Goals
My main goal is to utilize the free time I have after classes and on the weekends to focus on obtaining adequate communication skills. I will also minimize the time I use for my leisure and sporting activities and engage in studying communication skills instead. I strive to participate in interactions with my peers in all the available forums to improve my interpersonal relationship skills. I also want to improve my oral and audio-video presentation to demonstrate a high level of skills. I would also like to conduct a critical analysis of communication techniques and their influence on interpersonal relationships.
This plan should help me in developing a thorough approach to learning. Developing this learning plan in the best possible manner will help me go beyond the point of simply collecting the subject knowledge. The plan will help me in developing the ability to utilize the knowledge to a level that is productive in the community and essential in my career (Wilson & Cutting, 2001). This plan will also help me in taking full responsibility for my learning which in turn will help me improve my management skills.
This is an essential area of consideration in the world today. This process demands that I come up with a plan that has well-elaborated and achievable objectives. However, the plan is supposed to prove to be effective even when executed with the help of limited resources. The most valuable resource in this process is time.
And the time available for acquiring the skills is limited since there are other obligations I need to attend to.
Objective
I will improve on my communication skills, both written and spoken. This has been identified as an area of low performance and inadequate knowledge according to the results of the last semester’s exams.
I will develop my ability to use consultation and teamwork to help me improve on these important skills. I will utilize all the available resources within my reach to help me with skill development. The best ways to obtain the needed knowledge are: searching for the relevant information in the library or online, ask for help from peers, and consulting the lecturers. I will fix my timetable to fit at least five hours a day from week two to week nine for my studies in communication skills and interpersonal relationships.
I will think of several methods that I will use to solve this problem. Some of the methods I intend to use are more involvements in drama and debate activities within this period, increased participation in public speaking sessions, participation in a language club at school, more interactions with peers and lecturers, and more time spent studying the books on communication.
This process, I believe, will help me improve my skills in learning communication and interpersonal relationship as an individual. In developing this learning plan myself, I have faith that it is going to help me in achieving my personal goals that will increase my contribution to the community and society as a whole (Bennett, Cunningham, & Dawes, 2000). This process will help me improve my learning skills tremendously. My responsibility will also improve to an appreciable level. I will also develop high motivation, independence, and aspiration to get high results.
Plan
I will look for new and creative methods of taking research by the end of week two. I will dedicate some of my time to developing research methods in communication and interpersonal relationship skills. This will involve library work of research and case studies (Bennett, Cunningham, & Dawes, 2000). Learning contracts in the modern world of the organization has helped in improving management, personal knowledge, and talent development.
Case studies in organizations that have succeeded in the proper administration of contract learning will act as an insight to help me develop the skill. I will also borrow some of the methods those organizations have applied in practice. Therefore, case studies will provide me with a primary source of information, and interactions with my peers and lecturers will find a practical application for the theoretical skills learned from books and case studies.
During group works with my colleagues to be held between the second and the seventh week, I will volunteer to lead several projects to help me in developing my public speaking skills. This will also help me in improving my interpersonal relationships as I interact with my peers (Bennett, Cunningham, & Dawes, 2000). The projects will also facilitate me in developing leadership and research abilities. My participation in the report writing will help me to work on my writing and reporting skills.
I will ask my lecturer to give me feedback on my progress in communication and interpersonal relationship skills by the end of week seven. Then I will involve some of my peers in taking progress evaluation of me (Anderson, 1996). I will also do self-evaluation on my progress against my plan at the end of every week to see how far I have gone so I can evaluate the efforts I need to achieve my goals.
I will use all available skills and knowledge resources: mathematical, scientific, and technological in developing my communication and interpersonal relationship by the end of week five. This will motivate me to incorporate the learned skills into practice. My reporting skills will specifically improve while using all the obtained skills in communication (Wilson & Cutting, 2001). Mathematics, scientific and technological communications are some of the areas in the modern economy that cannot be avoided.
The social, economic, and political life in the world today requires that all the above skills are well acquired by the learners. Good communication skills in all the above areas will provide employees with adequate skills to operate in the modern work environment. This is the reason I take the initiative of developing these skills in a learning environment with close supervision from lecturers and colleagues.
I will select the appropriate tools and technology that will match my needs at the beginning of the third week. This will include interactive learning and library research. Online interaction will help me improve on lecturer-student interaction time (Boak, G. 1998). This will help me in interacting with my lecturers online. This move is significant because the available lecture time is not sufficient to have adequate lecturer-student interaction time. In addition to that, the lecture time is dedicated to the whole class, thus, one-on-one contact with the lecturer is limited during class time.
I will also share information about myself (my knowledge and skills) with others at the beginning and the end of every week. This will help me in improving my interpersonal relationship. My reporting skills will also improve and I will have an opportunity to conduct a proper self-evaluation through others. Sharing information with others about me will help my peers to evaluate me. This will help me in identifying the areas that need consideration in my learning process.
References
Anderson, G. (1996). Learning Contracts: A Practical Guide. England: Routledge.
Bennett, B., Cunningham, I. & Dawes, G. (2000). Self Managed Learning in Action: Putting Sml Into Practice. Michigan: Gower Publishing, Ltd.
Boak, G. (1998). A Complete Guide to Learning Contracts. New York: Gower Publishing, Ltd.
Wilson, J. & Cutting, L. (2001).Contracts for Independent Learning: Engaging Students in the Middle Years. London: Curriculum Press.