Personal Learning Plan and Aspects of Developing Research Paper

Diagnosis of learning needs

Prior to developing the personal learning plan, any student should first consider his or her educational needs, in other words, the competencies which he or she already possesses and those gaps which still need to be filled. It is quite possible to employ the approach, called the Fifth Discipline that includes such components as systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision and team learning (Senge, 1994). There are several questions which I would like to address. One of them is team learning. For me, this aspect is arguably one of the major concerns. I have frequently found myself unable to engage in a fruitful dialogue with another person especially if his point of view contradicts my own although in many cases such behavior was very unproductive. Of course, I am quite able to accept the opposing standpoint but it is normally done with reluctance. This is one of the reasons why I sometimes cannot participate in group discussions effectively. Furthermore, I have noticed that during many group seminars I usually tend to retreat when it is necessary to defend one’s opinion. As a result, I cannot convey my ideas to fellow students or colleagues. Hence, it is vital for me to acquire and continuously elaborate my team and persuasion skills. According to Peter Senge, a dispute or any other form of conflict is an inseparable component of team learning (1994, p 382); it seems to me that I normally avoid such disputes rather instead of facing them. This is one of the key difficulties which I definitely need to overcome.

Another aspect that significantly disturbs me is my mental models. Judging from my inner observations I can come to the conclusion that skepticism is one of my dominant traits. I am inclined to cast doubt practically on everything and search for flaws even in the most promising ideas. On the one hand, this skepticism helps me avoid mistakes or imprudent steps but at the same time, this quality becomes a very serious obstacle for me because I cannot make quick and strong-willed decisions. Moreover, this adversely affects my relations with other students as they believe that I am always too critical. In this regard, Daniel Goleman and her co-authors say that an incredulous attitude towards others is one of the major barriers on the path to leadership (Goleman et al, 2004). Skepticism gives rise to the lack of trust in one another. I do try to get out of this habit yet at the given moment; this issue still needs to be addressed. The thing is that it adversely impacts my ability to share the vision with my colleagues, especially when I take part in group projects. At this point, the question of emotional intelligence is by far the most crucial one. I need to convert skepticism into optimism and enthusiasm as this will immensely contribute to my professional growth and the productivity of the company or organization in which I will work (Goleman, 2005). It seems to me that skepticism is just like a schema through which I perceive the world and myself and it is necessary to break it. This is why the importance of this education plan cannot be underestimated as it will help to identify those strategies for accomplishing my goals and improving my personal and interpersonal skills.

Key objectives

At this stage I can single out the following goals which must be achieved:

1. to acquire and improve my interpersonal skills, namely to become an active and productive team member;
2. to become more optimistic in my attitude towards others and myself:
3. to develop my argumentative skills and be more constructive in my relationships with other students;
4. to continue my education and probably apply to a PhD program;
5. to increase my professional level in the area of my study and related fields. Certainly, this is not the entire list, but these tasks appear to be seminal.

Resources and strategies

Several methods can be adopted in order to attain these objectives:

1. continuous participation in group projects which require the ability to uphold ones vies and convey one’s ideas to the rest of the team;
2. attend seminars in rhetoric and elocution;
3. optimistic and enthusiastic attitude toward other people;
4. continuous self-education.

Evidence of accomplishment and validation of this evidence

I will adopt different techniques of measuring the accomplishment if any. First, the progress will be validated on the basis of such evidence as my personal observations; feedbacks from my teachers, fellow student and colleagues, academic performance, professional growth. These are the most important markers of progress.

Evaluation of Learning

It is rather difficult to establish the exact parameters for the evaluation of learning. There are several conventional criteria, such as academic performance and future career. Nonetheless, it seems to me that it is necessary to pay attention to personal traits, the contribution to the well-being of the community. Provided that such an approach is taken, it would hardly be possible for me to assess the quality of my learning. Perhaps, it will be done only by other people who can take an unbiased look at me.

Reference

Corey, S. R. (1991). Principle-centered leadership. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.

Goleman, D,, Boyatzis R, E,. McKee, A. (2004) Primal leadership: learning to lead with emotional intelligence. Cambridge: Harvard Business Press.

Senge, P. (1994). The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization. Boston: Currency Doubleday.