Task 3d - Critical Questions & Issues that Emerge

I have always struggled with organisation, juggling work, studying and a social life can be hard to say the least! I have discovered that I need to dedicate more of my time to Networking and research in order to keep up with the course. I find it hard to focus sometimes as I find I am more of a hands on person. I find sitting at a desk and typing very hard to engage with, especially when it is about a topic I am not overly familiar with.
I don’t have that many follows of my blog which has made me realise that I need to make more of an effort. I need to ensure that my blog is informative and worthwhile else why should I expect others to take an interest in what I am writing. I know that I need to take time to comment on other peoples work. Although I look at other blogs and think of commenting I never actually take the time to do so. I have found that by not keeping up to date with my blog postings people have already moved on and therefore don’t wish to revisit a topic. This is entirely my own fault, but due to work commitments I have not spent as much time and energy on this module as perhaps others have. This is definitely something I wish to improve on in the future and have decided to set aside at least an hour a day from now on so I don’t get behind with the next module.
Although I haven’t yet embraced the Blogging world fully I do see how sharing ideas and communicating with others can be beneficial. On several occasions I have read a peers blog and realised something I would have never thought of on my own. It has then made me question my own view so I then read more blogs and manage to form a new opinion based on having access to more information.
As I write I find things become clearer in my mind, its almost as if seeing it in black and white makes it appear real. Critical reflection has helped me to discover the thought process I go through in order to come to a conclusion. It has made me focus more deeply on what professional networking really is and how to get the most out of it in the future.
Before embarking on this course I would never have stopped to think about my professional networking. I would have continued to use the internet and read books etc. but I never would have sat down to think what it all actually means and how to make the process work to my advantage. The following quote from the reader on reflective practices really inspired me to question everything I think I know and approach new information with an inquisitive mind … “Reflection involves a focus on uncertainty, perplexing events and exploration without necessarily knowing where it will lead. It is in the interest of learning that writers express their doubts, reveal their lack of understanding and focus on what they do not know”.
I found that in relation to Honey and Mumford’s model I would previously miss out two stages completely. I would have an experience and conclude from that experience. This alone does not make it beneficial! I now know that in order to gain from the experience I also need to review the experience critically and then go on to plan the next steps. This model has helped a lot when getting started on this course and it is one I intend to continue to work with in future. I also think that John Dewey’s approach to education as an experiential action very useful. Reading about his views made me not afraid to make mistakes, to say what I think and then to look at it from different points of view and see if I still thought the same at the end of it. Learning is an ongoing process, ideas grow and evolve and this is what keeps me interested.
Looking at professional networking in this new way has definitely left me thinking differently to at the start of the module. I feel more comfortable to analyse what I’m being told and not to just take it as a fact. I am able to take my experiences and move forward from them knowing that I have learnt something in the process and this to me is invaluable.