D2 review progress on a personal development plan, identifying areas for improvement. [RL3]

PDP Evaluation D2

Pass my Driving Theory test before the end of the year

Although I haven’t completed this, I have taken steps to completing it, just not within the specified timeframe. I have been reading the Highway Code and been taking mock theory tests on the internet; I did this to practice for when I take the real theory test, to prepare myself. 

I could have improved by organising to sit the theory test and could have started revising for the test earlier, because I took my time revising and doing mock theories I’m not as prepared as I could have been if I would have started doing those earlier

Get a Christmas job

I have been applying for jobs in most major shops/businesses in my local area and also sufficiently updated my CV (updated the qualifications section and put more relevant information on it) before applying for these jobs but have not heard back from anywhere so far. Although this means I can’t complete my short term goal ‘Get a Christmas job’ it has helped me take steps to reach my medium term goal ‘Get a part time job’.

I could have improved by applying for more jobs outside of my local area, as just applying for jobs in the local area is restricting the possibility of getting a job. I could also have applied for jobs a lot soon, for example in the summer, this would have given me more time to look for more jobs and also could have meant I start work sooner.

Get D in all units on year one IT Level 3 course.

I’m currently still working towards this goal as the deadline is at the end of the course. I’m making sufficient progress with Distinctions in 1 unit and working towards Distinction in the others.

Completing this short term goal will help to work towards my medium term goal of ‘Get on to year 2 of my IT Level 3 course’.

Get D in Unit 1.

I’ve completed this short term goal by getting completing all Pass, Merit and Distinction assignments for Unit 1 Communication and Employability.

Get D in Unit 2.

I’m currently working towards completing this short term goal by working on completing all Pass work so I then have plenty of time to complete the Merit and then Distinction work.

Get D in Unit 3.

I’m hoping to achieve Distinction in this unit but with time running short I may have to settle for Merit, even Merit will still help me to get D* overall.

Get D in Unit 7.

I’m working towards Distinction in this unit and am making sufficient progress to attain my desired result.

Get D in Unit 10.

I am 1 Merit piece of work away from attaining Distinction overall in this unit, this will help me to complete my short term goal related to this.

Get D in Unit 20.

I’m working towards Distinction in this unit by completing my website design ahead of schedule and also completing any written work given as soon as possible.

Get D in Unit 43.

For this unit I’m required to learn Flash which I am doing, I’m currently working towards completing my project giving me more time to clear up the Distinction and Merit work.

D1 evaluate interpersonal and written communications techniques

During the course of the unit I used interpersonal skills during verbal exchanges to clarify my speech and message, I’ve also spoke confidently during presentations. During verbal exchanges I used PowerPoint presentations to reinforce my message during a speech, this was done so that the audience could listen to me but also get a rough idea of my message by reading the PowerPoint behind me. I modulated my voice during my speech to ensure that the whole of the room could hear me clearly but I also had to make sure that I wasn’t shouting to those sat closer to me. I had a question and answers session at the end of the speech to clarify any points that may have not been conveyed correctly during the speech. Using terminology was also important as not all the audience may have understood certain jargon and slang so instead of the jargon I paraphrased so everyone could properly understand.

Body language was important during this unit to emphasise certain points through the use of gestures. I also used body language with positive language to create an opening and friendly atmosphere during verbal exchanges, this encouraged the audience to actively engage in the conversation and helped communication in group work. When listening to someone I actively engaged in the conversation by nodding so that they know I’m listening and paying attention to what they’re saying. It was also important to not use negative language as this would discourage open conversation and may have hindered any group efforts. Open questions were used to open up discussion on a topic, this is important to improve on initial ideas and it also allows conversations to flow naturally and not in a linear direction.  Closed questions on the other hand were used to get a final answer.

Structuring my work was important to ensure that all the criteria for the work were easily viewable and not hidden among junk text, this could make the work easier to mark as the criteria is thus easier to locate. I made sure to not use emoticons such as smileys during my work as I wanted to ensure my work was professional, although emoticons were used when chatting to other members of the group as this created a positive and casual atmosphere for the conversation. Using the correct grammar and spelling for the work was important to ensure that the correct message was conveyed and also to ensure that my work was professional and did not make me look like a slacker. Guidelines were used when writing work to ensure that I covered each criteria and answered it correctly.

Note taking was important to ensure that I gathered all the correct information and it was easily readable, I used it to gather information relevant to my work. I also proof read all my work to ensure that I had covered all of the criteria needed and to ensure that there were no grammatical or spelling errors that could have hindered it, this ensured that I was never handing in incorrect information.

In conclusion I feel that I effectively used interpersonal skills and written communication techniques to convey my messages effectively and also to write my work to an acceptable standard. These skills and techniques helped me work well with my group, gather the correct information and make sure that all of my work was correct.­­

M3 explain how an awareness of learning style can aid personal development. [RL5]

From the results I can see that I scored highest with the Visual learning style, this means that to get the most out of studying I should look at visual examples of what I’m trying to learn about such as pictures and diagrams. I can also see that I scored high on Read/Write so I know that to also help I should look at text-based information to also aid my studying.

I scored lowest on Aural, which means my least useful learning style would be this, an Aural learner will learn best by listening to the information, such as radio channels or teachers speaking the information and them listening to it. Whereas a Kinaesthetic learner would learn best by being more hands on and actually doing the thing they are studying about, for example if a Kinaesthetic learner was learning about computer hardware then they would open up a computer and have a look for themselves to understand and learn about the different components and how they interact, as appose to an Aural learner who would listen to a teacher speak about the different components and understand it by the teacher explaining how the computer works.