Friday, 12 June 2015

Digital Literacy Class - Models and methods of reflection

Second course session was held at Swansea:


Assignment 1 As part of your learning programme, you are required to reflect on your learning and use your reflections to produce an action plan for improvement. Please use your prior research to provide evidence for: Unit 316 
1.3 Identify 2 models and 2 methods of reflective practice. 
1.4 Justify the selection of a model of reflective practice for use when delivering digital literacy learning.
 1.5 Describe a minimum of 4 components of a digital reflective practice record.
 3.1 Create an on-going digital reflective practice record. 
3.5 Develop a personal action plan. Please reference your work to the criteria above. Thank you

Presentations completed individually by each of our table members on Research Models and Methods of Reflective Practice.

Reflective Practice

 Firstly I looked at fining a definition that sums this up for myself.
•Reflective Practice is a method of assessing our own thoughts and actions, for the purpose of personal learning and development


We are able to use reflective practice to help ourselves and others and this is key to help us improve and evaluate.
Reflective Practice – self development
•Looks at our previous/past
•Where we are now
•Where we want to be
When you look at Personal  reflection you can look at:
  •         Self-review
  •         Self-awareness
  •         Self-criticism or self-critique
  •         Self-appraisal
  •         Self-assessment
  •         Intra-personal awareness
  •         Reflective dialogue
  •         Critical evaluation
  •         Self-analysis of our thoughts, feelings, actions, performance

All the above point should be carried out in a positive way so as to improve not deflate an individual.

Research Two Models and Two Methods of Reflective Practice
•Many models available through research on reflective practice
  • I have researched through some management books used for our Management NVQ/ILM qualifications and also used the internet. I have identified two models which I feel are relevant

Model 1 - Kolb 



Kolb's reflective model highlights the concept of experiential learning and is centered around the transformation of information into knowledge.
•This takes place after a situation has occurred, and needs a practitioner reflecting on the experience, gaining a general understanding of the concepts encountered during the experience, and then testing these general understandings in a new situation. Learning from experience.
•In this way, the knowledge that is formed from a situation is continuously applied and reapplied, building on an individuals' prior experiences and knowledge. This means improvments can be made.

Model 2 - Methods of Reflective Practice - Gibbs


•Graham Gibbs discussed the use of structured debriefing to facilitate the reflection involved in Kolb's experiential learning cycle. Gibbs presents the stages shown the above diagram.
To expand on the diagram Gibbs looked at:
Feelings
Discuss your feelings and thoughts about the experience. Consider questions such as: How did you feel at the time? What did you think at the time? What did you think about the session/ IT resource etc afterwards?
Evaluation
For your evaluation, discuss how well you think things went. Perhaps think about: How did you react to the situation, and how did other people react? What was good and what was bad about the experience? If you are writing about a difficult incident, did you feel that the situation was resolved afterwards?
Analysis
In your analysis, consider what might have helped or hindered the event. You also have the opportunity here to compare your experience with the literature you have read. This section is very important, particularly for higher level writing. Many students receive poor marks for reflective assignments for not bringing the theory and experience together.
Conclusion
In your conclusion, it is important to acknowledge: whether you could have done anything else; what you have learned from the experience; consider whether you could you have responded in a different way. If you are talking about a positive experience…discuss whether you would do the same again to ensure a positive outcome. Also consider if there is anything you could change to improve things even further. If the incident was negative…tell your reader how you could have avoided it happening and also how you could make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Action plan
Action plans sum up anything you need to know and do to improve for next time. Perhaps you feel that you need to learn about something or attend some training. Could you ask your tutor or placement supervisor for some advice? What can you do which means you will be better equipped to cope with a similar event? 
Many methods exist in keeping a reflective Practice in your working/training environment these can include:
•Keeping a journal, reflecting in writing, on the various training sessions delivered.
•Mind mapping, this involves the trainer in 'drawing' the ideas surrounding a particular concept or problem in the form of a 'mental map', this allows the trainer to reflect, clarify and reshape their ideas.
•Peer review involves other trainers observing the training and providing their feedback.
•Mentoring involves using another, usually more experienced trainer, to act as an advisor. Identifying a critical friend. This individual is enlisted as a listener and 'sounding board' by the trainer.
•Online training communities. Technology now allows trainers with common interests to share problem-solving techniques and examples of good practice.
Give two methods of reflective practice. From the above list I shall look into the following:
Using a mentor and Online training communities.

Mentor

I have picked Mentoring as I have just finished my Coaching and Mentoring level 5 ILM and have seen first haand the benifit this can have on individuals wanting to reflect and evaluate.
•Mentoring involves using another, usually more experienced trainer, to act as an advisor. Identifying a critical friend. This individual is enlisted as a listener and 'sounding board' by the trainer.

  •        Mentoring needs open-mindedness, where the individual actively listens to more than one side and often that person is highly experienced.
  •        The mentoring makes use of and takes account of facts from a wide source.
  •         The mentor and mentee gives the situation their full attention and explores possible alternatives, and will acknowledge the possibility of errors even in their own  beliefs feeling and ideas
  •         Is willing to question and challenge.

'A mentor (in mentoring) is a dignified procedure whereby a more knowledgeable and experienced individual stimulates a accommodating position of control and promoting reflection and learning within a less experienced and conversant individual, so as to assist that individuals profession and personal development'. (Roberts, 2000:162)
The above quote sums up Mentoring well. In my previous experience of Mentoring it was used to train up managers of the future by putting the junior managers and trainee managers with an experienced mentor. 
It is important to put the right mentor with the right person for it to work well. If you have trust in that individual you are happy to open up about difficult situations, problems and work through to solutions and improve in whatever you do. You need in mentoring to reflect on their own experiences as this can be a great 'tool' to identify any weaknesses and strengths within an individual and the learning which they has taken place. It will be ongoing till they reach where they want to be.

 Online Training Community/forums

The second method I have picked is one I have used myself many times and that is and online training community. Technology now allows trainers with common interests to share problem-solving techniques and examples of good practice. You can discuss experiences and put ideas up and people will evaluate these.
This method is becoming more popular with individuals and is world wide. You can get great feedback from industry experts instantly and with no cost.
Online communities can it encourages contribution on an individual level, and  helps to build and sustain commitment on a group level. The information also tends to stay online so often can help other individuals in the same situation or problem in the future. I myself are in a number of reflective groups online, including Subject based and Coaching and Mentoring and have found this to be an extremely information and useful tool. It is quick, professional and free so I would recommend this method. 

1.4 Justify the selection of a model of reflective practice for use when delivering digital literacy learning.
The model I have chosen to use is Gibbs which follows on from Kolb's earlier model. I find his model easy to follow, understand and I have used this before as part of reflection and evaluation. I feel this model links well to reflective practice as it is tried and tested and works effectively. Many models i have come across over complicate a simple process and then this means it is not taken as it should be and ends up not working.
Gibbs model  is structured as a cycle, reflecting ongoing. This model is good to help you reflect everyday due to its simplicity. 
Many websites have sample questions that can be used with this model in mind and when i have used it I look at sites such as:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/reflective-cycle.htm


1.5 Describe a minimum of 4 components of a digital reflective practice record.

Digital collaboration/ online communities -  This can be a great way in reflecting. I have as part of the Digital Literacy course used hackpad which enabled us as a small group to share ideas and discuss information and get feedback from other group members and our teachers. A useful tool where individuals added information, ideas, and discussed and this all helps with the reflection process.

360 model - 360-degree feedback will include possible direct feedback from a number of people or all people involved in your progress or development. Direct feedback from an employee's subordinates, peers (colleagues), and supervisor(s) or managers, as well as a self-evaluation. It can also include, in some cases, feedback from external sources, such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders. It may be contrasted with "upward feedback," When you get information from all people it helps you to self evaluate from all angles gaining a better understanding.

Smart targets - smart targets will help you to gain a clear plan following evaluation to improve your understanding or performance. You need to make sure any targets set in your development with technology is Specific, Measurable, Realistic and a suitable timescale to be completed. Without this it may be difficult to achieve.

CPD - Any CPD carried out weather it be training courses or self study. It is all vital in understanding yourself and your own progression. Any form of CPD should be evaluated around your digital reflective practice.

Components of digital reflective practice were discussed by Kolb and Gibbs

They both said you should look at:
Experience
Observation/reflection
Ideas 
Then testing the ideas and putting them into practice

Gibbs said you should take into account what happened (description),feelings (how do you think it went, what were you thinking), evaluation(was it good/bad), analysis (what sense can you make of the situation), conclusion (anything else you could have done) and finally to action planning

 .

3.1 Create an on-going digital reflective practice record. 

Many methods are available for online digital reflective practice. Some I have looked at are:
The blogger will be used as my ongoing record digital reflective practice record. 

3.5 Develop a personal action plan


    
                What I already know


                What do I need to know


               Why do I need to do it(reason)


               What have I covered


                Support needed


               Timescale


                Benefit


                What do I want to learn next


( table need edit to make editable image when i fill this in)
What needs to be looked at in a Personal Action Plan are:

What are the strengths and limitations of my current practice?
What am I doing well, need to continue doing well
What do I need to improve/change
What is the best way to move forward
How would I measure success
What does the evidence of improvement/ moving forward look like to me So my Personal action plan will have the following headings:
  • What did you already know? I usually stress that you might have become aware through the session of things that you already knew that are useful to what we’ve been working on. In other words the training might have highlighted the transferability of existing knowledge. We use TNA documents to identify this inline with a Personal plan
.
  • What do I need to know/do? - is this for development of self, others in teaching delivery


  • What did you want to learn/know? These were your stated learning outcomes. It also might provide an opportunity to highlight any formal learning outcomes that you set out or just learning by reflection or practice
  • Why do i need it? why purpose does it have?


  • What have we covered? what have i achieved? I need to think about what has been covered. 


  • Support needed?


  • Timescale - in line with smart


  • Benefit - to myself/organisation e.g. Digital Literacy can be passed on to other staff and to learners.


  • What do you want to learn next? It is encouraging for me to look at progression to keep me motivated
It is also good to look at long term and short term when planning.
. Encouraging people to think of operationalising learning as learning in itself seems to me to be a useful point to make (draws on kolb and Gibb and other learning theories)

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