Individual Reflection on Academic Work and Learning Outcomes

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INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................. 2
Reflective Discussion..................................................................................................2
Concrete Experience...............................................................................................2
Reflection Observation of the New Experience.......................................................3
Conceptualization....................................................................................................4
Planning...................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
The paper analyzes the effective management that one indulges in while doing their
academic work along with understanding the various academic integrities such as
referencing, plagiarism and others requirements that one needs to follow in
conducting academic writing. The paper conducts a self-reflection of the activities
that I was engaged in to help me identify the area of weakness and strength that I
have within myself. This is because I have gained various knowledge from all the
modules I have engaged in and has effectively identified the areas I still lack and
need improvement. Reflection is thus an effective method to achieve and
demonstrate the success one has achieved in all learning outcomes.
The paper has chosen the Kolb Reflection Model to demonstrate the areas I have
done well and the tasks that did not went well. According to Abdulwahed and Nagy
(2009) Kolb published a learning style model that helps in reflecting on the learning
that one has acquired over time. This involves analyzing the learning situation with
the help of four steps such as concrete experience, reflective observation of the new
experience, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. Each has a role
to play in analyzing the experiences, generation of new ideas and the application of
the ideas that one has developed. This shows that the model is an efficient one in
addressing the entire understanding and experience on has gathered from all the
modules learned in the past 12 weeks. The paper helps in reflecting on the 12 week
learnings that I got involved in that included ways to manage one self, ways to get
most out of the lectures, team work, developing inter personal skills and others. All
these help in understanding the tasks that I did well and the teaks I lagged behind.
Reflective Discussion
Concrete Experience
Concreate experience is the first step adopted to reflect the learning using the Kolb
Learning Model (Passarelli 2016). This step helps in reflecting on the experiences
that I gathered from the learning of 12 weeks. According to this step it is seen that
life is full of experiences that one learn in every level of their life. In relation to this
point it can be stated that some of my experiences were good and in some cases I
also developed new skills over the weeks that I can use in my life while engaging in
other academic work or in my future career. However, I noticed that some of my
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experiences were not good and I did not learn well from the weeks. The experiences
that were good according to me were related to debates and presentation. This
means that I gathered maximum knowledge from the weeks that focused on debates
and presentation. However, I did not gather many skills about referencing and found
it difficult to understand. This means that week 4, 5 and 6 has been the best week for
me, as I have learnt the most from these weeks.
My experience in week 4 was to participate in several debates on different topics and
make use of most effective information on the topic that is not easy to get defeated
by others. This let me experience some of my best debates in life and helped me
won those by using the leaning given during this week. Thus, during this week have
been able to have a control on my own personality effectively and speak what is
appropriate in a debate. In addition to this, during week 5 and 6 I have experienced a
participation in presentations by developing team work and optimizing the reading
activity. This has helped me gain various outcomes such as to learn the importance
of a presentation and its effectiveness, to understand the attributes of good
presentation and also to encourage on delivering the information in the presentation.
Moreover, I also learnt about the importance of having a strong reading skills
because in experienced through thorough reading I was able to use better
information in the presentation. This shows that my experience in presentation
making participation was an effective one. Thus, throughout these 3 weeks I gained
some useful experiences.
However, in my entire learning process my worst experience was while making
references for the works I engaged in. I had to search appropriate references
according to topic, understand the reference and then use it effectively in the work.
However, it was not so when I participated in this activity. This is because while
searching appropriate sources I was unable to judge optimize those sources by
scanning whether it is important for the present study and failed miserably.
Reflection Observation of the New Experience
The second step in the learning model is to reflect on the experiences that I
gathered. My reflection in this point will be based on the experiences that is gathered
during my presentation, debates and referencing and will include the extent to which
I was able to meet the learning outcome in week 4, 5 and 6 (Passarelli 2016). Week
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4 I have effectively been able to learn the ways in which one needs to consolidate
their behavior in a group, to construct peer feedback, to be able reflect on their own
strengths and weaknesses and to develop an understanding on debate participation.
Thus, my experience in debate was the most effective one and I have become a
strong debater now. Similarly, my experience in relation to presentation making was
also useful because I gathered knowledge about areas such as reading skills,
analyzing journal article, scanning papers and others. I applied all these learning and
now can make a strong and competitive presentation at all level. However, my
experience in reference making was bad because I failed to use all my learnings in
forming the references and made a lot of errors in it. Thus, my experiences has been
a mixed one, as some of the areas were useful, while others were difficult to
understand and I actually lacked in adopting those learning in which I did not perform
well.
Conceptualization
As this reflective report has report has been based on the Kolb’s reflecting
framework, therefore, each step of this reflective framework should be followed. After
analysing the two steps, I should mention about the third stage of the reflective cycle.
It is the conceptualise step. Taylor (2019) has commented that it reflects about the
time when people think about their earlier experiences. Development of a hypothesis
is necessary when to conceptualise something. This step has helped me a lot to
understand the concept to manage myself. I have learnt to manage the expectations
and requirement within the time. All of them have been generated through the sense
of conceptualise the fact.
Planning
The next step is all about the plan. This is the step where people can test the
hypothesis. Tanaka et al. (2018) have opined that if the hypothesis is challenged the
experience or in support of it. Learning through experience is not at all easy. It is
related to the first step of the cycle that is experience as well. This is true that all the
experiences have the capacity to learn something from it, but it should pass the
learning cycle of Kolb too. If it has been implemented in my experience, then I must
say that my learning experience can pass this test.
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I must mention something here that is this coursework has helped me a lot to
enhance the joint work capacity in me. I have learnt the way by which I can
appreciate the necessity of team work. I have learnt that teamwork would make the
task easy. Other than that, it has developed my interpersonal skill also. I have got
the opportunity to learn the way which would help me to be a good manager.
Additionally, I have understood the importance of feedback as well. All of these
factors would help me in my future career.
Most importantly, I have learnt the way by which I can attend a debate as well. This
is really very critical to take part in a debate and place own speech by contradicting
others. However, capability of standing own point is also a skill which should be
adopted by the managers. Therefore, this coursework has also benefitted me from
this aspect. I must mention that before taking part in this session, I was highly weak
in debate. Thus, I have really benefitted from this session. I should mention again
about Kolb’s cycle here as while gathering the experience about my current debate
session, I have conceptualised a factor in my mind that it is all about proper
information and confidence to be represented in front of people. Thus, I become able
to implement the next phase of the cycle that is the planning.
Not only it was about my concept, some practical sessions were also there that have
taught about the way of working together and delivering the presentation. Besides, it
has helped me to enhance my reading skill as well. I am learned the way to increase
my reading habit. I become use to with various journals, articles and books. It was
my weak point before this session that I was not much prone to reading. However,
This practice has changed my concept. Thus the third step of Kolb’s cycle should be
mentioned here as well. I have conceptualised the reading habit in my mind first and
after that I have made the plan to become a regular reader. Most important factor is
to know yourself. This coursework has helped me a lot to evaluate my strengths and
weaknesses. It is again about the conceptualisation of own positive and negative
points.
Conclusion
Reflective report includes the analysis of myself. Thus, it is not an easy task.
Identifying own loopholes and strengths by judging in an unbiased way is not at all
easy. Despite we have to do it as it would help us to focus on the areas where we
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need some more work. Not only about the issue identification, is it also regarding the
analysis of one’s strongest sides. This analysis would ultimately help the person to
give a better understanding regarding own quality. Thus, being a student I can say
that reflective writing would help me in my future career.
The above discussion has pointed out on the positive and negative factors of mine. It
has mainly focused on the Kolb’s reflective cycle and the reflection has also been
developed based on it. Other than that, the author has further linked all the learning
with Kolb’s reflective cycle as well. Each of the phases of the cycle have been
pointed out here and linked with the learning or experiences of the author. This
framework has helped to express and analyse the feelings as well as experiences
more effectively. This has ultimately generated a clear understanding of the
knowledge.
The assessment has already mentioned about Kolb’s cycle as it has helped to
analyse the experiences in proper way. This part would mention the fact which has
helped to link with the experiences. For instance, I have noticed that the third stage
of Kolb’s cycle that is conceptualisation is highly aligned with my thoughts and I must
agree that without the conceptualisation of the experience the further plan cannot be
made. Thus, the fourth step of Kolb’s cycle is planning. I have realised that proper
planning would help to make all the tasks completed and perfect.
Finally, I must mention that the reflective writing has helped me for my future career
as I have identified my loopholes. I have already decided that I would start working
on these areas, so that I would become a good manager in future. I have a dream to
establish a strong career where I will lead the organisation. Therefore, preparation
should be taken from now as well. Even, I should work on my strengths as well. It
should be remembered that those strengths would be proved as the positive factors
in me and I would gradually attract the people towards me by using those strong
factors of mine.
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References
Abdulwahed, M. and Nagy, Z.K., 2009. Applying Kolb's experiential learning cycle for
laboratory education. Journal of engineering education, 98(3), pp.283-294.
Passarelli, A.M., 2016. Using experiential learning theory to promote student learning
and development in programs of education abroad.
Tanaka, M., Okamoto, R. and Koide, K., 2018. Relationship between Reflective
Practice Skills and Volume of Writing in a Reflective Journal. Health, 10(03), p.283.
Taylor, C., 2019. From learning without limits to leading without limits: An
autobiographical reflective case study of leading academic development within
higher education. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, pp.1-11.
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