Answer To: Assignment Brief As part of the formal assessment for the programme, you are required to submit a...
Sunabh answered on Mar 17 2021
SKILLS FOR LEARNING IN CARE
STUDENT NUMBER: _________________________
MODULE NAME: _________________________
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: _________________________
WORD COUNT: 3172
Introduction
Workplace skills can be defined as a certain set of skills, which may be in a compliance with the requirement of recruiters. It would be essential to consider that depending upon the skills as well as competencies and behaviours, an employer may decide the recruitment of candidate. Certain skills are inherited, such as look and personality while some skills can be acquired such as, good communication, work experience, confidence and much more. This assignment will focus upon the identification of personal skills as attitudes. A reflection upon learning process and skills will be made using Kolb’s cycle and efforts will be made to identify certain stressors among healthcare managers and required skills to cope up with them.
Question 1
Reflection using Kolb's (1984) Cycle
David A. Kolb in 1984 designed Kolb's experiential learning theory (ELT). ELT designed by Kolb’s includes two levels, which are a four-staged learning cycle and four distinct learning styles. Kolb’s theory and learning processes are based upon the internal cognitive processes of learner. There is a range of abstract concepts, which can be implied in a range of situation and the concepts of new development are associated with new experiences in life (Kolb, 1984). The four stages described by Kolb are—
a.) Concrete Experience –
New experiences are essential to acquire new learning because they help to analyse our existing skills and acquire new skills new skills, which would be in a compliance with the requirements of new experience (GUNES, 2017). Being a care practitioner, I have experienced umpteen numbers of immediate, as well as concrete experiences. Every individual requiring service possesses certain distinct requirements. I remember when a 70-year-oldwoman required my support to walk to the washroom but she was from different cultural and linguistic background. She was not able to convey her needs. Likewise, another distinct work experience, which I remember is when a 30 year old asked for my support but was not able to convey exactly what he needed. These experiences allowed me to think and analyse the situations because they presented new and immediate experiences.
b.) Reflective Observation –
Reflection or review with respect to the new experience allows identifying certain areas of inconsistencies or understanding, which might be lagging (McCarthy, 2016). Considering the above-presented experiences, I can review that I possess good communication skills, friendly attitude, professional behaviour, as well as, caring nature; however, I was not able to communicate with the individuals, from different cultural or linguistic background seeking my help because I lacked non-verbal communication skills. In other words, I acknowledged that formal and professional communication might not be helpful under every situation. Rather, certain situation may require professional and informal approach in order to understand the needs of individuals seeking service.
c.) Abstract Conceptualisation –
As reflected above also, professional and formal communication has always been my personal strength; however, these skills did not facilitate the interaction with some service users. Therefore, I implied a converging learning style of thinking and then performing. This helped me to analyse that I needs to inculcate informal communication styles in order to provide required services to individuals from distinct cultural and linguistic background. Likewise, I also reviewed that inculcation of non-verbal communication; it may help to communicate with the above presented service users.
d.) Active Experimentation –
This step suggests implying the modifications to the world around them in order to visualise the results. I identified that inculcating non-verbal communication along with informal communication approach may help with the interaction in certain cases. Therefore, I implied this to another service seeker, a 55-year-old individual who needed help to lie down on bed but was not able to convey his needs. I performed certain gestures with my hands, which indicated lying down or sleeping and the individual agreed with a head nod that, yes he need to lie down. Moreover, he also asked for some juice, which was not permitted to him. Therefore, I nodded my head to reflect rejection and handed him water. This reflects that the analysis and modification of skills were fruitful.
Significance of Completing a Reflection Cycle
Barker et al. (2016) suggested that reflection cycle and the stages suggested by Kolbe could be considered as an effective tool to address the required modifications or skills in compliance to the workplace requirements. Kolb’s cycle is an integrated learning process and each stage is mutually supportive of the succeeding step and feeding to the next stage. Further, the dynamic nature and flexible concepts of this cycle allows entering the cycle during any step and following succeeding logical sequence.
However, it would be essential to consider that one stage or single stage of this cycle is not an effective procedure on its own. Rather, effective learning occurs only when execution of all stages of model may be done along with the follow up in a logical sequence. Likewise, I understood that reflection is an importance aspect of learning cycle because reflection allows processing the aspects, which may have occurred during the experience. Further, it would be essential to consider that any new experience faced would be worthless, if it were not analysed because new experiences provide areas for improvement in existing skills. Accordingly, it may also allow identifying the information required for the next stage or step.
Kolb and Kolb (2018) presented that experiences can be truly transformational only through the follow up by reflection process. This is majorly because personal experiences evaluates the knowledge an individual may already carry, in my case knowledge carried by me were the professional and formal skills. However, I required adaptability and inculcation of an informal approach while dealing with certain individuals. Active Experimentation stage of Kolb’s cycle can be referred to as final reflection component because the modifications proposed or analysed during the prior step is tested and reflected during the last step.
Moreover, Kolb’s reflective cycle is an effective way of engaging in critical thinking as well as, problem solving skills. This is evident from the above presented situations, inability to comply with the needs of service user is considered as a lag I the required skill set of care practitioner. Likewise, this also inculcates feeling and emotions along with the learning modifications. This is majorly because inability to perform a task may lead to disappointment as a result; I worked on the skills I already possess. Further, this helped me to analyse the new skills or requirements to be inculcated in order to succeed in the areas where I was lagging.
Experiences Emphasising My Skills Set
In order to succeed in...