2015 here we come!

In thinking over the last academic year, I find my mind going WWW (what went well) and EBI (even better if). Looking at the opportunities I've had and the ones that I've missed and would like to utilise in this new year. I'm also looking over my contacts built and who I may want to stay in contact with or need to "impress" in my last year before graduation.

Right from the beginning of my degree my lecturer's poignant words rang in my ear "Your career starts from today". And you've probably noticed the urgency in all my blog posts. :) Life is so short and we only get one chance to experience it to the full.

Particularly in our CAS Conference Day a couple of weeks ago (see previous article) , I've noted the opportunities relevent to Health and Social Science students. The Access Partnership Associates, the Children's Centre Volunteer Programme and now it's sister Family Engagement Officer Volunteers. We have the Blog Internships. The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) teams!

It's PAL that I am particularly interested in being a part of this year. It looks like a great way to develop skills in working with individuals and small groups, and give confidence in related work. I'll try to keep you posted on what happens there!

Student Experience Awards

My humblest apologies for being so late with this week's post, I wanted to wait until after Friday as June 13th was the UoB's annual awards event for the Student Experience. I was delighted to recieve an invite and also accompanied my best uni bud who had been nominated for the Community Contribution award.

So, all dolled up and refreshed after the end of the teaching year, we toasted champagne and cheered the awards for students and staff alike, those who had made a contrubution in some way: Inspirational Teaching, Role Model of Professionalism, team players and student achievments. It was terrific to recognise those who had played a part in the year and made a difference. Some who had been poorly but continued to shed light and guidance to their students, some who had given of themselves through volunteering alongside their studies, and those who through their friendly and genuine nature had made an impact. I left that evening (a leetle tipsy) but realising how human we all were but how we each had a part to play and whether recognised or no last Friday evening - I salute you as you go into the academic year 2014-2015. Keep up the good work!

CAS Conference 2014

This week saw the First Ever Child and Adolescent Studies Degree Conference - and I had the pleasure if being a part of it this last Wednesday.

Over two months in the making, and with the wonderful StEPs team joining us late last month to help make it a reality, we invited students and organisation representatives to talk about the power of volunteering, and how to apply what we have learned on our degree to our work field.

From crèche nannying to College lecturers, the university's Children Centre partnership with the local council, to The National Citizenship Service - I was amazed to see how diverse the experience and opportunities are to those coming from our degree. Students volunteered to speak for fifteen minutes about their experiences, hold poster presentations on their roles, and host promotional tables for the charities they were involved in. By the end of the day I was truly proud not just to be a part it, but to be a park of a community of professional learners to whom the sky is the limit.

Well done CAS students 2014, 2015 and 2016! X

Descriptive > Analytical > Critical analysis.

These were the three degrees of university learning that my lecturer told of me yesterday. I had asked to meet him due to getting a grade (not a very bad one I might add), but wanting to go further and keep progressing, I needed to find out where I was going wrong and could improve - I'm going to need to if I want a decent degree to talk about like a first or an upper second.

You're on a trajectory path, he said. Something I had never heard of before. In your first years you 'die' for an A, but you don't always get it, perhaps due to the challenge of the assignment or your personal ability. But one doesn't simply arrive on site at university and within days become a raging, A+ academic. And I realised that in order to be happy professionally, efficient and achieve my goals, I needed to stay on this 'trajectory path'. (1) Descriptive = our first year academically, describing what we read and see. (2) Analytical = dissecting, looking carefully at, reasoning within ourselves the theories and current policies. (3) Critical Analysis = making our contributing, taking all we have learnt and arguing what holds true and what does not.

A friend of mine started out her first year as a C student, which might have discouraged or hit me hard, but then in her second year she was a B, and her third she is now an A student (getting regular A-, A and A+). And when we talked about it, that was a success story. In today's climate where it's more than the paper that says you've got a degree, it's the 3D learning, it's the character you build and display from your learning years. Perhaps this is a good thing, employers (while they look at your qualifications) are looking even more at YOU. What has our degree made us, how do we present ourselves, how have we spent our time. I could be wrong but I believe this is the way of future employment and success stories.

Which brings me to what my lovely unit co-ordinator told us in an informal meeting one day: I don't care if you get A's, B's or C's, as long as you work to the best of your ability.

We are each on a different journey, with different abilities and talents (some aren't even academic), but to know you had been through university and not reached your full capabilities, THAT'S painful.

And it comforts me to know that even if I don't get the first or even the upper second class degree, if I challenged myself, and aspire to the next level at all time, then I will reach my full potential and be happy no matter what my grades are.

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On another topic, if you would like to see the StEP project I have been working on, here's is a sneak peak poster advertisement made for the event….

Do the words routine and student fit in the same sentence?

My week is hardly routine, just when I think I’ve got it sussed, is when something else pops its head up to throw things around again. Perhaps it’s what being a student is all about; perhaps it’s because I enjoy it. From Society events, volunteering opportunities, to having an impromptu review with a peer.

The first regularity is my work life, which is related to what I am studying (hence why employers feel I am getting more educated and can load more work on me). But I keep reminding myself how valuable this is as this is what will guide me into the career of my dreams once I graduate, nothing gets a job better than having a job. Ironic I know.

Secondly, I daren’t miss lectures, seminars or even the workshops; I guarantee you that the ONE you miss will end up being the one that has THE most important piece of information just happening to crop up in conversation. I have missed some due to illness, and even when I couldn’t help it I wished I had been able to make it in. I also find that if I go to teaching hours then it gives me less to review in my research time as I have already been able to ask my questions and learn it well in class. NB: Your lecturers are likely to tolerate your incessant questions more when they know you've made the effort to come to their teaching. I mean, can you blame them from staring at you when they've already been over the same question with everyone else a hundred times already?!

Lastly I cannot go a week without going over my notes and reading up on what we have learned or dabbled in. I find this keeps my interest even after those few teaching hours when you’re struggling to stay interested (or at least trick yourself by pretending to be), something will ring in my ear and I’ll be like “Hmm…I wonder what that is all about.” And quite often it will be more than useful in the long run. I’ll end up watching a movie /documentary about it or researching online and finding that golden nugget - and commence the Hallelujah chorus!

Dialectical Thinking

In my last two years as a student I've experienced as many as, if not more, emotions as the next student.

Excitement, anticipation, ambition, enthusiasm.

Disappointment, disillusionment, frustration, apathy. 

You name it, negative and positive I've felt it. 

But I've plodded on, for many reasons. It was only during research for my assignment on Perceptions and Discourses of Childhood, that I identified the type of thinking I had developed, and how powerfully it can be used.

Firstly I would like to disclaim any understanding of this mode of thinking, analysing and reasoning. I'm going to give my take on the matter and how I apply it in my own life and learning, but if you are join going to reference it please make sure you understand it well before using it.

Referred to as dialectical thinking, I have read Basseches' takes and examples of this mode of thinking, and to be honest I love it! It's a way of taking life but the 'horns', not letting it effect you negatively or ride you, but using what life throws at your to your advantage.

Person A might think … let me dump these assignments, I don't like them and I won't be controlled by grades and universities, or future corporate agencies for that matter. I'll do my own thing whenever I want however I want.

Person B might think … I've GOT to get these grades! I have to agree with everything that theory says. This is the only way that I can get anywhere in the world.

But Person C meanwhile thinks … well I've got this opportunity for learning and experimenting with some of the great theories out there. I've got lecturers that want me to get good grades and tell me what I should do. I don't HAVE to do all these things because I have my own mind and my own agenda, but I will utilise what I have been given. I will listen to what they have to say, I will do my best at my assignments according to my learning and what I get out of the research. I will try to get the best grades I can but I will not compromise on what I believe in and dream of doing with my life.

It's a type of thinking that takes everything into account, doesn't make harsh, rash decisions, but thinks for the long term and with the respect to who and what is around. It's not letting situations use you, it's utilising your situations to build your life! And today is the beginning of the rest of your life!

Here's a little more reading on the topic, please comment if you understand something different as I am curious if I'm the only one who sees it think way.

Michael Basseches 2005

CriticalThinking.org

Transitions and Transformations in Learning and Education

Note-Taking and Revision Ideas

Writing on the lines


 The old-school way of learning, and to be honest it still works perfectly for some people. You follow the lecturer and write down the things that are important, that stand out to you, or (if you're a visual learner like me) just so you can see it on paper and print it in your mind before filing it away and never looking at it again (okay, do as I say but NOT as I do on that one!).

Bullet Points


 I LOVE my bullet points, and to be fair they get involved with all kind of note taking, but rather than write odd words here and there, or complete sentences or phrases that are often repetitive and unnecessary, incorporate bullet points.

Highlighting and Different Coloured Pens!

 Okay, maybe  this is my OCD side coming out, but I highlight in a colour co-ordinated fashion, purple is references, yellow are key facts, and when it comes to trying to find out that key bit of information from hundreds of notes, it really helps.

Interacting with Printed Slides

 Lecturers will often put up their slides on BREO prior to their talk (and if they don't you can always ask). I did this a lot in my first year AND used it for revision to remember everything I had learnt.

Mind Maps

 I actually picked this one up recently at a training day in my school, and I realised I already used mind maps but perhaps not to its full potential! You start with your main theme, ideologies for example (but it could be childhood perceptions, welfare systems etc.) and create branches on the different stems like Marxism (or Universialism, Feminism, etc.). Marxism would then have branches to define what it stands for, how it is perceived in today's world, or you could even start a new mind map on a new piece of paper. This is great for in class note taking or for revision too.

 Check out this youtube clip on Mind Maps for language learning (we're learning our own academic language remember) and the guy explains how powerful it is for our brain connections.

and don't forget the Recommended Books

Essential

Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook, 3^rd edn., Houndmills: Palgrave

Moore, S., Neville, C., Murphy, M. & Connolly, C. (2010) The Ultimate Study Skills Handbook, Milton Keynes: The Open University

Background

Greetham, B. (2008) How to write better essays, 2^nd edn., Houndmills: Palgrave

McMillan, K. & Wevers, J. (2006) Smarter Study Skills Companion, Harlow: Pearson

Pears, R. & Shields, G. (2010) Cite them Right: the Essential Referencing Guide, 8^th edn., Houndmills: Palgrave

Stogdon, C. & Kiteley, R. (2010) Study Skills for Social Workers, London: Sage

Term 2 Portfolio Executive Meeting/Student Representative

This week is my second Portfolio Executive Commttee (PEC) where I get to play my part as Student Representative and bring up issues in the course, or conversely, positives that students want more of (i.e. effective teaching styles, support they have received, etc.).

To be honest we usually bring up negatives, but as a mentor of mine used to say: if a place is clean nobody notices, but if it's dirty you'll hear of it! So as Student Reps we usually take the opportunity to mention changes we would like to see, further clarification, issues among students, anything really that has impacted the positive experience of students that they have spoken to myself or other representatives about. Last PEC it was student behaviour, how some students had impacted negatively on others by consistently talking in lectures and we wanted to work unitedly to discourage this kind of behaviour. This PEC one of my current issues is a need our dyslexic student have with getting coloured handouts, handouts are not policy but for those who need extra help or cannot read clearly the information on presentation slides, this was a recognised need. One lecturer is very up to date on policies for the disabled or students with special educational needs backed up my point and we are now addressing it for our students.

I was terrified when I first was nominated for this role, public speaking it not my forte and I hated the idea of having to speak for a whole class. But I was flattered that I'd been nominated, and figured you can only try and learn from the experience. I'm really glad I have now, as it has boosted my confidence levels amazingly, on a personal level but also in my relationship with my lecturers, naturally we don't always see eye-to-eye, but I've come to respect them as individuals each with a professional history, with great ethics and wanting the best us and our dreams. I feel my levels of diplomacy and tact have developed also, and I've learnt to present my own ideas, refer to others and to come up with some solutions! Which is the whole point of a PEC meeting, not just to criticise but to find solutions and keep improving on what we have.

I would definitely recommend give Student Rep a shot, or utilising the one on your course for support.

Applying, Step 1: Open Days/which Degree?

Thinking back to this time of year before I began uni: I didn't really have a clue to go about it. I knew I wanted to learn a new skill and have something more to contribute to my career, so I decided to take the time to find out about uni and if it would be what I needed (I had done an advanced National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) and enjoyed it thoroughly, but uni is quite a different ball game).

First I found out about Open Days. I can't emphasis enough how important this is, if you are applying to universities away from home then it's equally important. Giving you a chance to walk about, meet students (ask them the questions you may be too embarrassed to ask the lecturers, you'll be surprised with their frank and insightful responses), and find out more about the courses you may be interested in. Keep your mind open to the other degrees under the umbrella of the area you are interested in, even if you think you already know what you want. Tell student ambassadors and lecturers that you are to meet what you enjoy and want to learn, maybe your idea of what you want to become once you graduate, and they will be able to direct you to some good choices.

I remember at the time I applied I was convinced I wanted to teach, so I asked for a degree that might prepare me for a PGCE but still explore other avenues within the care an education world - due to the fact three years is a long time, anything can happen and you can change as a person in your desired and decisions.

During the open day, in saying I wasn't sure on what degree to take, I was recommended a few, however I was also recommended to meet with the head lecturer of the degree. I remember being mortified! Meeting someone I didn't know with no idea of what to talk or what questions to ask, but I tried to come up with a few and I found the lecturers I spoke to very helpful and giving me confidence in the degree that I eventually chose (this also helped with my applying statement which I will cover in a following post).

Personally speaking I chose the University of Bedfordshire (UoB) because it was close and convenient to home and friends, but that's not to say I would have gone if I was not impressed with the staff and environment of learning. Someone else might find that in going to a few universities that they find one that fits them like a glove, and kudos to you, but two years on and I am still happy with the UoB as I find it gives me what I need.