BA Business Studies: Reflective Journal on Employability Skills

This report presents a reflective journal assignment completed by a student as part of their BA Business Studies program at the University of Suffolk. The assignment focuses on personal and professional development, utilizing the Gibbs reflective cycle to analyze experiences related to employability and study skills. The student reflects on a group assignment, detailing their feelings, evaluations, and analyses of the experience. The report highlights the development of skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management, while also acknowledging areas for improvement, such as collaboration and the use of ICTs. The student concludes with an action plan for future projects, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, communication, and the effective use of Belbin team roles to enhance team performance. The journal demonstrates the student's ability to critically assess their skills and plan for future professional growth.

Reflective journal
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INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Continuous professional development is a term that mainly States to continuously developing
learning activities and engage in enhancing self-abilities ability. It allows an individual to
become proactive and conscious and maximize their abilities and skills in order to assure
personal and professional growth in effective manner (Oates, 2021). It is important for an
individual to maximize their skills and knowledge in order to deliver professional services in
effective manner. There are different type of employability and study skills which is essential for
a person to develop over the period of time in order to employment opportunities in future. With
the help of this person can maximize their capabilities efficiently. Present report is a reflection in
which Gibbs reflective cycle is being used to discuss achievement of employability and study
skills.
MAIN BODY
Gibbs reflective cycle
In the year 1918 reflective structure was formulated by Graham Gibbs which is known as Gibbs
reflective cycle. It is an effective model that provides a structural framework that allow
individual to effectively demonstrate the experience they gained from their learning in the form
of feelings and thoughts (Szenes and Tilakaratna, 2021). Furthermore, it has been underlined that
by taking advantage of this cycle person can evaluate bad and good experiences by analysing
situations. In addition to this, it has been underline that kept reflective cycle allow individual to
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develop a conclusion associated to the things that are required by them to develop in future and
make significant improvement in them, in order to enhance their skills, knowledge and
capabilities. This model helps in evaluating own performance and further facilitate to make
improvement in them. This reflective cycle allows individuals to evaluate experiences and make
balance as well as accurate judgement. Mentioned below my reflection on the experiences that
has been acquired during University is being given with the help of Gibbs reflective cycle:
Description:
During University learning a group working assignments has been provided to us by lecturer
in which he has decided different sections of task for each in every group member. Along with
this a deadline has been decided by lecture in which we have to accomplish task in a particular
duration of time. Time limit has been provided to every individual in which every person
developed individual plan accordingly.
Feelings:
I was quite excited to be the part of this group assignment, as in this opportunities to
demonstrate my skill and knowledge that has been acquired by me during University classes. I
was also happy as the work has already divided between every individual by lecturer that help us
in saving our time. However due to delay in formulating individual plan I felt frustrated. While at
this stage every individual engaged in group discussion that help me to build my communication
skill in effective manner and also developed my team working skill.
Evaluation:
There were a number of good as well as that bad thing experienced by me, as in order to
accomplish activity individual plan has been formulated by me that help me to build my time
management skill, however in this we have to make our plan on MS-excel in which I faced
difficulties. This allow me to produce good quality of work in given deadline. This plan also
motivated me to perform my role with 100% efforts with hard work in order to make sure that I
accomplish my activities in effective manner. For this I take advantage of my communication
skill and develop networking with other team individuals. It helps in clarifying roles and help me
to identify the project growth. However, it has been identified by me that I faced difficulties to
have collaboration with other members which affected my performance somehow.
Analysis:
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It has been evaluated by me that at prior project division was done effectively by lecturer
according to which we have to develop individual plan. It helps me to develop my written
communication skill as in this I have taken advice of my team members with the help of my
communication ability. Due to lack of coordination between team issue related to accomplishing
project activities on estimated deadline affected a lot. However, this has been further overcome
with the help of strong teamwork that help us to overcome our collaboration weaknesses.
However, it has been identified by me that our group members did not think the same manner
according to belbin roles. Delegation and effective team working has been done in effective
manner. It has been identified by me that team members didn't predict the plan work in group
thinking. This is the stage within which members does not raise different opinions. It has been
identified by me that group thinking is an effective skill that will allow to accomplish project
effective manner while undertaking decisions by respecting every individual viewpoint.
Conclusion:
This has been identified by me that group thinking and collaboration plays most essential
role as it helps in identifying every individual view point, as negligence to this will lead towards
bad coordination among team that will affect end result. However, with the help of my strong
communication ability I motivated individual to emphasize upon their strength. This has been
done by me with the help of taking use of belbin team roles in longer project. Furthermore, it has
been underlined by me that strong communication networking and team abilities skills facilitated
us to accomplish our project despite of facing challenges in terms of collaborative working and
preparing. It has been identified by me that with the help of teamwork we are short success in
this project.
Action plan:
As per the state of Gibbs reflective cycle I will in future conduct my activity in a project
will make sure that there is proper collaboration between team members, as it helps in enhancing
effectiveness of communication and team working process. It helps in identifying each and every
individual viewpoint that helps in bringing new ideas. According to my current experience at my
university level group project it has been identified by me that is significantly enhanced my
confidence that will allow to conduct my role in a team in efficient manner. While facing number
of challenges group activity help me to gain skills like communication, team working,
networking, time management and problem solving. However, in future I will develop my skills
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related to the use of ICTs and self-management. For this I will undertake advantage of feedback
from my senior’s colleagues and peers. Along with this I will also undertake use of belbin team
roles in order to make sure that each and every individual think according to the role elaborated
in this model.
Belbin team roles is having mainly 9 roles which is sharper, implementer, finisher,
monitor, coordinator, team worker, resource investigator, specialist and planner role. All these
roles help in enhancing effectiveness of project it also helps in developing collective strength
such as collaboration and team working in terms. In this the role that has been assigned to be
according to this model is coordinator in which I have responsibility to co-ordinate every activity
between team members. With the help of this role I have enhanced my I team working
networking time management and communication skill. However, it is essential for me to
develop skills related to the use of ICTs and self-management in effective manner in order to
perform my role and responsibilities in future group work in effective manner.
CONCLUSION
According to the above mentioned report it has been concluded that reflective practice is
termed as an ability that allow person to reflect upon individual actions. Continuous professional
development is an essential process that include critical attention upon own skills, knowledge
and capabilities and further develop them over the period of time, in order to gain growth and
advancements in terms of professional and personal manner. There are different types of skills
such as communication, time management, team work, research and problem-solving that allow
person to enhance their capabilities. Reflective cycle is an effective method of reflective model
that allow person to have self-evaluation and self-observation in an efficient way. With the help
of this model person can maximize self-awareness while determining challenges that has been
experienced by them. Furthermore, it has been identified from this report that this model allow
person to reflect upon competencies and skills in an effective way.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Hunter, D., 2021. Reflection from the perspective of new reflectors: investigating what teacher
learners find valuable in a reflective task. Reflective Practice, pp.1-14.
Oates, S., 2021. How Can Self-regulated Learning Support You at University and Enhance Your
Practice as a Newly Qualified Teacher?. In Early Careers in Education: Perspectives for
Students and NQTs. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Szenes, E. and Tilakaratna, N., 2021. Deconstructing critical reflection in social work and
business: Negotiating emotions and opinions in reflective writing. Journal of English for
Academic Purposes, 49, p.100931.
Walter, C., 2021. Developing reflective practitioners online: How can anticipatory reflection
support an internship? (Doctoral dissertation, Lancaster University).
Pitts, R.T., 2021. Pinpointing Where to Start: A Reflective Analysis on the Introductory
Evaluation Course. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 35(3).
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