Personal Developing Planning

2 Personal Development Planning
Many degrees are concerned with the development and assessment of knowledge and abilities for vocational as well as academic learning. Developing the skill of reflective practice is a fundamental element of being a professional. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) in their publication Guidelines for HE Progress Files (2001:8) define Professional Development Planning as ‘a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development’. There is a drive to include PDP in all degree programmes. It is therefore highly relevant for those of you who are learning at the same time as working, as it is intended to help you to:
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become a more effective, independent and confident self-directed learner; understand how you are learning, and relate your learning to a wider context; improve your general skills for career and study management; articulate your personal goals and evaluate progress towards their achievement; and encourage a positive attitude to learning throughout life.

This chapter covers:
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reflective writing Personal Development Planning (PDP) producing a Professional Development Portfolio

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Study Skills for Part-time Students

Reflective writing
Reflective writing provides an opportunity for you to think critically about past events and your own learning journey. We are told by our new degree students that they often find this a difficult task, as it is different from other forms of writing they have done before. Reflective writing offers the opportunity for you to challenge yourself about what you do. It also gives you the objectivity to do things differently and better, without seeing problems as a result of personal inadequacy. Keeping a reflective journal is challenging, but can help you to develop a scholarly approach to your practice and to learning. This is an... [continues]

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