Reflective Portfolio: Self-Evaluation Report

Reflective Portfolio: Self-Evaluation Report Executive summarize In this self evaluating report the main task is to evaluate the progress achieved during this term and to determinate in which skills I need to work the most to make an improvement. It is mainly base on my personal skills development and theories learned during the seminars and lectures, I will do an analysis of my strengths and weaknesses, for that I am doing a SWOT analysis, a future skills development program and how I am going to achieved it, As supporting evidence I am going to attach in-class works and exercises done through out the semester. Introduction During the term I have had the opportunity to improve and learned interpersonal skills that are essential for what managers are looking now days in graduate students. For this self analysis report I have chosen the skills that I think are the ones I have improve the most and the ones in which I need to work more, these are: Strengths; Good communication and writing skills and good group working skills Weaknesses; Bad time management and poor knowledge in the use of IT Opportunities; Improve my leadership skills in group works, my time management, career management and my IT knowledge Threats: Having difficulties with my communication or writing skills because English is my second language, have disagreements with group members Learning reflection throughout the term and skills performance Throughout the term and especially at this module I have been encouraged by my seminars leaders to improve my interpersonal skills by doing many different activities. I feel that the skills that I have improved the most are my communication, writing skills and my group working skills. Communication skills I believe this skill is one of the most important skills that a person need to have in todays employability market because this is the principal method we use to communicate with each other, Talking and Listening are consider as essential interpersonal skills that graduates should have according to QAA key skill list [2009]. I have improve this skill through out the term by doing presentations at the different course modules, for example the ICT presentation, where me and my partner were asked to advised a small company if it was convenient for them to put their business online and we had to give a formal presentation in front of the class, in other modules such as Theory and practice of business we are going to have a group presentation about our result on our fancy share portfolio and at Interpersonal skills for business module we had to do a group presentation about an activity that was called ISLAND ESCAPE: ISLAND SURVEY were we were asked to convinced the audience or ISLAND SURVIVERS that our island was the best choice for coming to live at. Writing skills This is another point in which I have improved since I started the term. The main reasons for my personal improvement I think are; the reports and course works I have had to write for the different modules, for example the Electronic portfolio, for interpersonal skills and innocent report for theory and practice for business, I have being able to achieve this with the recommendation given throughout the lectures and also with the information that is in the module book [Second edition, Chapter 9] where I could find: The four distinct stages for writing any type of report Types of report Terms of reference Researching and organizing the source material In this skill the main improvements I have made are; learning the difference types of data which are: Source material and Diagramming, according to Saunders et al. (2003), Source material is the data that you will use to support your key points and provide evidence to support your recommendations. And according to Buzan (1995), Diagramming is a useful technique for abstract the main themes from the detailed background information, and also how to do a correct reference and bibliography. Group working Throughout the term I have had the chance to improved my group-work skill at all the modules, this skill is now is being considered as one of the most important factors for business development, as ACAS, [April, 2003] has point out To remain competitive organizations need to make and optimum use of equipment and people if they are to thrive or even surviveIn general sense people talk of team work when they want to emphasize the virtues of co-operation and the need to make use of the various strengths of employees. This skill was mainly develop at this module throughout different activities for example, the ISLAND ESCAPE, and the BOARD GAME and the NASA exercise. At other modules we also had the opportunity to improve our group-work skills for example the theory and practice SHARE PORTFOLIO was done in groups of 5 to 6 people and all the group members had to decide how we were going to invest the money, in this activity many people had disagreements and some times it delay the entire group performance, one analysis we learned in the lecture and that is used to analyze the group behavior according to their results is the Interaction analysis it was develop from the work of Bales, [1950] and the principle of this analysis is to describe the group process and indications of factors influencing the process of it. The main thing that make all of us improved in our group work skill at this module was that we did not have the chance to choose our groups so for every different activity we had to work with different people and that make us have to take different roles at each group-activity, according to Belbin, [1981], Groups that are composed by entirely of cleaver people, or of people with similar personalities, display a number of negatives results and lack of creativity, in general group working make us improve our communication skill with other people because we had to expressed our ideas and also listen to others peoples ideas, some studies have demonstrate that there are five main types of communication networks between group members which are; Wheel, Circle, All-channel, Y and Chain, this researches was done by Bavelas, [1951] and studied by Leavitt. [1958]. Time management This skill is not one of the strongest skill that I have but I have being working on to improved it for example I did the time management action plan, were I was able to find were I loss most of my time and what unnecessary activities I did during the day, and since then I have being able to organize better my time and give it a better used, one positive thing I have manage to do is that throughout the semester I have not miss any death. IT skills For me this is one of the skills in which I need to work the most because in this century everybody needs to know how to used and work with IT, also a large amount of work places this days requires you have IT knowledge for qualifying for the job, also as Belbin, [1951] said in her theory about Team roles there are some roles that are different from the nine-roles key roles she that where needed in a team she called them Functional Roles because for these roles members are chosen for their experience and specialize knowledge, one example is IT knowledge. For improving on this skill I received lectures and seminars about the correct used of excel, power point and even word in the ICT module, also using blackboard and submitting works through it had make me feel more comfortable with the use of computer programs and electronic academic tools. Leadership skills During the activities that we did during the term we had the opportunity to developed our leadership skills when working in groups, as we learned at the lectures and seminars there are a lot of different types of leadership, according to the Managerial Grid Questionnaire that we did in at the seminar my leadership style is Team Leader, Black Mouton (1964). Being a leader for me is not only to make other people do what I said, is to earn their respect, in other words is that the people must accepted; the other persons ideas or what he is offering and voluntarily decided to follow him as his leader. According to the module book there are two different approaches for the study of leadership; one is the Descriptive approach and the second one Functional approach, [Module book, unknown author, page 251], the Descriptive approach focus on whether a leader is a special type of person or whether there is a most appropriate style for a leader to adopt and the Functional approach according to Bower and Seahores, (1966), Leadership is behavior that results in a difference in the behaviors of others. One theory that is being used for leadership training in the Industrial society, (Module book, page 252), is the Action-centred theory of leadership, John Adair [1984] It consists in three sets of interrelated needs, that increase the three functions a leader must have; The task related function The team related function The individually oriented function As a result it recognizes how these three areas affect each others in terms of group performance. In management most of the times leaders are not choose by the people it normally is someone that posses a higher rank in the organization, this is known as a Headship who is someone that has a formal authority over its subordinates, [Module book, page 254], according to Kotter, [1990], Is far more realistic to regard management and leadership as two complementary activities, each one having its own unique function. During the group activities we did during the term we were able to find that all of has different types of leaders each one with its own characteristic, positive and negative aspects, our leadership types are based on Lewin et al. [1939],study that divided them in three categories: Autocratic leader Democratic leader Laissez-faire leader Conclusion During my time at the University of Westminster I have had the chance to develop and improve my interpersonal skills, knowing that now days this skills are what employers are looking for when they are planning to hire someone makes me think about the importance of develop, learn and practice those skills more. Interpersonal skills are really useful not only for business practice bur also for every day activity. We do not realize how often we use these skills in our daily life and how helpful they can be if we applied them well, for example time management it would help us to improve it and decrease the amount of time we waste, another skill that is very necessary in any kind of situation is communication skill, because we are always needing to express our thought or ideas to other people and if we do not know how to expressed our self correctly, specially when you are giving a first impression to an audience or to a person you are not going to be able to delivered our message correctly and the receiver of our message will not be able to understand what we are trying to said. Other skills such as leadership and team working are essential when working as member of a group, because if you do not know how to manage different situation the final work result is going to be very poor, and also these skills are very important for employers because they want someone that is able to adapt in different groups and that is able to perform different roles in those groups. Specialized skills such as IT or essential skills such as writing skills are also very important, specialized skills gives you more opportunities when searching for a job and essential skills are important because those are the skills that managers are looking for in their future employees. Recommendations There are some skills that I have already mention before but I considered that I have the opportunity to work more on them and be able to improve these essential skills which are: Management As I already said time management and particularly punctuality is something I feel I need to improve because is one of the first impressions that you give to a person, as Goffman, [1959], said on in his self presentation theory, and particular on first impressions, The opening impression we give is not just and impression of what kind of person we are, it also conveys our definition of the situation Each individual entering a conversation projects by dress, manner, and opening remarks proposal for what the basis of the interaction shall be, for example arriving late for a business meeting will probably make you loose the job or at least loosing the appointment, for that I would have to focus more in the starting hour of the activity and planned better my time so in that way I will arrive on time, specially to my lectures and seminars. Planning my career path is another area in which I have to work because as I am not sure what I am going to do after I graduate, until now I have decided to do an internal transfer from business management to a combined degree of Economics and socio legal studies. I will manage to decide during the two years that I have left which path I am going to follow after getting my degree and where I will continue my studies. IT knowledge The best way to improved in this area is by taking modules that are related with it, for example next semester I am taking a module call essential data analysis and by doing home study and personal researches. For succeeding on my future plans development I not only have to improved the areas in which I have the opportunity to do it but also I need to pay attention to external factors that might delay my improvements, which could be: English as a second language As English is not my first language I think these might become a problem when writing reports or essays and when doing oral presentations it might not go along well because I might not know how to express some idea, but I think as I get more English practice this will not be a problem. Group disagreements When working on groups sometimes you might have the opportunity to work with people that you get along with but some other times you might find yourself in a group that does not work well together or everybody is trying to get individual recognition so at the end the result will be unsuccessful, I think the way to improve this is by focus on the work, and leave individual problems outside the group, also by to developing our own personal type of leadership according to the different theories we have learned is going to ne easier to everyone to adapt to different groups and become a member of it.

Definition of Citizen Essay examples -- Definition Essays

Definition of Citizen The context in which words are used may change in everyday conversation, but ultimately the foundation of the definition remains constant. The number one definition generally changes due to advancement in society. Consider the word "citizen." The meaning of the word citizen has changed since 1913, but the definition that is used today was also used back then. There are some commonalities between The Webster Dictionary, published in 1913 and The Oxford English Dictionary, as well as, The American Heritage College Dictionary. Each of the dictionaries all state that a citizen is an inhabitant of a city or a particular place and a person that has voting rights.   In these cases the definition of the word has not changed during the past eighty years. From these definitions, citizen is still used in the same fashion today as it was in the earlier 1900's. Although each of the dictionaries have similar primary definitions, there are differences in the secondary definitions. The most evident difference appears when The Webster Dictionary is compared to the ot...

Managing quality in a childcare setting Essay

1.  Two pieces of legislation that ensure quality provision are The Children’s (Scot) Act 1995 and The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 links parts of child care, family and adoption law, that affect children’s quality of life. The Act puts children first and brings together three key principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; non-discrimination; the child’s welfare is the first thought; and that children’s views should be listened to. It incorporated these principles into Scottish legislation and practice. By following this act, settings can work towards a high quality environment that conforms to standards. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 is legal framework to give support where needed, for children’s learning, short or long term. The Scottish Government require all children and young people to realise their full potential and get the most from the learning available to them through connecting with a quality setting. The Act looks into supporting needs and co-ordinated support plans. The education authorities are charged with identifying needs, arranging suitable provision, creating co-ordinated support plans and reviewing and monitoring what provision is provided. 2.  Two pieces of non-legislative requirements that support a quality provision are Pre-birth to Three: Positive Outcomes for Scotland’s Children and Families (Pre-birth to 3) and Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) Pre-birth to 3 leads on from Birth to Three: supporting our youngest children as it now appreciates the impact of pregnancy on children and learning. It supports the Scottish Government’s ethos to develop a quality workforce that is supported and skilled with shared value base so that they can provide  children and their families with a good quality lasting outcome. It describes 4 key best outcomes – the rights of the child, responsive care, respect and relationships, and aims to encourage good quality practice through spreading knowledge from current research; using 9 key principles; for example the role of the staff, observations and partnership working involving other agencies. Girfec is an approach which allows practitioners to concentrate on what makes a positive difference for all children and young people and their families, and how these improvements can be delivered. It has been developed from a range of policies and strategies such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Early Years Framework and the Curriculum for Excellence. There are ten core parts to it, such as developing a shared understanding of wellbeing; and a set of values and principles, such as promoting respect, patience, honesty and reliability as good qualities that are valued by children, young people, families and practitioners, which enables a quality practice to those agencies working across the range of children’s services. It is gradually being incorporated into all existing practices, policies and legislation that affects children, young people and their families. 3.  A human resource issues that support quality provision are Disclosure Scotland: Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG). Disclosure Scotland is a Scottish Government agency. Its purpose is to protect the safety of vulnerable people in Scottish society through maintaining a list of individuals who are unsuitable to work with children or vulnerable adults. It also creates a document for organisations and potential employers which lists an individual’s criminal history information. This allows them to make knowledgeable decisions when dealing with recruitment. The PVG scheme requires all those who have regular contact with children and protected adults (paid or unpaid) to become members. It permits employers to check that the people they are recruiting do not have a history of harmful behaviour. 4.   The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 was created to give more protection to people who were using care services, by producing a structure for care regulations, raising the quality of provision and by building a competent and confident workforce. It set up two independent organisations: the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission) and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). The Care Commission’s responsibility was to regulate and inspect (using the National Care Standards), a range of services providing care to children, adults and older people, and deal with registration, complaints and enforcements. It also promoted dignity and encouraged independence for care users. The previous system was Edinburgh and Lothian’s Registration and Inspection Service (ELRIS) which used both local authority and health boards to register and inspect care services (both private and voluntary). The SSSC’s responsibility was to improve the quality of the services by raising the standards of practice of the social services workforce: through supporting professionalism, standardising and promoting the training of the workforce and creating a code of practice for the staff and employers to follow. The SSSC allows individuals to have a shared value base, with everyone involved behaving and guided by the same values, beliefs, concepts and principles. By raising the practice, a good quality provision can give children the best start in life. Those who register with the SSSC, do so relevant to the role they hold in the work place not what qualifications they have, i.e. for a particular role you can have a range of suitable qualifications. The SSSC standardises the training and education required. It creates an equal footing for all workers doing the same job therefore showing the same level of competence which in turn increases public awareness and confidence in the role of providing a quality setting. It provides assurance that the people registered have integrity and are committed to their role whether they have the qualification or are working towards it. By committing to taking responsibility for their own learning to develop knowledge and values as well as assessing and updating regularly, practitioners are safeguard their continuing suitability for registration.  Registered childminders however are not required to be registered with the SSSC, as they are firstly registered with the Care Inspectorate, but find it is good practice to follow the SSSC code of practice and undertaking training. In 2010 the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act’s objective was to streamline a number of government agencies. The work of the Care Commission and the Social Work Inspection Agency was consolidated into a new body: the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Agency (SCSWIS). The Social Work Inspection Agency had previously regulated local authority social work services. In 2011, SCSWIS had a name change: becoming the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate ensure quality care is promoted by registering and inspecting, individuals and organisations, such as childminders, voluntary organisations and local authorities as well as promoting improvement in care, social work and child protection services. The Care Inspectorate uses the National Care Standards as guidelines to register and inspect care services against. The National Care Standards: Early Education and Childcare of Children up to the age of 16 was created up by the Scottish Government, as required by the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, and involved consultation with a large group of people such as service users, their families, carers, staff, expert bodies, service providers and professional associations. It represents the rights of the child and young person, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is used by service providers and the Care Inspectorate, to uphold and develop the quality of services and whether the services were conforming to the regulations. There are 14 standards with the main principles being dignity, privacy, choice, equality and diversity, safety and realising potential. The standards promote quality in child care settings by encouraging issues such as: effective communication between staff, parents and carers; sharing information as appropriate with other professionals involved with the child’s development; having staff establish effective working relationships with support agencies and with each other, families and children and providing opportunities for children and their family in the wider  community. References Scottish Social Services Council (2011) Code of Practice [online] available at http://www.sssc.uk.com/Codes-of-Practice/sssc-codes-of-practice-for-social-service-workers-and-employers.html (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government (2004) The Children’s (Scot) Act 1995 [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/10/20066/44708 (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government (2209) Education (Additional Support for Learning) [online] available at (Scotland) Act 2004 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/welfare/ASL (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government. (2010) A guide to Getting it right for every child [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/background (accessed on 12.01.2014) Disclosure Scotland. (2011) Protecting Vulnerable Groups [online] available at http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/pvg/pvg_index.html (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government (2005) A Framework for Supporting Front Line Staff: Summary Version ) [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/10101405/14096 (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish government (2002) The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/01/14484/2531 (accessed on

Essay on The Events Leading Up to the American Revolution

In the event of America’s victory in the American Revolution lead to the birth of a new nation. However, before the American Revolution the original colonies of America were already becoming impatient with British rule. This was mostly a result of a foreign country trying to rule people an ocean apart, and by rule this meant collecting taxes Americans found unfair. This rebellion against British rule became more prevalent from the passing of the Stamp Act of 1765 created mostly by George Greenville. The passing of this tax was Britain’s way of reinforcing their authority in the colonies and lessening their financial burden. However, from British standpoint that was not the sole purpose for the acts as they also wanted to build a defense†¦show more content†¦From that moment on it was clear it had to be decided was it of Britain’s best interest to give the colonist their desired independence, or fight for their most prized possession despite their debt. Y et, from the American standpoint there was only one option and that was fight for their independence as war and cleanse America of British rule. It became to the point that if open warfare was not anticipated by most Americans, some nevertheless did what they could to make ready for it. In colony after colony militia awkwardly practiced military exercises, and patriots collected weapons and ammunition. The actions on both parts led to the official start of the impending combat with the battles of Lexington and Concord. These battles signified America’s surprising readiness to stand up against the redcoats and the divide among the two countries greatened. In addition, to America’s war effort was the creation of the First Continental Congress who were expanding on what they considered fair American rights. Yet, by calling themselves a Continental Congress was an overstatement for only it represented the thirteen colonies (Alden 42). Leading Americans to urge Canadians to join the effort for them to occupy the Americas, despite conflict that arose from the Quebec Acts. America was strong in its own way, but they were also desperate for outside support for it still resonated in their minds theyShow MoreRelatedHistorical Narratives Of The Major Events Leading Up For The American Revolution Essay2379 Words   |  10 PagesSummative Objective 1 for this Instruction: Students will use primary and secondary sources to create historical narratives of the major events leading up to the American Revolution. Summative Objective 2 for this instruction: Students will know the major events that led to the American Revolution. Means of Assessment (Describe briefly here, and attached below in each lesson): After you describe your assessment, mention how you will differentiate for a student with special needs (e.g., strugglingRead MoreThe Death Of A Shoemaker And The Tea Party By Alfred F. 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