Essay: Learning Style Model And SWOT Analysis For Personal Development.

1.1 Identify own learning style (s) and the learning style (s) of another member of the team.
1.2 Use a simple technique for identifying own development needs and the development needs of another member of the team
1.3 Identify potential barriers to learning
1.4 Explain how barriers to learning can be overcome.

2.1 Briefly analyse learning/development options to meet needs of self and another member of the team
2.2 Identify support mechanisms for the development of self and another member of the team
2.3 Prepare a development plan to achieve a learning objective for yourself
2.4 Describe a method that could be used to monitor the development of self and another member of the team

Examination of the information gathered through the SWOT analysis and other information such as job appraisal feedback, job description etc. to identify the development needs of both yourself and another person should be used here to determine the learning development options open to both of you.
2.2 Identify support mechanisms for the development of self and another member of the team.Following on from barriers discussed above, who can help both of you overcome these barriers and how
2.3 Prepare a development plan to achieve a learning objective for yourself.Now you move on to preparing just your own personal development plan (PDP).Use a suitable PDP Template like the example below (there are some in Moodle or you could find one online).

The Kolb learning style model

One model that can identify my learning style is; The Kolb learning style model. It has four very diverse styles of learning and is based on two factors namely; how people understand the information - this could be either in a reflective or active way - and how they perceive the information as either being abstract or concrete (Mc Leod 2010). For the different learning styles, first are assimilators who the type of learners that learn by organizing their information in a precise manner and are reflective in the way they observe things.

They also prefer to reason theoretically. Second, there are divergers. These are learners who use observation as their style of learning and like gathering the necessary information. They use their imagination a lot and also prefer practicality as opposed to theory. Third, there are accommodators. These learners like testing things and prefer working based on experience (Sanacore 2008). They are active learners and are good at relating with others. They also follow their feelings instead of relying on logic. From this model, the main characteristic that would describe my learning style is a diverger. I find gathering information which involves researching on various issues as paramount in the way I learn as it enables me to get a bigger picture n what am learning about and it also allows me to have an in-depth knowledge of my topic of interest.

The model of learning that best describes my partner is the Felder-Silverman learning style model. It explores factors related to one’s personality that affects their learning. These include; verbal (Graf et al. 2007). This occurs where learners prefer to use spoken and written information. Sequential learners, on the other hand, prefer learning in a structured manner that happens in small increments. There are also active learners who like trying out various things, and enjoy group work. Reflective learners are doing things on their own or with someone they are used to and think critically to come up with answers (Sowa 2009).

There are also intuitive learners who are creative and prefer thinking conceptually. They are interested in theories and what they mean. There are global learners as well who like thinking holistically and learn fast. Lastly, there are sensing learners who are practical and care about the facts and processes of doing things. This theory best describes my partner because she is a reflective learner and a sort of introvert. She prefers doing things by herself and will only welcome the help of someone she is familiar with. She also prefers to think things through and come up with solutions when she has questions about something.

The Felder-Silverman learning style model

SWOT Analysis for team member

Lack of motivation for the children in learning is one of the barriers that affects learning. There could also be some emotional obstacles that prevent the child from absorbing information (Smith & Elliott 2011). Cultural and social differences could also affect a child’s learning ability which could be due to language barriers or the child’s inability to interact with other children respectively. Lastly, children could have personal issues that are affecting them and reducing their level of concentration in the classroom.

The various barriers to learning can be overcome in a variety of ways. For starters, students who have children can find a babysitter to look after their child as they study. Also, People who are working as they study can have a schedule which they follow so they can multitask. Additionally, People with financial problems can ask for financial aid using various platforms. In cases of geographical barriers, one can opt to take online classes to save on time taken to commute. To overcome social barriers, where the family is unsupportive, one can talk to them and explain the importance of having an education and that way they can change their minds and be more supportive.

The development needs to be based on the SWOT Analysis, and other information of both myself and my team member include; levels of training, the ability to network and interact with other people as well ability to upgrade knowledge over and over.

To overcome the barriers mentioned previously, there are some parties who help us overcome these obstacles. First, family members should be supportive of our learning, and they should not try to jeopardize our learning process. Second, the government should provide financial aid for those who need it instead of them dropping out due to lack of finances. Third, employers should also support their employees when they are studying by giving them the time off when they need to go and learn.

Personal development plan ( PDP)

Learning log

References

Graf, S. et al., 2007. In-Depth Analysis of the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Dimensions. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 40(1), pp.79–93.

Mc Leod, S., 2010. Kolb - Learning Styles. SimplyPsychology, p.1.

Sanacore, J., 2008. Turning Reluctant Learners into Inspired Learners. The Clearing House, 82(1), pp.40–44.

Smith, D. & Elliott, D., 2011. Exploring the Barriers to Learning from Crisis. Management Learning, 35(5), pp.519–538.

Sowa, P.A., 2009. Understanding our learners and developing reflective practice: Conducting action research with English language learners. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(8), pp.1026–1032.