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Mindlab Post 2/10

The last 24 weeks of study have been eye-opening. I came into study with some degree of a lack of confidence in my ability to write- particularly academically. Upon reflection the past few years of writing blogs and becoming active on twitter have really helped. The need to write concisely on twitter when a posting can only be 140 characters has, I think, been particularly useful for becoming more succinct in what I want to say.

Near the beginning of our post-graduate study we did a reflection exercise on our personal key competencies and I wrote this blog post. 

Studying over the last year has prompted me to make some changes to my day to day practice. 

The most significant of these was a commitment to a specific study time. Alongside colleagues  also studying we agreed on a timespan and committed to studying during this time, in a space at school. 

A shared meal was held first and some congratulatory refreshments afterwards when we had done our four hours  to motivate us for the next time! 

I think this probably speaks to the “managing self" key competency. For me giving myself permission to focus solely on the study at hand rather than putting it off because there was something urgent that needed doing for the next day at school was a key to getting into this study- included just taking time to read and view study materials. 

In the past it has felt like a luxury to do this when the were “things’ that needed doing. It has now become much more of my daily practice. While I have always been an active and avid reader, reading or viewing things, reflecting on them and recording them so I can access them for future use is already proving itself to be hugely beneficial in my new position.

Another change, not quite as embedded as daily reading and viewing, but one I will continue to work on has been an exploring of different ways to reflect on what I am reading  and viewing. I had tended in the past to just write summary notes, but have started to explore different ways of doing this- sketch notes, and various other visual reflections. Not something that comes naturally but because it doesn't I have to think about it- more than I did when I’m just making notes, and I think this is helping me to not just summarise what I have read, but really reflect on the learnings and the implications for my own practices. Using language, texts and symbols has helped me develop a higher level of reflection than I think I was previously doing when I read.

I have loved being involved with this study and intend to now keep going with continuing into a Masters now I have more confidence that I have the practices and skills that will support this.