adaptable, so I have been watching and reading the news to develop my visual and auditory learning styles.

Areas of development

I have allowed work to pile up as a lot of it is due in a couple of weeks which means I will need to plan my time well and put the improvements I have made to myself since half term to the test. I have also procrastinated with assignments I started on a while ago and they are still yet to be completed, so I will need to start and finish work next time so I don’t make myself fall short for time. Finally I have spent a more than necessary amount of time on assignments worth lower grades than assignments worth higher grades so I need to make sure to concentrate more on the higher grades or at least spend more time on them.

I still have work piled up and lots of it is due in a couple of weeks, so I still need to plan my time well and put the improvements I have made to myself since half term to the test. I am still procrastinating with assignments I started on a while ago and they are still yet to be completed, so I need to prioritise these and get them completed as soon as possible to be more efficient and give myself enough time for the work to be proofread. I have recently started developing all of my learning styles so I can be more adaptable to learning and give myself an opportunity to use as many resources as possible to help me in my studies. To develop these further I could continue being practical and getting stuck in with coursework to develop my predominant learning style of being kinaesthetic. I could also read more and watch videos to help enhance my visual and auditory learning styles.

What has gone well?

Although I have procrastinated with coursework I have still made progress on that work. I have also managed to improve my punctuality as well as time keeping when it comes to starting and finishing work. I also feel that although I have spent a more than necessary amount of time on assignments worth lower grades, I have spent enough time making sure I secure these grades.

I have been using my preferred learning style effectively in my studies and have also used it to develop my other learning styles. I have also managed to begin finishing coursework I started on a while ago and have been using my learning styles to complete them to a better standard, as well as gain more knowledge from the assignments through lectures and generally working on them

Long term goal

My long term goal is to finish college with at least Merit standards, but I will be pushing hard for distinctions. I am still deciding between getting a full time job and going to university, so my goal is currently to be successful in college.

Week 21

Weekly Reflection

I have now started week 21 of the academic year, the week has been up and down so far. I managed to meet a deadline for an assignment and I feel that I did well for that assignment, however it hit me today how much work I have actually got to hand in. There are one or two pieces of outstanding work, because I have made a few errors which have caused me not to meet criteria. As well as outstanding work, I have assignments with official deadlines for the end of this week as well as the end of next week. There are still two months to go for the first year but that time will be needed for the new units we are being introduced to. Time is against me at the moment so I need to make sure not to waste it. On top of this I have already been late for my first lesson twice this week, I know I promised not to get another late slip for the rest of term and it only took a week to ruin that. However I am still determined to change for the better, I really need to pull my socks up and keep being punctual from this point on.

The 21^st week of the academic year is coming to an end and the week as a whole has been more positive than negative. I have been late to every first lesson this week but I have managed to work hard as soon as I get into lesson. Punctuality is still an issue I need to address, but I am determined to resolve the problem. I have been given deadline extensions for upcoming assignments that are due in. This was great news for me because it gives me more time to complete the assignment to a good standard. I have also been given a few other bits of good news this week. Tomorrow is teachers training day which means I get a whole extra day to get assignments done. Next week is also RAP week which means I only need to come in for teachers who I owe outstanding work to. There isn’t too much for me to catch up on so it gives me a lot more time to get assignment work done. I will still be in college most if not all of next week to get help from teachers in case I need it. I have been given a lot of good news this week and there aren’t too many negatives, I just need to catch up with certain assignments.

I have completed two personality questionnaires where I discovered that I am a kinaesthetic learner predominately and I also predominately use the right side of my brain. I seem to work better by being practical and actually doing things, I also like to analyse situations and self-assess myself. I have a more spontaneous style according to the personality test, where I prefer a less structured environment and my attention tends to wander unless I am focused on something that I am interested in.

Areas of development

Punctuality is still an issue at the moment, but I am progressing on it as I am managing to get to college on time a lot more so there are signs that I am trying to develop. I also need to develop my time keeping in another area which is getting coursework completed. I have a lot of coursework to complete over the next few weeks so I have to make sure to use all the time I’ve got effectively and efficiently. There are only a couple of months to go until the summer comes, work now whilst I have the chance and rest over the summer.

As I have recently discovered the type of learner I am, I am going to start developing on using my learning style to my advantage by researching ways to utilise it effectively and start using it more predominately in college as well as outside. Punctuality is still an issue I need to work on, late slips are being scrapped after next week which is extra motivation for me to get in on time as the teacher will have the option whether or not to let me in the classroom if I am late.

What has gone well?

I managed to complete an assignment due in on Sunday, on time and the assignment wasn’t a small one. I dedicated a lot of time to it and feel that I completed it to a good standard. It also showed me that I can get work done well if I give myself enough time. This will be used as inspiration for the coming weeks of college. It will help me to complete assignments on time and to a good standard because I feel that I have already proven I can do this, I just need to be consistent.

I have received lots of good news this week. In terms of being given extra time to complete assignments as the deadline has been extended, as well as being given extra time off to focus on specific work. The recent discovery of my learning style has also been good news as I have found out that I have a preferred learning style, so now I have the foundation to build on and practise on using my learning style to my advantage.

Long term goal

Week 20

Weekly Reflection

I have now started week 20 of the academic year and I am off to a good start in terms of developing myself. Last night I had parents evening where it was addressed that my punctuality is a bit of a problem and I am a bit slow in terms of getting work completed on time, however I am using the feedback from my teachers as motivation to improve. What was addressed last night I have already mentioned a lot in my blog, but now is the time for change. I am in a good position in terms of how much time I have in order to meet all of my deadlines for both courses. However I need to make sure to use my time efficiently in order to meet every single deadline. I have thought of a strategy to planning my time well which is to spend some extra time after college hours completing work to give myself less to do at home.

Punctuality is still an issue as I was late today but this will be the last time I get a late slip this year, I want to succeed in college and the best way to do that is to get the most out of all my lessons by arriving on time. Speaking of punctuality, I have extra motivation to improve on it as a work place won’t stand for it. If I get into the habit of being punctual now it will help me a lot in the future by giving me an extra skill both personally and in my working career.

Areas of development

Punctuality is still a problem however I am highly motivated and determined to improve on this starting from now. I also still need to work on planning my time efficiently for getting work done. However I have come up with a plan to help develop this by staying in college after hours to get work done so I don’t have to bring it home, I just need to make sure to stick to this plan.

What has gone well?

I have boosted my morale at possibly the best time of the academic year to do so, I have managed to start keeping up to date with my work and have given myself more than enough time recently to get all of my coursework completed to a good standard. Providing I spend plenty of time getting work completed, I will be able to get all of my assignments handed in on time and hopefully to a good standard. I have also boosted my morale in the sense that I am highly motivated to be punctual to lessons as I have addressed this issue with family and with teachers, so it is now up to me to do the rest. I am in a position where things will only go wrong if I let them by going back to my old ways, however I am determined to not let this happen.

Long term goal

Week 19

Weekly Reflection

This is week 19 of the academic year and it has already had a strange start. My first lesson of the week which is a double was cancelled, so I decided to go home and catch up on coursework that I needed to get done. I managed to complete all the work I needed to get done and brought it in to college today. Due to bus strikes I ended up arriving late to class today and we were taught by another IT teacher as our regular teacher isn’t well. Only half of the class are in today so we spent our 11:20am lesson today as a lesson to complete coursework. We are using this lesson also to complete coursework, which has been handy because it reduces the amount of coursework I will need to complete later on.

Areas of development

I still need to make sure to get to college on time and be punctual as much as possible this term. I also need to make sure to plan my time wisely and efficiently as I have given myself enough time to complete certain assignments but I need to make sure I don’t let that time go to waste.

What has gone well?

I have managed to get assignments handed in on time and have been a lot more efficient in giving myself enough time to complete them. I am currently in a position where I will need to plan my free time wisely for once, as opposed to planning time I haven’t got to complete assignments to a decent standard. I can now plan my time to complete assignments to a great standard and hopefully reach target grades or higher.

Long term goal

Week 18

Reflection

This is the first academic week of 2015 and I have already managed to be punctual to all lessons so far. The Christmas break gave me a lot of rest and enabled me to be refreshed for the New Year. Over Christmas, I saw a lot of family and was able to catch up with them, I also worked as a Christmas temp for Marks and Spencer. The second half of this academic year will be my opportunity to improve on issues last year such as punctuality and meeting deadlines, New Year fresh start.

I have already been given an opportunity to improve on last term, as I have assignment deadlines coming up. I need to make sure to start early on these assignments and work hard so I can get the grades I want. I have had to play catch up with outstanding assignments however, because I was ill the last three days of the autumn term so I have been setback a bit. I am determined though to get these assignments finished so I am not setback for too long and so I can give myself more opportunities for gaining higher grades in my units.

Areas of development

I need to make sure to get to college on time and be punctual as much as possible this term. I also need to make sure to meet deadlines with assignments and start work on them early, to be more efficient with my time and improve the quality of my work. If I can develop on these two things I can overcome my challenges from last term.

What has gone well?

I have already managed to be on time for all lessons during the very first academic week of 2015 and started making progress on work as soon as it has been assigned. So far I am doing well to overcome my challenges of the autumn term. I need to make sure to keep these up so I can hopefully make being punctual and making progress on work as soon as it has been assigned second nature.

Long term goal

Week 13

Weekly Reflection

I have been on time to my lessons both days so far this week, which means I am making progress with my ongoing target of being punctual. I have also managed to upload work aiming for a distinction, so my hopes are high for achieving this grade. However a recent challenge has risen in terms of being given a new assignment, which is to give a presentation to the class based on effective communication. My PowerPoint is still looking very basic and not as presentable as it could be. I only have till Thursday to expand on my PowerPoint and make it look more presentable. Another recent challenge has come up as I started my first lesson not realising a bit of work was supposed to be completed, so when I get home tonight I will need to complete this work ready for tomorrow’s lesson. In future I need to remember to write down when I am given a task so I can plan my time efficiently and get it completed on time.

Areas of development

What has gone well?

Long term goal

Week 12

Weekly Reflection

I have been late for college a few times this week again. I really need to start pulling my finger out and arriving to college on time, when I start working they won’t allow me to be late. The irony of this ongoing challenge still occurring even in the twelve week of college is that I have managed to obtain a job over Christmas. If I am late even a quarter of the amount of times I have been late for college over the autumn term, I will be fired on the spot. I now have extra motivation for making myself punctual for everything. It would be silly for me not to take it.

My goal for the end of the academic year is to finish the course to a merit grade standard at least. I am disappointed in myself because I haven’t attempted to complete any distinction grade criteria for most units during this term and I would really like to finish college with a good grade. However I am happy to finish this academic year with a merit providing I pull my socks up and work incredibly hard next year to bring my final grade up to a distinction.

Week 11

Weekly Reflection

I was a few minutes late for college yesterday, which means I haven’t been doing so well in trying to overcome my challenge of getting to college on time. However I got to college on time today which is a good start for trying to overcome this challenge. I am aiming to be punctual for the rest of the academic year which means I need to leave for college at a decent time and try to get there a few minutes early to make sure I turn up to lesson on time. Recently I have been given deadlines for three assignments this week. I have already handed in one. To make sure I get the other two assignments done on time and to a good standard, I need to plan my time effectively and efficiently. One assignment is due in Friday so I will need to make use of time between now and then. The other assignment is due in on Sunday so I will need to make use of time between now and Sunday and use my time effectively by getting the assignment due on Friday done and then concentrating on the assignment due for Sunday between Friday and Saturday.

I have recently had a deadline extension for work that was supposed to be due on Wednesday but was extended to tomorrow. My work was already completed by Wednesday which means I managed to plan my time well to get it done. I now have two assignments due by the end of the week, one for tomorrow and one for Sunday. In order to complete this to a good standard ill need to spend a lot of time focusing on each, meaning I will need to concentrate on the assignment that is due tomorrow. Once that has been handed in, I will concentrate on the next assignment. The challenge is to make sure I get both completed to a good standard and on time. I was late today which means I am not making good progress for my ongoing target of getting to college on time, I really need to start leaving earlier. Hopefully this is the last time that I address this challenge in my blog.

Week 10

Weekly Reflection

I was late to college again today by a couple of minutes. I was also late last week twice in the same day. My punctuality has been a challenge throughout the college year so far and I need to overcome it. In order to overcome this ongoing challenge all I need to do is leave ten minutes earlier, as most of my lates have only been a maximum of five minutes but there have been some around ten minutes and later. So to summarise I need to get on an earlier bus to make sure I get to college on time. Another recent challenge has been to finish an assignment before the end of the week as my teacher was ill so the deadline was extended. I have a chance to overcome some of my challenges from a couple of weeks ago which was to make sure I get work done on time and to work efficiently, so I can get the grades I want. I am doing well in most of my units so far by getting work done and acquiring target grades.

I have been late to my first lesson of the day, three times this week but I haven’t been ridiculously late. To overcome this challenge I must start leaving a few minutes early to make sure I turn up five minutes before the lesson as opposed to five minutes late. I have also got a few assignments due in tomorrow for one of my units, so I need to make sure to get all my work finished and to a good standard. Most of the work is done but I still need to add some finishing touches to improve my grade. I have also got assignments due for next week so I need to make sure I get these completed over the weekend, so I have time to proof read in the week days before my deadline next week. I have recently been doing well in one of my units to get work done, on Tuesday’s lesson this week I managed to get all the work completed within the lesson. In yesterday’s lesson I completed the work which my lecturer set to be due for next lesson, however I managed to complete it within the lesson with extra detail.

Week 9

Weekly Reflection

I have been back at college for over a day since half term, the half term was a very relaxing break but now it’s time to get back to work. I have an assignment I am still yet to improve in order to get the grade I want, so I need to get this done as soon as possible as the draft is completed but the final version is slightly late. I need to improve my planning and time management in terms of planning out when I am going to complete work and how long I am going to spend on it, this is a challenge which I will need to overcome in order to get high grades and relieve pressure on myself. I have a few chances between now and next week to overcome this challenge because I have two assignments due for next week, so in order to improve myself and overcome my challenge I will need to get the work completed early and to a good standard to give myself enough time to proof read and make sure I keep to deadlines.

I have recently been handed back work completed a few weeks ago and managed to get the grades I wanted, this means I have managed to overcome one of my challenges which was to get work done on time and to a good standard. I have two assignments due for next week which I need to make sure I complete in order to keep overcoming my ongoing challenge of getting work done to a good standard. I arrived late this morning however, which meant I missed most of my first lesson. So the challenge is to make sure I get to college on time and to not oversleep next time.

Week 7

Weekly Reflection

I have recently been given assignments to be completed between now and after half term with one deadline giving me an extra week after half term. To overcome this challenge I will need to make sure to plan my time efficiently in order to get everything handed in to a good standard. The challenge isn’t to get the work in on time, but to use the time I have to get it done well in order to get a good grade. I have recently overcome last week’s challenges as I managed to get work finished on time, but I may not have the grade I wanted for one assignment as I cut myself short for time. However I still have a chance of getting the grade by including evidence in another assignment for the same unit. Overall I feel I have done well to meet deadlines but still need to work on getting to college on time. I arrived a minute late on Monday because I got on the bus that will either get me in on time or late depending on how fast I walk. In order to avoid the risk of a late slip I need to get on the earlier bus.

I was late to college this morning which caused me to miss about 10 minutes of my first lesson. I am off to a bad start in terms of overcoming my challenge of trying to get to college on time, to overcome this I must leave a few minutes earlier to make sure I don’t miss any part of the lesson. However I feel that I am doing well in college at the moment, aside from being late a few times during the term so far. I have no negative comments on my pro monitor, there is a concern comment on there but at the time I had no control over it because I couldn’t access my college email. I feel I have done well to get on top of my work, this week I have got work done straight away and even completed an assignment the lesson I was given it. I just need to make sure I hand in my second draft for a media report and the assignment I completed the lesson I got it, to make sure both are completed to a good standard and I achieve high grades.

Week 6

Weekly Reflection

I have recently been given feedback from an assignment I handed in last week for Media. I got a B for my coursework but have been given feedback and hints on getting the next level up which is also the highest grade possible, so this is a challenge as I will need to make sure I read carefully the advice I have been given in order to get a high grade. Another challenge is that an assignment for IT is due this week and I still have a lot to work on for it, so the challenge will be to get it done to a great standard in order to achieve a high grade. I have overcome a challenge which first presented itself last week, which was to hand in an assignment due tomorrow to a good standard, I have handed it in a day early and I feel it has been completed to a good standard.

I was late for college this morning by just a few minutes and went to collect a late slip at the exact time of the lesson starting so I wasn’t hugely late. However I need to work on getting into lesson on time as opposed to just being in college on time. I have also got an assignment due for tomorrow which is worth an M1 so I will need to get it done to a very good standard tonight and during the day tomorrow. I need to work on getting work completed before deadlines so I can receive feedback before producing a final draft. I felt I have recently done this well as I managed to complete a piece of D1 work before it has even been set, but there is still room for improvement.

Week 5

Weekly Reflection

I had to finish two reports over the weekend, which was due at the start of this week. On one report I ended up writing an approximate of 1400 words and the other report I wrote an approximate of 2300 words. Both have been submitted so I have managed to overcome one of my recent challenges of getting assignments done.

I also had to finish my P2 for unit 1 which was due in today, I managed to get it done though and I feel that I have reached the criteria for the grade. A final recent challenge has been travelling since the burst water pipe yesterday, it hasn’t been too bad so far but I have recently been told certain stops for the bus that I get to and from college are closed which could cause me to be late in the near future. Unless I leave for college early and will probably end up arriving before my first lesson starts early in the morning.

I was two minutes late for college again yesterday, so I need to make sure to get the earlier bus in order to make sure I get to the lesson on time. Also I was running late today but managed to get in before the lesson started so I am overcoming the challenge quickly. I have recently been given a few assignments all due for next week, so to make sure I get these done I will have to get them finished on time but preferably early so I can have a chance to get some feedback. I also received feedback from my P1 during the last lesson and I met the criteria, so I am happy to get the grade. The next challenge is to work on the P3 which is due during the week of the 20th October. In order to overcome this challenge, I will work on the assignment and hand it in early to get so feedback before my final submission.

Week 4

Weekly Reflection:

I have recently been given two assignments due next week for both of my courses, the media assignment is a draft report and the ICT assignment is an official one. This is an opportunity for me to rectify from previous mistakes in terms of getting work done at the last minute and getting it done to not a great standard. I now have the chance to be very informative and get my work done early and efficiently so it can be proof read beforehand. This will allow me to be more organized and takes the pressure off.

I have also recently received deadlines for coursework due next week, so my challenge would be to get all of this done by the weekend. This will allow me to reach my targets of having better time keeping and will also keep me focused to do well. Another recent challenge was that I received a late slip on Tuesday due to my bus journey on my way to a 9am lesson. In order to overcome this challenge I must get on the earlier bus to make sure I definitely get to college on time and completely lose the risk of being late for college.

Week 3

Weekly Reflection

Had to collect a late slip today even though I was only a minute late, I need to leave my house earlier to get to college slightly earlier. I thought I would be on time today and I pretty much was, so I feel the late slip was a little harsh as I hadn’t missed anything.

Assignments have been coming in frequently and I have managed to keep on top of it, but I still can improve with my time keeping. I still am completing work at the last minute which I need to get out of the habit of doing so I will start doing assignments as soon as I get them from now on.

I recently received feedback on an assignment handed in last week, I managed to get the grade but it was only a borderline grade. I know what the problem was though, my explanations were too simplistic and I didn’t expand my explanations enough with key words and more information. So in my next assignment I will make sure to be more technical and explain things as specific as possible.

I have some research and coursework to be handed in next week, so I need to plan my time well in order to get everything done to a good standard. Today I made it on time. to college because I got on the earlier bus. I have recently not been planning my time well however I am still doing work at the last minute but managing to meet deadlines. In order to overcome this challenge I need to complete work as soon as I get it and use my free periods wisely to go to the library to get work done.

Short term goals

I would like to complete my work to a good standard get all of it handed in on time next week, I am also aiming to have a completed plan of action in terms of when to get work done and when I can take breaks.

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Week 2

Overall experience of college so far:

Had a good first week in college, met some nice people and looking forward to working in class with them for the next two years. I’m still currently finding my feet in terms of figuring out a schedule of when to do work and what time to leave in order to get to college on time.

Recent challenges:

I have been late to my first lesson at 9am twice in a row this week. First two late attendances of the year since the late slip rule at college starting applying, the timing couldn’t be any worse. Leaving to get to college for 9am is a nightmare as I have boarded the bus around 8:10am but have still managed to be late. On Monday morning I didn’t arrive in class till around 9:20am, but today I arrived in class earlier than that, around 9:15am even though I boarded the bus around the same time.

To overcome this challenge I will need to get on the bus earlier in order to get to college on time, so from tomorrow I will be leaving earlier and boarding the bus earlier.

The timetable has recently changed which means there is now a big gap between lessons, I also start Media AS today so I am naturally a bit nervy about meeting a new class as well as making assumptions on what the work will be like in months to come.

The first challenge allows me more time to get work done as I have to stay in college to go to my lessons later on in the day, so I am less distracted to work without thinking about going home. As for the second challenge, I just have to take it as it comes and relax. As long as I work hard throughout the year I should be fine.

Week 1

What do I want to achieve?

I would like to have a successful two years at Richmond, hopefully finishing my course with a distinction grade overall.

How important is this goal to me?

Achieving a distinction grade would mean a lot to me, as it will set me up well for getting into university. If I put the work in now it will help me out a lot in the long run.

What are the factors that will help me achieve my goal?

By working hard in college and making sure all work is finished early and handed in on time, this will give me time to improve it to make sure it is up to a great standard.

Who can help me achieve my goal?

I can use resources which can be found on Moodle to help me achieve this. A good sense of timing would also help me. The earlier I get work done, the more time I have to check that it is up to a good standard.

What are the factors that may stop me achieving this goal?

If I miss a lesson through illness or if I turn up late and miss half of the lesson, I will miss out on a lot of vital information. Also if there are any errors in saving and accessing work it could cost me severely, so I need to make sure I am always in on time and make sure my work is saved and has backup files.

What is the gap between where I am now in terms of my skills and knowledge, and where I

want to be?

The gap between where I want to be and where I am now is the course I am currently studying. If I can achieve well in this course, I can get myself to where I want to be. I am competent with using a computer currently but I still have much to learn. In order to reach my goal I need to put everything into practise and increase my computer knowledge in order to achieve high grades.

What are my strengths?

My main strength is that I know my way around a computer and I am confident in using one, I can do things such as performing maintenance and repairs with software and am familiar with quite a bit of software itself. Another of my strengths is my focus, once I get focused I make sure whatever I am doing is finished before I do anything else.

What are my weaknesses?

One of my main weaknesses is my listening skills, it takes me a while to understand things and I need some things to be explained more than once. Another of my weaknesses is my focus, even though I have already mentioned that once focused, I make sure the work is done before I continue. The problem is getting to this point of focus, I have to make some progress on work at least otherwise I lose interest in trying to finish it. In order to make progress on work, I have to focus on getting a lot of it done straight away.

Long term goal:

My long term goal is to finish college with at least Merit standards, but I will be pushing hard for distinctions. I am currently deciding between getting a full time job and going to university, so my goal is currently to be successful in college.