Reflective Practice for Professional Skills Development

Skills Audit Reflection Outcomes

You have spent the last few weeks becoming a strong reflective practitioner, undertaking a range of activities around being ‘self-aware’, not only of your current skill set, but also the areas where you need to develop your professional skills.

We now want you to write up this first topic area, so as to start building towards your assessment. For your assessment you will need to use this in the following sections; the Grademark table outline for this is also included on the last page:

• Reflection and discussion around your self awareness in your skills mapping related to the position you are applying for; clear examples need to be shown of how you know you have these skills, for example, work experience, volunteering, sports, student rep, college opportunities etc;
• Reflection and discussion around your self awareness of the psychometrics and other skills/behaviour surveys you undertook, showing how these illustrate a good match to the job role you applied for;
• Discussion of the development plan you wrote from your analysis of your skills audit, identifying challenges to your career aspirations.  This should include either SMART or HARD goals showing at least 1 x short term goal (end of L4), 1 x medium term goal (end of University) and 1 x long term goal (first promotion);

Therefore, what we want to see now is you completing the template documents provided to produce a summary of your reflections using the Rolf model of reflection that we have discussed already:

Your skills audit reflection outcomes -

What were your areas of developed skills, with specific examples of how you gained these.  What were your skills gaps?  So What -  why are these important to know/fill?

What did the psychometrics and skills/behaviours surveys outline as your strengths? What did they say around development areas – So what did you learn from this?

So what  - Think about what area placement/internship you may be looking to apply for/use in this assessment – why might the outcomes above be important. How are you going to use this knowledge and reflection in the future?  

Formative Assessment 1 Brief Checklist

1.Have you undertaken your skills audit, this includes the activities that have been set including SWOT, FutureMe, behaviour and skills surveys, CMI materials?

2.Have you analysed and reflected on what the skills audit informed you of, for example, what are your strengths, values? Where are your areas for development?Where you had skills that you have developed from work or other experiences, do you have specific examples of how that skill developed?

3.How well do all these skills map to your chosen placement/internship? What areas are still needing some development?

4.Have you used the career development plan template to design your action plan for developing yourself?

5.Have you from this developed your minimum of 3 goals (1 x short, 1 x medium and 1 x long)

6.Have you been reflective, have you completed the full cycle of What, So What and WHAT NOW?

7.Is your formative at least 750 words?

8.Have you read the formative brief, which gives more detail?

9.Have you asked questions of your tutor where you have any - questions are a good thing!

10.Have you thought how you will then use this and the feedback you received to use in your summative piece?

11.Have you proof read your piece and does it look professional?

12.Have you ensured you have this ready for w/b 15th March?

13.Have you thought about how to record the feedback you are given so you can refer to it over the Winter Break when refining and finalising your final assessmnet?