Introduction
Development is crucial for any aspect of growth in life. Organizations of different kinds in different parts of the world strive for development because this is what determines the period within which they accomplish their long term and short term note. Development is therefore viewed as a positive aspect of life and this is the reason why even at the individual level, personal development is considered to be very important. There are different ways in which development at the individual level might occur. This is in relation to the interest of the individual in life or the activities or interests in which the individual engages in. development may be measured in terms of performance in situations where a specific outcome is required. Performance development in an individual could therefore be at the education level. This is where at the end of every session of education, one is required to show the achievements made. These achievements are what determine whether an individual’s development is of a positive nature or not. Failure to develop positively especially in the education field should be handled with a lot of caution. This is because once an individual fails to show development in performance then there would be adverse effects in the individual’s future plans. Development may be viewed from a variety of perspectives. The most common forms of development include physical, emotional, mental and spiritual development. In the case of the education field, mental development is what is expected mostly at the end of every education session. However, this does not imply that the other forms of development are less important. In fact, the education curriculum should be structured in such a way that it enhances all the types of development amongst the students.
As a student in Leeds Metropolitan University, I have undergone a series of development changes which I have noted during my interaction with other students and lecturers as well in the institution. I appreciate the development that has taken place because it is of a positive nature and it has enhanced the process of acquiring education. Most of the developments that have taken place in my academic life constitute my strengths in different fields. I recognize these developments in various circumstances such as presentations in class or in group work activities. These situations enable me realize the sectors in which I am competent as well as the sectors which need a lot of improvement. This has enabled cope well with colleagues and lecturers at the University.
Strengths
One of the developments that have occurred in the last semester was skills in persuasion. I have good persuasive skills and I noticed this during a specific class presentation. The presentation was concerned with giving reasons as to why a West Bank in the UK had made a pre-tax loss of 700 million pounds in 2008. The task was in the skills development for business module. By succeeding to persuade my three group members on taking my side, I realized that this was commendable a good sign of development. This shows that I have developed in creativity, entrepreneurship, teamwork and leadership. Teamwork development has been depicted by my keeping the group together despite holding different opinions over various arguments. Team work is relevant especially in enhancing social networking (Covey, 2004 pg.28) Entrepreneurial development has been revealed by my ability to convince my group members on where the bank went wrong to an extent of incurring the huge loss. Development in creativity can be seen in the way I summed up my points to be able to convince the entire group to join my side of the argument.
Academic writing is another form of development that has taken place in the last semester. Academic writing is one of the most important skills in education (Richer, 1999 pg.71) I have been able to acquire the different skills required in academic writing and this has been due to the different assignments given by the lecturer in the different modules. The four modules this semester were skill development in business, marketing dynamics, economic awareness and business information and management of organization. Skills in academic writing have therefore enabled me to be in a position to conduct research projects for instance in the marketing module. I have also been in a position to compose essays on organizational behavior in the management of organization module. This is one of the skills that has enabled me improve performance in the four modules within the semester. I have developed skills in writing bibliographical reviews, reports, research projects, memos and letters amongst other forms of academic writing. I am also conversant with the different styles of writing and also referencing.
Listening skills are important in any educational setting. I have developed my skills in listening in that I am in a position to carefully listen to instructions so as not to go wrong when executing a specific task. Listening has been an important development because it is of great relevance in the four modules. Listening skills, as I have realized, are very important when the lecturers are giving instructions or dictating specific notes of importance. Skills in listening are important not only in the education setting but also in other aspects in the society.
I have made outstanding developments in research skills. This is because I successfully completed a research on the Siemens AG Company. This research was in the marketing module. Research relies on getting sources that are relevant to a specific study. I managed to get information in relation to the research from reliable sources. I used the internet, library books, magazines and articles on news papers. This aspect shows that I have developed in this important field of research. The field of research is one that has been appreciated in different academic fields. This development has therefore positively impacted onto my education life.
Accuracy is an important aspect in any education setting. My accuracy in executing tasks in the different modules has improved. I have learnt to be accurate by ensuring that I counter check my assignments before submitting them to the lecturer. Another strategy which has contributed to my accuracy is the aspect of focusing on reliable sources of information when carrying out different research projects. Accuracy has boosted my performance in the different education modules. This has enabled me acquire desirable results at the end of the semester.
With the great advancements in science and technology, computers are inevitable for any education curriculum. This acted as a motivation to making me put more effort towards learning on the application of the different computer programs. I have developed in the use of computer application programs. The use of computers is important because it has simplified the execution of classroom tasks. For instance, I have been in a position to apply the Microsoft power point program in classroom presentation. I have also been able to submit class assignments using the Microsoft word program. These are just but a few of the examples that reveal of my development in the application of computer programs. This has enabled me submit neat and high quality work leading to scoring of high marks.
Self reliant is crucial for any form of academic success. For this reason, I have ensured that I have been self reliant in the entire semester. This is because I have been able to complete and submit individual classroom assignments without getting assistance. This shows that I have independently developed and this shows that I can work under minimal supervision. Another reason as to why I have developed independently is the fact that I have been able to conduct different research project assignments. I have also been able to accomplish my tasks in relation to group work. Individual development which has led to self reliance has seen my performance advance greatly.
On the aspect of cooperation in the classroom setting, I have shown outstanding development. I am very cooperative especially in classroom discussions. Cooperation is an attribute which has a positive impact towards the sharing of knowledge and information. I have also been able to show cooperation in the group work discussions and this is what has led to the outstanding development in cooperation. Apart from being extremely cooperative with students, I have also been cooperative with lecturers. This has enabled me rectify mistakes which might have occurred in any of the modules within the semester. Cooperation, as I have realized, is one of the most important aspects to improving performance in education.
Weaknesses
In the course of my development during the last semester at Leeds Metropolitan University, I was able to establish some crucial areas in which I am not so good. These are basically my weaknesses in different aspects along the education curriculum. One of the weaknesses that I identified was the lack of confidence during presentations in class. Confidence is crucial because it shows that a person is composed and aware of all the important points in a specific presentation. By the end of the semester, I had come up with strategies to improve my confidence during presentation in the classroom setting. One of the strategies towards improving my confidence was standing in front of a mirror then making a presentation to myself. By so doing I would be in a position to focus and also concentrate on the gestures which reveal lack of confidence and improve on them. Grooming was another important sector that would have a positive impact to my confidence. I would have to ensure that I appear presentable during presentations. These strategies would automatically enable me improve my confidence especially during class presentations. Being fully conversant with the presentation requirements would also be a way of improving my confidence. This is because it would show that I have the complete ideas that need to be presented.
Another weakness is that I am quite poor in academic vocabularies. This has therefore negatively affected my knowledge on what various assignments require. This has also acted as a limitation when it comes to learning of different topics introduced in the different modules. Academic vocabularies are important and should therefore not be ignored. There are various which I would effectively implement towards improving my vocabulary in the academic sector. This would be by reading by wide variety of academic materials. After reading the materials I would therefore ensure that I use a dictionary in locating the meanings of different words and phrases in the education material.
No.
Time management is another of my weaknesses that needs a lot of improvement. It is difficult to recover time that has already been wasted and this is the reason why this weakness requires urgent addressing (Harvery, 2007, pg.56). I realized that I was not so good in allocating time for different education tasks. This weakness would therefore be overcome by planning and organizing work in the best way possible. This would entail allocating time while focusing on the amount of work required for every task. This would be by gauging the volume of work required for each task. By so doing I would be in a better position to know how the time would be spent. Creating a “to-do” list would also be relevant in countering this weakness. The list would assist me in prioritizing tasks that need to be addressed urgently (Canergie, 2007 pg.62).
Communication is another problem that I faced. This weakness made me ineffective in expressing myself not only in the classroom setting but also in the social setting as well. Communication was caused by the fact that I am not a native English speaker. This would however be improved by frequent interaction with the rest of the students and also lecturers. I would allocate time for an interaction session with a friend whereby we would practice different communication skills. Communication is inevitable in any aspect of life (Woodward, 2006 pg.41).
Another important aspect that I would have to improve is on my reading skills. My reading is not very good hence I am not proficient. On the aspect of communication, reading skills would also be improved. I would improve my reading skills in the process and this would enhance my education. I would achieve this objective by ensuring that I read huge amounts of education materials by the end of every week. I would also improve my reading skills by diversifying the reading materials such as magazines and newspapers.
Conclusion
Personal development is of great importance in any education curriculum. However, before engaging on strategies involved in personal development, it would be crucial for one to identify the strengths and weaknesses in different fields. By locating the weaknesses, one would be in a position to make the relevant strategies that would result to personal development. Development is important because it enhances the personal performance of individuals. It is therefore important that students ensure that they are able to improve on the different places where they have weaknesses in the education field. By so doing, they would be able to accomplish their goals after every academic session.
Reference
Harvey, G., 2007, JFDI!: Success Achieving Your Business Goals and Targets in 6 Easy Steps,
New York: Graeme harvey
Canergie, D., 2007, How To Win Friends And Influence People, Michigan: Vermilion
Covey, R., 2004, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, London: Simon & Schuster
Woodward, C., 2006, Winning!, New York: HarperCollins
Richer, J., 1999, Richer on Leadership, New York: Richer Publishing.
Slater, R., 2002, 29 Leadership Secrets From Jack Welch, New York: McGraw Hill
