BTEC National Diploma in
Health and Social Care

Unit 6
Personal and Professional Development in
Health and Social Care

LO1 Understand the learning process * Theories of learning * Influences on learning * Skills for learning * Support for learning * Learning opportunities

LO2 Be able to plan for and monitor own professional development * Review at start of programme * Knowledge * Skills * Practice * Values and Beliefs * Career aspirations * Action plan for own development * Consider personal goals

LO3 Be able to reflect on own development over time * Monitor and evaluate plan * Changes * Contexts * Professional development portfolio * Relevant experience * Support for development * Reflect on own development

LO4 Know service provision in the health or social care sectors * Provision of services * Local health or social care * Health and social care workers

What you will be taught

1. Understand the learning process * Theories of learning: theorists, * Skills for learning; * Support for learning; * Learning opportunities;

2. Be able to reflect on own professional development over time * Review at start of programme; * Knowledge; * Skills; * Practice; * Values and beliefs; * Career aspirations;

3. Be able to reflect on own development over time * Monitor and evaluate plan in terms of own development; * Professional development portfolio; * Relevant evidence; * Support for development; * Reflect on own development;

4. Know service provision in the health or social care sectors * Provision of services; * Local health or social care; * Health and social care workers;

Assessment and grading criteria
In order to pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the learning outcomes for the unit. The assessment criteria for a pass grade describe the level of achievement required to pass this unit.

To achieve a pass grade the evidence must show that the learner is able to: | To achieve a merit grade the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass criteria, the learner is able to: | To achieve a distinction grade the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass and merit criteria, the learner is able: | P1 explain key influences on the personal learning processes of individuals (IE3; IE4) | M1 assess the impact of key influences on the personal learning processes on own learning | D1 evaluate how personal learning and development may benefit others | P2 assess own knowledge, skills, practice, values, beliefs and career aspirations at start of the programme(RL1; RL2; RL4; EP1) | | | P3 produce an action plan for self-development and achievement of own personal goals (CT1; RL2) | | | P4 produce evidence of own progress against action plan over the duration of the programme(RL3; RL4; SM1; SM2; SM6) | M2 assess how the action plan has helped support own development over the duration of the programme | D2 evaluate own development over the duration of the programme | P5 reflect on own personal and professional development (RL5; SM6) | M3 use three examples to examine links between theory and practice | | P6 describe one local health or social care service provider identifying its place in national provision (IE2) | | | April to May | | | P7 describe the roles, responsibilities and career pathways of three health or social care workers (E2; CT1) | | |

PLTS: This summary references where applicable, in the square brackets, the elements of the personal learning and thinking skills which are embedded in the assessment of this unit. By achieving the criteria, learners will have demonstrated effective application of the referenced elements of the skills.

IE – Independent enquirers CT – creative thinkers RL – reflective learners TW – team workers SM – self managers EP – effective participators

Task 1 - Your knowledge and skills, values and beliefs and career aspirations

Having just started the course, you are going to do a baseline assessment of your skills, knowledge and experience – a stock take of your life so far. This will enable you to plan ahead for the rest of the course

You are going to create a presentation of slides (with speaker’s notes) which you will deliver to your peers. Your talk should assess your own performance and abilities in each of these areas:

* Knowledge (for example knowledge gained through subjects studied at school, hobbies and full of part-time employment) * Skills (do you have technical, ICT or enterprise skills)? * Practice (work experience in a health and social care setting may mean that you have background knowledge of care value base, laws and legislations, policies and procedures, and codes of practice) * Values and beliefs (you may have strong views and opinions that are influences by family, friends or religious teachings) * Career aspirations (perhaps you already have some idea of the area that you would like to work in

Talk about you strengths, as well as the areas you think you will need to develop during the course.

Remember, the audience for you presentation is your class colleagues, so make sure you use appropriate images, language and formatting

Task 2 - Making an action plan

For this task you will produce an action plan outlining some personal development goals and setting a timetable.

You will place your action plan within your professional development portfolio, so you need to start a file or a folder for this. Your tutor or teacher will discuss the further contents of your portfolio as you progress through the course. At this point, prepare a front page using a work processor.
Include your:

* Full name * Learning ID number * Course title * Tutors name

In preparation for creating your action plan and developing your processional development portfolio, you can start by assessing your current position. The work that you completed for Task 1 will help you with this. Identify your key strengths and some areas that you need to develop. Then outline some steps that you need to take to develop your performance.

You can do this using a SAP self-assessment table (see overleaf). Fill in the details under the headings of “Strengths”, “Areas for development” and “Plans for development”.

Strengths (S) | | Areas for Development (A) | | Plans for Development (P) | |

Keep a copy of your SAP table in your processional development portfolio.

Now set yourself some goals for the duration of the course, creating an action plan that will help you to monitor your progress.

* Long-term goals – come up with at least four goals that you aim to achieve by the end of the course. These could include personal goals and professional goals. These goals must be SMART: specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and timely. * Short-term goals – based on your long-term goals, come up with at least four goals that you aim to achieve within six months. These could be personal or professional and should also be SMART

Finally, draw up your action plan. Deign an action plan table, preferably using a spreadsheet. You must define each short-term and each long-term goal by breaking them down into very specific targets or actions Add projected dates for achieving each target to enable you to review your progress towards your end goals at regular intervals. You will also need to include a column in your table for the actual completion date of each target.

Your action plan is not set in stone: as you monitor your progress, you can amend the plan, changing your coals or the projected dates for targets so that you meet your ongoing learning needs on the course, reach your personal development goads and finally, achieve your career aspirations.

Task 3a P1 Personal learning process

Before you start your work experience placement, it is important for you to understand the learning process and how it applies to you. This will enable you to use the available supports to maximise your learning opportunities and develop your practice.

Learning means different things to different people; everyone acquires knowledge and skills in different ways. Understanding what influences your learning is important for your progress on the course. Factors that can influence an individual’s learning include:

* Previous educational experiences * Lifestyle * Specific learning needs * Formal learning opportunities * Informal learning opportunities * Available time * Preferred learning style * Learning environment * Access to resources * Attitude to learning * Self-discipline * Aspirations and motivation * Priorities * Health * Other responsibilities * Supportive and unsupportive relationships.

For this task, you are going to write a report, explaining with examples key influences on the personal learning processes of individuals. Support your explanations by using the theories of Honey and Mumford and Kolb.

Task 3b M1 Assess influences on your learning

To achieve a merit award, you should extend your report from Task 3a to include a section that assesses the impact of key influences on your won learning. Identify the most important influences on your learning and say how and why each has helped or hindered you. Try to use the learning theories (Honey and Mumford, and Kolb) to help you explain these influences and the effect they have had on your learning and development

Task 3c D1 Evaluate your learning

To gain a distinction award, you will extend your report from Tasks 3a and b to include a section that evaluates how personal learning and development can benefit others, for example how your personal development can help peers in your class, staff at your placement setting, service users or members of your family.
You will need to carry our some background research, perhaps including an interview with the subjects(s) of your evaluation. You are going to find out how this person (or people) feels they have benefitted from your personal and/or professional development.

You could ask your subject how you’re personal or profession development has: * Increased their physical or emotional wellbeing * Improved their experience of your practice at work * Make them feel in terms of their own self-confidence and self-esteem * Improved your employment prospects at work.

For this task, consider how your won personal and professional development relates to that of others:
How do you think planning for your own personal and professional development when you are on work placement will be of benefit to you, to services users and to other staff?

In the course of your work or personal life, have you helped others in their personal or professional development? What skills and knowledge did you use to do this? How effective were you? What were the benefits to that person: was your involvement in someone else’s development also of benefit to you?

Remember to respect confidentiality when using case studies and interviews involving other people
Task 4a P4 Monitor your action plan and progress

Although you should start collecting evidence for Task 4 early on in the course, you will be monitoring your action plan and keeping tabs on your progress right through to the end of the course. The final reviews in Tasks 4a, b and c can only be done as you finish the course.

In order to pass this part of the assignment you should: * Use your personal development portfolio to provide evidence of your own progress against your action plan over the duration of the course * Closely monitor your action plan, amending the table as necessary, for example if your career aspirations change or you feel you need to achieve different targets or undertake other actions * Date any changes made to your action plan * Keep a copy of your original action plan in your personal development portfolio, with subsequent amended and dated versions also filed alongside * Use your professional development portfolio to file objective evidence that documents your progress against your action plan * Use a review form (given to you by your tutor at particular points in the course, such as at the end of a unit or work experience placement) to reflect on your learning and experiences; this may help you to identify changes that you need to make to your action plan * Always complete the part of the review form that gives you the chance to write a short reflective account of your progress * Make sure your review forms are signed and dated; you should complete at least three reviews to meet the requirements for this unit * Use feedback received from tutors and placement supervisors to identify development needs and plan for your further development.

At the end of the course, you will need to write a detailed final review that highlights your progress towards your long-term goals.

Task 4b M2 Assessment of your action planning

To achieve a merit award, you will need to extend your final review from Task 4a to assess how creating and monitoring your action plan has helped support your development over the duration of the course.

This task should be evidence based, referencing several reflective writings, entries in your journal and pieces of portfolio evidence to illustrate the point you make when assessing the importance of the action planning process.

Task 4c D2 Evaluate your own development over the course

You will complete this task towards the end of your course, having learnt a lot about health and social care. For this task, you will add a section to your final review from Task 4 a and b evaluating your development over the whole duration of the course.

You should: * Explain why you have developed more in some areas and less in others * Provide evidence for your evaluation, using examples from your work experience placements, reflective writings, placement reports and action plan * Review your development and form conclusions about your progress

Task 5a P5 Reflect on your personal and professional Development

Remember, you need to complete at least three work placements over the duration of the course, totalling 100 hours of work experience. For this task you will need to provide evidence of your reflection on your own performance and development during the course and on placement. You should also reflect on how well you have progressed towards the goals you set for yourself at the start of the course.

If you have not already done so, you will need to make sure you arrange your professional development portfolio systematically. Your teacher or tutor will have given you a suggested breakdown of contents or sample index to guide you in arranging your file.

For this unit, your professional development portfolio should include: * A time sheet for each placement, signed by your placement supervisor to confirm the number of hours you have worked per shift and providing evidence of completing the required 100 hours (use task sheet 6.5iv) * A work placement diary or log detaining key events (Task sheet 6.5iii) and including observations that you can draw on to complete tasks in all units; this should be dated and signed by you as you complete it * Your presentation for Task1 * Your initial SAP assessment from Task 2 * Your action plan table from Task 2 * An up to date Curriculum Vitae (CV see help sheet 6.5i) * Your personal profile (see help sheet 6.5i) * Your personal statement (help sheet 6.5ii will help you complete your personal statement for your UCAS application) * Any relevant certificates (such as First Aid or Food and Hygiene * Reflective accounts of work experience placements, visits, interviews * Placement profiles * End of placement reports * Observation records (e.g. evidence of completed tasks observed by your assessor, such as an observation of a one to one interaction role play) * Witness statements (e.g. evidence of completed tasks, for example a one to one interaction with a service user in your placement setting, observed by another qualified person apart from your assessor such as your work experience supervisor. Task sheet 6.5ii can be used to record this statement) * Peer assessments (e.g. task sheet 6.5vi completed by a peer to record your communication role plays) * Your review forms from Task 4

Once your professional development portfolio is complete, you and your tutor will review all the evidence you have produced and you will both sign to authenticate your work

Task 5b M3 Link between theory and practice

Practitioners have to be able to reflect on and develop their practice based on theories they have learnt. In order to achieve a merit award, you are going to write a short report that uses three examples to examine links between theory and practice. What are the links between what you have learnt in the classroom and from your won research, and what you have experienced during your work placements?

Some theories you could choose include: * Communication theories * Learning style theories * Ageing theories.

These might influence the practical implementation of, for example: * Infection controls * Health and safety practice * Anti-discriminatory practice * Risks assessment * Dealing with challenging behaviour

Task 6 P6 Local health and social care provider

For this task, choose a helath or social care provider from one of your placements or another different provider that you know well. You need to be able to gain enough information (through visits and interviews) about the provider to complete the task.

Prepare a presentation with slides and speakers notes to describe your chosen health or social care provider, identifying the place of the organisation within our national provision.

Try to answer these questions: * How does the provider meet the needs of its service users? * How do service users access the services? * How is the service paid for? * How do the policies and procedures of the care provider meet the legal requirements? * How does the provider work with other agencies and fit into the national framework?

Within your presentation, you are encouraged to consider relevant current issued (perhaps issues you have seen covered in the media) and how these relate to your chosen care provider. For example, reported problems recruiting qualified health care practitioners or current governmental policy considerations could be investigated. You could also research specific local issues, such as funding cuts or changes in the delivery of a local service.

Task 7 P7 Careers information leaflets

In this scenario, you are working as an assistant careers advisor at your local job centre. You have been asked to create a small range of information leaflets for three different career pathways in health and social care. Your three leaflets should give information on different job roles and responsibilities in each of the three career pathways, as well as encouraging jobseekers (especially college leavers) to make informed decisions about their future careers. Career pathways might include, for example, nursing or social work.

For this task you may find it useful to: * Research the role of professional bodies, codes of conduct, and the recommended training and development of staff working in the three different areas * Recall the roles and responsibilities of different health and social care practitioners that you have come across during the course * Investigate some of the job roles or career paths that may be of interest to you in the future.

Self-assessment deadline checklist | Task | What you will have produced | Deadline | 1 is linked to P2 | A PowerPoint presentation with speakers notes that assesses own knowledge, skills, practice, values, beliefs and career aspirations at start of the programme | | 2 is linked to P3 | * A professional development portfolio front page * A SAP table * Long term goals * Short term goals * An action plan with SMART targets | | 3a is linked to P1 | A report that explains key influences on the personal learning processes of individuals | | 3b is linked to M1 | An extension of the report for Task 3a that assess the impact of key influences on own learning | | 3c is linked to D1 | An extension of the report for Task 3b that evaluates how personal learning and development may benefit others | | 4a is linked to P4 | * Original action plan table * Interim and final action plan table showing dated amendments * At least three review forms * Final review | | 4b is linked to M2 | A section in the final review from Task 4a that assesses how your action plan has helped support your own development over the duration of the programme | | 4c is linked to D2 | A section in your final review from Task 4b that evaluates your own development over the duration of the programme | | 5a is linked to P5 | * A time sheet showing a total of 100 hours of work placement completed at a minimum of three different work places * End of placement reports * Professional development portfolio | | 5b is linked to M3 | A report that uses three examples to examine links between theory and practice | | 6 is linked to P6 | A presentation that describes one local health or social care service provider, identifying its place in national provision | | 7 is linked to P7 | Three information leaflets each describing the roles and responsibilities of jobs in a health or social care career pathway | |

Final tips: * Number the pages of your portfolio (making sure it is all in the correct order). * Include a bibliography or assets table stating all your primary and secondary sources. * Use appendices to store any additional information, e.g. your website screen dumps and newspaper or journal articles. * Make sure you create your own front cover with your name, the BTEC details and the unit details, plus your teacher’s name. * As well as your own work, your portfolio should include other evidence such as witness statements, observation records, work experience logs and placement reports.

Worksheet 6.2.1

Key Words

Read each statement in the following table and choose the key work that describes the statement from this list: * Knowledge | * Practice | * Beliefs | * Skill | * Values | * Career aspiration | The first example has been done for you. | Statement | Key word | Extension: give a statement about yourself in relation to this key word | 1 | “I can sing alto very well”. | Skill (a skill is something you can do well as a result of training and practice) | | 2 | “I did two weeks work experience in a nursery in Year 10”. | | | 3 | “I do not believe in animal testing”. | | | 4 | “I would like to be a midwife when I am older.” | | | 5 | “I got five grades A to C in my GCSEs, including maths and English”. | | | 6 | “I am very confident when presenting to an audience”. | | | 7 | “I hold my friends and family in high esteem”. | | |

Activity: Below is a table with all the points mentioned above listed and some other heading; individually you need to complete each section of it. When it is done you will have the basic points for a good assessment. |

Points | What are you good at? | How would you like to improve? | Skills | | | Knowledge | | | Practice | | | Values and Beliefs | | | Career aspirations | | |

Section 2: How do we improve you?
Action Plans and Reflective Practice.

Over the duration of this course it is important that you set yourself personal and professional goals; without these you will not be able to see how you are improving.

Examples of Personal Goals: * I will exercise at least twice a week. * I will pass my driving theory test.

Examples of professional goals: * I will achieve distinction grades in half of the College units. * I will increase my punctuation by never being late.

Activity: Can you think of any more targets? You will be put into groups and your task is to try and think of at least 3 more professional and 3 personal targets. These do not need to be related to you and can be kept general. |

Your examples of Personal Goals | Examples of Professional Goals | | | | | | |
Now create your own!

Activity: Now you need to create six targets of your own that you want to meet by the end of the first year. These must be a mixture of personal and professional targets and will take a bit of thinking. Write them below.

Your Personal Goals | Your professional Goals | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ok now you have six targets, let’s make them
SMART (Like the Pro’s do)

What are SMART TARGETS?

SMART is acronym where each letter represents a work/step. If you follow each step you will create professional targets which are easy to follow and monitor.

Activity: What does SMART mean? Try and match the words in the box with the acronym SMART. This will be guess work but it can be fun to see what people come up with. |

S | SexySensibleSpecific | M | ManageableMeasureable | A | Appropriate AttainableAchievable | R | Reasonable RecordableReadableRealistic Relevant | T | TargetedTruthfulTime-limitedTortuous |

How to create SMART targets

Now you know what SMART means it is important to be able to make a target SMART. See below for an example.

Are these Goals SMART?

| “I will lose eight” | “To improve my health, I will lose 10 pounds by August 15, 2016” | Specific? | No | Yes (lose 10 pounds) | Measureable? | No | Yes (compare weight before and after) | Achievable? | Who knows? | Yes (about 1 pound a week) | Relevant? | Maybe | Yes (lose weight to improve health | Time-bound? | No | Yes (by August 15, 2015) |

Now it’s your Turn

Activity: Below are a few targets which are not SMART. In each case rewrite the target to make it more SMART.

I will be able to copy

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

I will be able to proof read

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

I will be able to follow instructions

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

I will be able to add up

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Let’s put these Targets into an Action Plan

Action required | Who will do this? (you, Tutor) | Priority (high/med/ low) | Expected Completion Date | Comments | Actual Completion Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Task sheet 6.2

Planning your presentation

P2 Assess your own knowledge, skills, practice, values, beliefs and career aspirations at the start of the programme. |

You are going to create a presentation of slides (with speaker’s notes) which you will deliver to your peers. You should assess your own performance and abilities in each of the areas listed above.

Use this sheet to plan what you are going to put on each of the slides in your PowerPoint presentation.

Slide No. | Notes | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | | 6 | | 7 | | 8 | | 9 | | 10 | |

Task sheet 6.2i

Personal SWOT analysis

P2 Assess own knowledge, skills, practice, values, beliefs and career aspirations at start of the programme |

As part of your baseline assessment, you could do a SWOT analysis to determine your current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Think about the questions in the SWOT grid below and the fill in the blank template.

Strengths * Shat advantages do you have? * What can you do well? * Why did you decide to do this course? * What have you achieved? * What knowledge or expertise do you have? | Weaknesses * What could you improve? * What do you do badly? * What do you avoid doing? * What are your professional weaknesses? (Think about your worst experience at school. Could this be a cause of weakness)? | Opportunities * What do you see yourself doing in the future? * Are you doing all you can to achieve your goals? * What other training or education might help you? * Could you change your lifestyle in some way to create an opportunity? | Threats * What obstacles do you face? * Is the job or career pathway you have chosen changing? * How might your finances affect your future plans? | Strengths | Weaknesses | Opportunities | Threats |

Task sheet 6.2ii

Producing a SAP table

P3 Produce an action plan for self-development and achievement of own personal goals |

Name:

Strengths (S) | Areas for development (A) | Plan for development (P) | Learner signature: | Date: | Assessor signature: | Date: |

Task sheet 6.2iii

Producing a personal development plan

P3 Produce an action plan for self-development and achievement of own personal goals |

Personal Development Plan | Name | Goal | What skill is required to meet this goal? | What knowledge is required to meet this goal? | What actions will you take to achieve your goal? | Deadline for completion | | Review notes | Date completed | | Evidence that you met your goal | Learner signature: | Date: | Assessor signature: | Date: |

Task sheet 6.2iv

Producing a work placement development plan

P3 Produce an action plan for self-development and achievement of own personal goals |

Name:

Work Placement Development Plan | Name | Organisation and service user group | Job roles and responsibilities | Skills and attributes needed for position | Evidence (work evidence for these skills and attributes) | Areas for improvement (what areas do I need to develop in)? | How to improve (what will I do)? | Deadline for completion | | Date completed | | Learner signature: | Date: | Assessor signature: | Date: |

Task sheet 6.4

End of unit/end of placement review form

P4 produce evidence of own progress against action plan over the duration of the programme |

Name:

Delete as appropriate:
End of unit review/End of work experience placement review

Details of review
Unit number:
Or
Work placement name:

1. What have you learnt from this unit or placement? How has this impacted upon your practice? Using examples, describe how you have used knowledge gained in class to impact upon your practice and vice versa. |

2. What useful skills have you gained from this unit or placement to help you in your practice? Using examples, describe the skills you have developed. |

3. What do you need to do to improve your own practice? I could make the following improvements: |

4. How will you achieve the improvements identified in question 3? What will you actually do? For instance, will you seek further training, carry our research in a particular area or monitor and review your own progress using your action plan table? Strategies for improvement: |

5. Realistically, when could you achieve these improvements? Why have you chosen this timescale? I will aim to achieve these improvements to my own practice by the following date: | Because: |

6. Using your action plan table and your last review, comment on the progress you have made. What targets have you met? What targets are you still working on? How do you intend to meet those targets that have not yet been met? |

Learner signature: | Date: | Assessor signature: | Date: |

Section1: What is learning and let’s find out more about your abilities.

Learning is a process by which we acquire knowledge, skills and an understanding of abstract concepts. Learning starts when we are infants and continues throughout our lives. This can include schooling, work training and learning through everyday life experiences.

What is PPD/CPD?

As we get jobs and careers it is now a requirement that we under go ongoing training and we document it correct to show we are capable of doing our jobs. For example as a Lecturer we have to do 30 hours training a year in order to continue working. Everything needs to be typed up, logged and reflected on. It is important that we use the skills we learned and apply them to our jobs, which of course need writing up about how well it went/didn’t go.

This is called personal and Professional Development/Continues Professional Development.

Theory, Knowledge and Experience

During this course you will gain three things:

1. We will teach you new skills and abilities. 2. You will gain experience from the placements. 3. You will be taught new theories and knowledge.

The idea is that by the end of level 3 all of these will be part of you so you can improve your learning and development, making you a better professional.

Skills Experience Theories Improved Learning and Development

You’re learning Style

Honey and Mumford (1982) devised an influential self-test, which indicates whether you are predominantly an activist, a reflector, a theorist, or a pragmatist. There are websites where you can take a test – but you will probably get just as good an idea about your learning style (and those of your colleagues) by reading what each type likes and loathes.

| Learn best from activities in which there are | Learn least fro, and may react against, activities where | Activists | * New experiences and challenges from which to learn * High visibility tasks such as chairing meetings, leading discussions and presentations * Opportunities for just ‘having a go’. | * They have a passive role (lectures, instructions, reading) * They are observers * They must work in a solitary way (reading and writing alone) | Reflectors | * Are allowed or encouraged to watch/think/ponder on activities * Can carry our careful, detailed research can reach a decision * Without pressure and tight deadlines. | * They feel ‘forced’ into the limelight * They are asked for an instant reaction, or ‘off the cuff’ thoughts * They must act without time for planning | Theorists | * They are intellectually stretched, e.g. by being asked to analyse and evaluate, then generalise * They are in structured situations with a clear purpose * They can question and probe the basic methodology, assumptions or logic | * Have to participate in situations emphasising emotions and feelings * Feel out of tune with other participants, for example when they are with lots of activists * Are asked to act or decide without a basis in policy, principle or concept | Pragmatists | * There is an obvious link between the subject matter and a ‘real life’ problem * They are shown techniques for doing things with obvious practical advantages * They are given immediate opportunities to implement what they have learned | * There are no clear guidelines * There is no apparent reward from the learning activity, for example higher grades * They feel people are going round in circles rather than getting to the point |

Let’s find our your learning style

Honey and Mumford: Learning Styles Questionnaire

There is no time limit to this questionnaire. It will probably take you 10-15 minutes. The accuracy of the results depends on how honest you can be. There are no right or wrong answers. If you agree more than you disagree with a statement put a tic. If you disagree more than you agree put a cross by it. Be sure to mark each item with either a tick or cross. When you have completed the questionnaire, continue this task by responding to the points that follow.

1 | I have strong beliefs about what is right and wrong. Good and bad. | | 2 | I often act without considering the possible consequences | | 3 | I tend to solve problems using a step-by-step approach | | 4 | I believe that formal procedures and policies restrict people | | 5 | I have a reputation for saying what I think, simply and directly | | 6 | I often find that actions based on feelings are as sound as those based on careful thought and analysis | | 7 | I like the sort of work where I have time for thorough preparation and implementation | | 8 | I regularly question people about their basic assumptions | | 9 | What matters most is whether something works in practice | | 10 | I actively seek out new experiences | | 11 | When I hear about a new idea or approach I immediately start working out how to apply it in practice | | 12 | I am keen on self-discipline such as watching my diet, taking regular exercise, sticking to a fixed routine etc | | 13 | I take pride in doing a thorough job | | 14 | I get on best with logical, analytical people and less well with spontaneous, ‘irrational’ people | | 15 | I take care over the interpretation of data available to me and avoid jumping to conclusions | | 16 | I like to reach a decision carefully after weighing up many alternatives | | 17 | I’m attracted more to novel, unusual ideas than to practical ones | | 18 | I don’t like disorganised things and prefer to fit things into a coherent pattern | | 19 | I accept and stick to laid down procedures and policies so long as I regard them as an efficient way of getting the job done | | 20 | I like to relate my actions to a general principle | | 21 | In discussions I like to get straight to the point | | 22 | I tend to have distant, rather formal relationships with people at work | | 23 | I thrive on the challenge of tackling something new and different | | 24 | I enjoy fun loving, spontaneous people | | 25 | I pay meticulous attention to detail before coming to a conclusion | | 26 | I find it difficult to produce ideas on impulse | | 27 | I believe in coming to the point immediately | | 28 | I am careful not to jump to conclusions too quickly | | 29 | I prefer to have as many sources of information as possible – the more data to mull over the better | | 30 | Flippant people who don’t take things seriously enough usually irritate me | | 31 | I listen to other peoples point of view before putting my own forward | | 32 | I tend to be open about how I'm feeling | | 33 | In discussions I enjoy watching the manoeuvrings of the other participants | | 34 | I prefer to respond to events on a spontaneous, flexible basis rather than plan things out in advance | | 35 | I tend to be attracted to techniques such as network analysis, flow charts, branching programmes, contingency planning etc | | 36 | It worries me if I have to rush out a piece of work to meet a tight deadline | | 37 | I tend to judge peoples ideas on their practical merits | | 38 | Quiet, thoughtful people tend to make me feel uneasy | | 39 | I often get irritated by people who want to rush things | | 40 | It is more important to enjoy the present moment than to think about the past or future | | 41 | I think that decisions based on a thorough analysis of all the information are sounder than those based on intuition | | 42 | I tend to be a perfectionist | | 43 | In discussions I usually produce lots of spontaneous ideas | | 44 | In meetings I put forward practical realistic ideas | | 45 | More often than not, rules are there to be broken | | 46 | I prefer to stand back from a situation and consider all the perspectives | | 47 | I can often see inconsistencies and weaknesses in other peoples arguments | | 48 | On balance I talk more than I listen | | 49 | I can often see better, more practical ways to get things done | | 50 | I think written reports should be short and to the point | | 51 | I believe that rational, logical thinking should win the day | | 52 | I tend to discuss specific things with people rather than engaging in social discussion | | 53 | I like people who approach things realistically rather than theoretically | | 54 | In discussions I get impatient with irrelevancies and digressions | | 55 | If I have a report to write I tend to produce lots of drafts before settling on the final version | | 56 | I am keen to try things out to see if they work in practice | | 57 | I am keen to reach answers via a logical approach | | 58 | I enjoy being the one that talks a lot | | 59 | In discussions I often find I am the realist, keeping people to the point and avoiding wild speculations | | 60 | I like to ponder many alternatives before making up my mind | | 61 | In discussions with people I often find I am the most dispassionate and objective | | 62 | In discussions I’m more likely to adopt a ‘low profile’ thank to take the lead and do most of the talking | | 63 | I like to be able to relate current actions to a longer term bigger picture | | 64 | When things go wrong I am happy to shrug it off and ‘put it down to experience’ | | 65 | I tend to reject wild, spontaneous ideas as being impractical | | 66 | Its best to think carefully before taking action | | 67 | On balance I do the listening rather that the talking | | 68 | I tend to be tough on people who find it difficult to adopt a logical approach | | 69 | Most times I believe the end justifies the means | | 70 | I don’t mind hurting peoples feeling so long as the job gets done | | 71 | I find the formality of having specific objectives and plans stifling | | 72 | I’m usually one of the people who puts life into a party | | 73 | I do whatever is expedient to get the job done | | 74 | I quickly get bored with methodical, detailed work | | 75 | I am keen on exploring the basic assumptions, principles and theories underpinning things and events | | 76 | I’m always interested to find out what people think | | 77 | I like meetings to be run on methodical lines, sticking to laid down agenda, etc | | 78 | I steer clear of subjective or ambiguous topics | | 79 | I enjoy the drama and excitement of a crisis situation | | 80 | People often find me insensitive to their feelings | |

Scoring

You score one point for each item you ticked. There are no points for crossed items. Circle the questions you ticked on the list below:

2 7 1 5
4 13 3 9
6 15 8 11
10 16 12 19
17 25 14 21
23 28 18 27
24 29 20 35
32 31 22 37
34 33 26 44
38 36 30 49
40 39 42 50
43 41 47 53
45 46 51 54
48 52 57 56
58 55 61 59
64 60 63 65
71 62 68 69
72 66 75 70
74 67 77 73
79 76 78 80
Totals
Activist Reflector Theorist Pragmatist

Plot the scores on the arms of the cross below:

Activist
Activist
| Activist
Activist
20

15

10

5

0
20

15

10

5

0 | Reflector
Reflector
-20 -15 -10 -5
-20 -15 -10 -5 | Theorist

Theorist

5 10 15 20 5 10 15 20

-5

-10

-15

-20

-5

-10

-15

-20 |

Your result may show that you have a particular learning style. It may be useful to bear this in mind as you approach tasks. Was the approach you adopted the best one in the circumstances? Would adopting another learning style have improved your performance?

Your result may show that you have a particular learning style. It may be useful to bear this in mind as you approach tasks. Was the approach you adopted the best one in the circumstances? Would adopting another learning style have improved your performance?

Worksheet 6.1.3
Thinking about your preferred learning style

Having completed Worksheet 6.1.2 or an online learning styles questionnaire, now answer these questions:

What is your preferred learning style? | 1. What does your identified learning style(s) tell you about the way you learn things? | 2. Give a recent example of something you learnt using your preferred learning style... | 3. Why do you think it is important for you to be aware of your preferred learning style? | 4. Why do you think it is important for a team leader to be aware of their team members’ preferred learning styles? | 5. Why do you think it is important for a teacher or a tutor to know their students’ preferred learning styles? | 6. Do you think it is an advantage for someone to have more than one learning style? Give reasons for your answers. |
Worksheet 6.1.4

Informal learning

We tend to learn formally at school and college, but we have lots of opportunities to learn informally as well figure 6.1 in the Student Book (page 259) gives examples of informal learning situations. Some of these situations might occur during your work experience placement. Explain how you could use the informal learning opportunities listed below to improve your practice.

Observing other practitioners | Reflecting on experiences | Using feedback from service users and their relatives | Listening to and talking to colleagues | Learning from accidents, incidents and unexpected events | Talking to a mentor | Carrying out care practice | ExtensionThink of two informal learning opportunities that you have already used to your benefit. This may be in a health and social care setting, or could be in an unrelated context. Give an account of what happened and what you learnt. |

Worksheet 6.1.5

Experimental learning – Sarah’s case study

From memory, draw Kolb’s experiential learning cycle in the box below |

Sarah bakes a cake Sarah is a 16 year old girl with mild learning difficulties. She wants to bake a cake and finds a recipe on the internet. She buys the ingredients from the local shop and enjoys baking the cake.When she takes the cake out of the oven she is disappointed to find that it is very flat – it has not risen at all. In her head, Sarah goes through all the things that could have gone wrong. After a while, Sarah realises that she forgot to add the baking powder when mixing the cake. She learns that, without baking powder, a cake will not rise.A few days later, Sarah decides to try again, this time with baking powder. The cake is a success and Sarah is delighted! |

1. Name the learning process that Sarah used to bake a cake successfully.

2. From the way she decided to do about learning to bake a cake, what type of learner do you think Sarah is?

3. Complete Kolb’s experiential learning cycle below using Sarah’s case study to illustrate the stages

4. Devise your own experiential learning case study and use the template below to show what happens at each stage.

Who/what has influenced your learning so far?

For better or worse our learning can be influenced.

* People can talk to us and either motivate or distract us * Health can cause us to miss lessons * People have different learning styles * Someone’s lifestyle could be very active, leaving little time to learn.

Activity: there are many more factors that can influence us. Your task it=s to get into groups of three and try and think of as many as possible. Write your answer in the box below.

Write answers here: |

Activity: imagine you have been doing your preferred job for 10 years. Because of your experience you have been asked to teach a small group of new recruitsWhy would knowing the things which influence their learning make your teaching experience easier? |
Worksheet 6.1.6

Influences on your learning

The table below gives many different factors that can influence learning.

You can complete the table individually or working in pairs. If you work together, interview one another to find out about each others learning influences. Include positive and negative influences. If you have worked in pairs, compare your findings and discuss reasons for any differences.

The first row has been started to help you. Finish off this row and complete the rest of the table.

Factor | Possible influences on learning | Influence on my learning | Attitude | A positive attitude to learning…A negative attitude to learning… | My attitude to learning is…This has affected… | Previous learning and experiences | | | Time | | | Health | | | Relationships | | | Family and friends | | | Learning style | | | Access to libraries and resources | | | Self-discipline | | | Self-motivation | | | Environment | | |
Extension
Rate the factors in the table in order of how important an influence each is on your own learning. Why are some factors more influential on your learning than others? Compare your findings with your partner and discuss the reasons for the differences you have observed.

Source of support | Form that the support takes | Teaching | | Tutorials | | Feedback | Formative:Summative: | Coaching | | Mentoring | | Supervisions | | Discussion groups/meetings | | Help with specific learning needs | | Seminars | | Giving oral presentations | | Working with peers | | Peer assessment | | Self awareness from reflection | | Accessing information and support | |

Learning outcome 1: understand the learning process

Task 1

Match the key terms to the correct phrase

Experiential learning | Copying and passing off someone else’s work as your own | Learning styles | Information that is described using words and images | Cognitive abilities | A list of all the sources that have been used to provide information and background knowledge about the topic | Reliability | Learning in a structured and planned way, such as at school or college | Bibliography | An acknowledgement of a source used by someone else to support a specific idea, opinion, quotation, statistic, diagram, flow chart, etc. the reference acknowledges the original source | Theories | The preferred way or ways that people learn | Informal learning | The literacy, numeracy and ICT skills needed for everyday living | Qualitative data | A measure of the quality of information and how it is used | Reference | A set of concepts that claim to explain something | Functional skills | Learning from events or situations that occur in everyday life or which arise unexpectedly in the workplace | Formal learning | Is learning by experience, not jus learning from a book | Plagiarism | Ways in which you think, using your knowledge and experience |

Learning Outcome: be able to reflect on professional development

Activity

* Consider what skills you have acquired from your practice experiences? * What knowledge and understanding have you developed from placements? * How has this helped you in your assignment work for the course? * What personal skills and qualities have you developed as a result of your placement experiences that will be particularly advantageous for your chosen career?

Writing a reflective account – Explain

* The event…

Where it was, who was involved, what it was etc

* How the event affected you, and others if involved…

Was the outcome negative/positive? Did the situation turn out as you expected?

* How the event affected you, and others if involved…

How did you feel about the vent both during and after, how did service users/colleagues react?

* If you played a role in the event, what did you do?

Do you feel you did the right thing, what would you change to improve it if not? And how did it change you as a person?

* Always write in ‘past tense’ and first hand

I.e. I did this, I did that

Should I join a professional body?

For many health and social care roles, it is a requirement that you are registered with a professional body/council.

Each body has its own criteria for continuing professional development (CPD) that needs to be met in order to maintain registration with them and practise in the UK.

Some professional bodies recognise postgraduate qualifications as meeting the criteria for continuing professional development. For example, the General Chiropractic Council recognises three Masters in Chiropractic (MChrio) courses across the UK as meeting the criteria.

There is a professional body for the majority of occupations in the health and social care sector. These include:

* Health & care Professions Council (HCPC) – regulates 16 health and social care professions ranging from arts therapists to paramedics

* General Dental Council (GDC) – requires dentists to do 250 hours of CPD over a five year cycle, 75 of which must be verifiable e.g. have objectives and documentary proof

* General Medical Council (GMC) – registers doctors to practise medicine in the UK and ensures that they keep their skills up to date

* Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) – ensures that nurses and midwives keep their skills and knowledge up to date and uphold professional standards

* General Pharmaceutical council (GPhC) – requires a record to be kept and a minimum of nine CPD entries per year

* Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) – expects registrants to complete 90 hours of study, training, courses, seminars, reading, teaching or other activities which could advance their profession development

* Care Council for Wales – regulates the profession through registration

* Scottish Social Services Council – you must be studying for or hold a suitable social work qualification to register. For many social service workers it is compulsory to register

Worksheet 6.5.1
Reflecting on Margaret’s case study

Read the case study below and answer the questions Last year, Margaret qualified as a nurse and now works in a nursing home for the elderly. She has just been on a two week holiday and is starting back at work. While Margaret was away, the doctor changed some service user’s medication. Margaret has not been made aware of the changes.On her first evening back, Margaret is doing the medication round and is preparing medication for Linda, an epileptic service user at the home. Previously, Linda was on 5mg Diazepam, but the doctor has now changed this to a 10mg dose. This change has been recorded on the Medication Administration Record (MAR) chart.Unfortunately, Margaret does not check the MAR chart properly and gives Linda 5mg Diazepam as this was what she was used to giving the patient. A few hours later, Linda has severe epileptic seizures and is rushed to the Accident and Emergency Department of the local hospital. Here, doctors discover the seizures were triggered by the inconsistency in Linda’s medication |

1. What is the purpose of a MAR chart? | 2. What did Margaret do wrong? | 3. What impact did Margaret’s action have on: | * Linda | * other service users at the nursing home | * the staff at the nursing home | * - managerial staff at the nursing home | * - Other health care professionals? | 4 What could Margaret have done to avoid this situation? | 5 Put yourself in Margaret’s position. Write a reflective diary entry for the event. You can use Task sheet 6.5iii (a work experience diary template) to help you. | 6 Following this event, suggest two SMART targets that Margaret could set for her professional development | 7 Why do you think it is important for Margaret to reflect on her practice? |

Worksheet 6.6.1
Health and social care sectors

1. Complete the table below to show what you know about the different health and social care sectors. In the third column, note any special features that are particular to the sector.

Sector | How is it controlled? | How is it funded? | Is there anything unusual about this sector? | An example of an organisation in the sector | Primary | | | | | Private | | | | | Voluntary | | | | |

2. Categorise the organisations below into primary, public and voluntary sectors: * Mencap * The National Health Service (NHS) * Annabel House Day Care for service users with Alzheimer’s * BUPA * MASTA Travel Health * Croydon Primary Care Trust

Worksheet 6.6.2
Public health care provision

When might you use a primary health care service?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

When might you use a secondary health care service?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

When might you use a tertiary health care service?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

Determine whether each of the health care services given in the table is part of the primary, secondary or tertiary sectors. Then give an example of a service user group that might use the services.

| Health care service | Sector: primary, secondary or tertiary | Example of service user group that might use this service | 1 | The A&E department of the local hospital | | | 2 | Community midwife | | | 3 | Hospital physiotherapist | | | 4 | Specialist neurosurgery centre | | | 5 | Family planning centre | | | 6 | NHS Surgical ward | | | 7 | Local general practitioner (GP) | | | 8 | National spinal injuries centre | | | 9 | x-ray scanning department at a local hospital | | | 10 | Health visitor | | | 11 | Specialist cancer centre | | |

Worksheet 6.7.1
Career pathways hot seat activity

First, research a health or social care profession that interests you. Find out as much information as you can about qualifications and possible career progressions in your chosen field. You could investigate, for example: * Nursing * Paediatric nursing * Social work * Medicine * Phlebotomy * Psychiatry * Physiotherapy

Your teacher or tutor will pick students at random to take the ‘hot seat’ for a timed period. When it is your turn in the ‘hot seat’, your class mates can ask you any question that is related to the profession you investigated

Suggested questions to ask the student in the ‘hot seat’ are:

* What is the career path or profession you have chosen? * What is the main job role of people in this profession? * What other roles and responsibilities might the practitioner have? * Why are you interested in this profession? * What do you need to be qualified in this profession? * How many years does it take to be qualified in this profession? * What promotion opportunities are available within this profession? * How does this profession fit into the overall health and social care framework? * What other health and social care professionals work together with people in this profession? * What is the usual pay of people in this profession? * What professional or government body regulates this profession?

L.O know the service provision in health and social care setting

Work related skills

* You are going to be shown images of different jobs. * Working in pairs, you need to organise your nine skill cards into a diamond. * The most important skill for the job should be at the top point, and the least important should be at the bottom point. * Once you have completed this, discuss and agree the ranking with another pair.

Discussion notes |
L.O know the service provision in health and social care setting

Using the worksheet provided, circle the skills you think describe the people in the video. Discuss what skills you identified. How did the person in the video describe the skill?

Good listener | Organisational skills | Good verbal skills | Physical fitness | Flexible to change | Hard working | Caring | Professional | Good with people | Working to deadlines | Positive attitude | Data handling | Team worker | Creativity | Trustworthy |

Time to research some careers

In order to pass the unit you must research at least three jobs within Health and Social Care. This is also important as you need to have a good idea of where you want to go after college.

Activity: below are three worksheets. You must follow the instructions below and answer each question. Make sure you fill in everything and describe your answers. One line answers are not enough.

* Visit www.prospects.ac.uk * Click the search bar and enter the job name, e.g. nurse * You should be given a list of links to different sites about that job, such as ‘salary” * After clicking this page you should see a list of links on the left. Each one directs you to different pieces of information about that page.

Job Title | Job Description | Average Salary | Entry Requirements | Career Progression | Typical Employers | 1. | | | | | | 2. | | | | | | 3. | | | | | |