Hi everyone! While you're reflecting on the end of the 23 Things programme, why not take a couple of minutes to read the summary of last Thursday's CPD23 edition of #uklibchat.
I met several of the #uklibchat team at Library Camp on Saturday, and they all commented how lively the discussion was. I was unfortunately only be around for the first hour of the chat, but I really enjoyed talking to lots of you about the programme, and the summary of the chat is going to be very useful for us both for feedback and dissemination. So thank you all!
Showing posts with label reflect. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflect. Show all posts
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Monday, 10 October 2011
Thing 23: Reflection - What next?
The final thing! Thank you all for following the programme and well done for getting to Thing 23. A short evaluation of the programme is coming soon, but if you're up for a challenge maybe you could come up with a "6 word story" to sum up how you feel about the programme?
Many organisations include some kind of Personal Development Plans (PDP) as part of their staff review/appraisal processes. The idea with these is that you identify some sort of development need, think about how you could fill that gap, and set yourself a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Limited) objective to help you do it. I've put together a quick template that can be used for this, but feel free to tweak it to suit yourself or use one of the many other templates available online.
The Task:
Many organisations include some kind of Personal Development Plans (PDP) as part of their staff review/appraisal processes. The idea with these is that you identify some sort of development need, think about how you could fill that gap, and set yourself a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Limited) objective to help you do it. I've put together a quick template that can be used for this, but feel free to tweak it to suit yourself or use one of the many other templates available online.
The Task:
- For this last thing, we would like you to reflect on the programme in general and on what you want to do next.
- Identify some gaps in your experience, either by looking at requirements for that next job you're aiming for or by conducting a SWOT analysis. The Library Routes and Library Day in the Life projects might be helpful here too.
- Think about how you can fill those gaps and put together a Personal Development Plan to do that. You don't have to put the PDP on the blog unless you feel comfortable doing that.
- Write about the process of putting the plan together and whether you think this is a useful way to think about your CPD in general.
- Keep blogging and let us know how you get on!
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| Open Road by therefromhere |
Monday, 12 September 2011
Thing 19: Catch up week on integrating 'things'
Wow, isn't the programme progressing quickly! It barely seems two minutes since I was writing Thing 3 about personal branding and yet we're now only a few things away from completion.
It's time for a little bit of a breather and some reflection on what you've gained from the programme so far and how you might continue to use what you've learnt. We've covered a number of social media tools (e.g. blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter, LinkedIn) and productivity tools (e.g. Google calendar, Evernote, Google Docs, wikis), as well as considering a number of different elements of our professional development (e.g. personal branding, reflective practice, advocacy, events). You can see a full list of the things we've covered so far here.
The purpose of this week is to look back at your previous posts and consider which elements you have found most useful and how you might integrate them into your working routine. You might already have done this, so feel free to blog about how you have done that if so. Maybe you've started using RSS feeds or Twitter during breaks to catch up on news. Maybe you're using LinkedIn for group discussions on professional topics or to share updates about your professional developments. Perhaps it's a technical solution you have discovered which updates multiple services at once or enables you to manage a number of different things. Or perhaps you haven't had chance to think about integrating anything yet. Now is your chance to review the previous tools and think about how you might continue to use them. Choose one or two (or more if you're feeling ambitious!) and share your thoughts in this week's blog post.
P.S. We haven't forgotten about thing 17 - it will be posted soon.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Thing 5 – Reflective Practice
Thing 5 already? Yes indeed! Thing 5 is Reflective Practice. As you’ve been working throug
h ‘the things’ you may have learnt how to use some new tools or had a refresher on the tools that you use already. You may have been encouraged to restart abandoned blogs or join Twitter with a clearer understanding of your online presence and what you want people to know about you. You may have taken steps to get some more current awareness on the go by setting up some RSS feeds. Whatever you have got out of 23 things for professional development so far take a bit of time this week to reflect.
h ‘the things’ you may have learnt how to use some new tools or had a refresher on the tools that you use already. You may have been encouraged to restart abandoned blogs or join Twitter with a clearer understanding of your online presence and what you want people to know about you. You may have taken steps to get some more current awareness on the go by setting up some RSS feeds. Whatever you have got out of 23 things for professional development so far take a bit of time this week to reflect. What is reflective practice?
This post is by no means an in depth piece about the definition and theories of reflective practice, but more of an introduction to how to get going with it yourself. If you do want a more in depth look into reflective practice I’ve included some references at the end of post.
I see reflective practice as an important part of not only our professional, but personal development. It provides an opportunity to review the experiences we have, learning from them and applying what we have learnt.
How do I become a reflective practitioner?
Everyone will have their own style and preferred process of reflective practice, this is just one idea for you to consider based on the already existing models out there.
I’m all for simplicity so these models appeal to me most:
Greenaway (1995)
Borton (1970)
You’ll find a model that works for you, it might be that you adapt an already existing one like these examples.
I go through the following three steps when I’m embarking on a bit of reflective writing.
1. Recall it: this could be an event you’ve participated in, a project group you’ve been part of, a workshop you’ve delivered, an enquiry you’ve responded to…
2. Evaluate it: Take some time to consider these questions
What did you learn?
What did you enjoy?
What worked well?
What, if anything, went wrong?
What would you change?
What (potential) impact could this have in your workplace?
3. Apply it: Take some action. What can you practically apply from the experience you’ve had?
Tools for reflective practice
There are a variety of tools available to you for your reflective practice activities. Just as the process of reflective practice may vary from person to person, the tools used may also differ.
As you’re participating in the 23 things, Thing 1, a blog, is a perfect tool for communicating the evaluating part of the reflective practice process. Blogs are a great way to share your thoughts. The reason me and my colleague @sarahjison set up our blog (Librariansontheloose) was to give us a space to reflect on and evaluate our experiences as we work towards CILIP chartership. There are of course more tools including drawing, audio-visual, podcasting.
Are there any difficulties in becoming a reflective practitioner?
Yes! The most common seems to be time. We all have busy lives, so being realistic about what you can reflect on is important. If you are able to factor it into your everyday work activities, great. If not, be selective.
Reflective writing can also be a challenge, but resources to address this are plentiful online. If you’re an information professional based in the UK keep an eye out for reflective writing workshops organised by the Career Development Group, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). If you’re based in another country see if your professional body organises any similar events or put it to your employer as an opportunity for your professional development.
Sometimes the most difficult part of being a successful reflective practitioner is the application of what you’ve learnt.
As you’re participating in the 23 things, Thing 1, a blog, is a perfect tool for communicating the evaluating part of the reflective practice process. Blogs are a great way to share your thoughts. The reason me and my colleague @sarahjison set up our blog (Librariansontheloose) was to give us a space to reflect on and evaluate our experiences as we work towards CILIP chartership. There are of course more tools including drawing, audio-visual, podcasting.
Are there any difficulties in becoming a reflective practitioner?
Yes! The most common seems to be time. We all have busy lives, so being realistic about what you can reflect on is important. If you are able to factor it into your everyday work activities, great. If not, be selective.
Reflective writing can also be a challenge, but resources to address this are plentiful online. If you’re an information professional based in the UK keep an eye out for reflective writing workshops organised by the Career Development Group, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). If you’re based in another country see if your professional body organises any similar events or put it to your employer as an opportunity for your professional development.
Sometimes the most difficult part of being a successful reflective practitioner is the application of what you’ve learnt.
Why should I bother with reflective practice?
Being a reflective practitioner does have its challenges, but it also has its rewards. Amongst o
ther things being a reflective practitioner can…- Help you be more objective about experiences
- Give you more control over your learning and development
- Help you demonstrate you are active and responsive
- Give you a better understanding of your work
So, there we go, a whistlestop introduction to reflective practice. Give it a try. Have a think about your approach to reflective practice. If you’ve any tips or resource to share, please do.
Want to know more? Try these…
Books/Theses
Boud D, Keogh R and Walker D (1985) Reflection, Turning Experience into Learning, Routledge.
Schön, D (1983) The Reflective Practitioner, How Professionals Think In Action, Basic Books.
Greenaway, R (1995) Powerful Learning Experiences in Management Learning and Development: A study of the experiences of managers attending residential development training courses at the Brathay Hall Trust (1988-9). The University of Lancaster, Centre for the Study of Management Learning.
Blogs
A wonderful blog post from a 23 things participant, Elaine Andrew, about attending a reflective writing workshop.
Random musings of a librarian, almost
Reflective writing workshop
Another fantastic blog post giving an insight into the difficulties of reflective practice from another 23 things participant!
Nataliafay. Librarian. Human.
Getting out of the reflective practice rut
Nataliafay. Librarian. Human.
Getting out of the reflective practice rut
This is from a teaching/education perspective, but still relevant to us as information professionals
Thoughts on learning processes and other musings
Understanding Reflective Practice
Presentations
Thoughts on learning processes and other musings
Understanding Reflective Practice
Presentations
A lovely introduction to reflective practice from Toby Adams
The Purpose of Reflective Practice
The Purpose of Reflective Practice
Another good introduction to reflective practice from Sarah Stewart
Journaling as a tool for reflective practice
Journaling as a tool for reflective practice
Borton (1970)
[Accessed 01/07/2011]
[Accessed 01/07/2011]
Images
The images in the post are available for use from Flickr under the Creative Commons Licence
Sky
Megaphone
Paperchain in hand
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