Personal Reflection

I made the decision that I wanted to be successful at a very young age. Some would say an age generally to be enjoyed and playing around as children do, but growing up in the circumstances I did I knew I would want to give myself more once I am able to do so on my own. At the age of four, my parents enrolled me into a Miss Attitude competition our local pharmacy ran and although it might not have been a big deal, the outcome certainly added to my personality and demeanour that I have today, because I won... I won Miss Attitude at the age of four and made it into the newspaper and ever since I have used my strong independence to make sure I can get to where I want to be one day. Now I still don’t know how I am going to do that specifically but nothing seems to be impossible.

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Growing up with two hardworking parents I was placed into a ‘parent roll’ to look after my sister and it never bothered me nor did I ever complain - it taught me patience, to be hardworking, manage my time well, to be friendly - sometimes even when I didn’t have it in me, to be dependable as well as punctual to ensure my sister was looked after, I was looked after as well as ensuring all my school work was done be it a small handful or a mountain worth.

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Completing tasks individually, working on group tasks in class as well as adapting to learning virtually and online I have gained knowledge on my learning styles which are a combination of the diverging style as well as the assimilating style, because I enjoy brainstorming and generating ideas/ solutions for problems and organising said information to be logical.

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Even though I have always felt like I am carrying the world on my shoulders - in a more positive way really, I have never really enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone because it is and can be scary - but one can’t learn much unless we push ourselves to learn new skills and to become more accustomed to different scenarios of life. The older I get, the more adaptable I am becoming, because to be successful one day I need to go through a number of situations and tasks to ensure I am doing all I can to create the life I want to live.

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All these qualities I obtained at a young age, and they are still developing. They have all assisted me to keep my focus on what I need to do and complete in a timely fashion to make it.

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Since the start of my degree (a few years ago now), I have worked full time and studied part time so I have always had to manage my time well and prioritise tasks that need to be done over luxuries of life, sometimes at odd hours but pushing myself to get the job done. I am sensitive, can problem solve with time up my sleeve as well as on the spot if push comes to shove, I enjoy looking at scenarios from different point of views to find the best way to attack and to do research. I am a good listener and can handle feedback be it good or bad and all these traits were very helpful once the Corona Virus took the world by surprise and shook things up for us.

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According to David Kolb, ”...learning involves the acquisition of abstract concepts that can be applied flexibly in a range of situations. In Kolb’s theory, the impetus for the development of new concepts is provided by new experiences.”(McLeod, 2010).

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I have certainly had new experiences while studying through learning to move online with my studies and to learn how to use the virtual room, Blackboard Collaborate. An area for development I discovered was my ability to work in teams, especially when majority of tasks required me working with other people during tutorials when we were still on campus. When asked to work with others to complete group tasks and discussions, I would happily contribute in writing, but I did not have all the required skills to work with them as I have always preferred working alone due to being shy and not comfortable with public speaking, and I always feel there are some members doing more than others. As I progressed through my degree I did become more comfortable with sharing my thoughts and opinions, building my self-confidence to work as part of a team and steer away from being shy, as well as learned I work well as part of a team when I take on a 'leader roll', to delegate and ensure everyone is on the same page.

 

I feel that my world of opportunities have opened up through learning that we will inevitably need to adapt to a changing world, be it technology, resource depletion etc. My studying experience hasn’t always been smooth but I still managed to learn and work on my adaptability to new and challenging times, I have learned to use technology I never would have to ensure I can communicate with my class as well as teachers and I have worked on my planning skills to ensure all tasks are done on time, especially during the lock-down period where there seem to be more distractions like watching television.

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My degree, and the way the semesters developed, taught me that the destination is just as important as the journey because you don’t just learn something at the end or when you succeed - everyday is a learning opportunity and your reflection on the journey is a key part of any learning cycle.

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References:

McLeod, S. (2010). Kolb—Learning Styles. 4.