Comments on: Portfolio assessment in the age of the computer http://erambler.co.uk/2009/07/22/portfolio-assessment-age-computer/ Jez Cope's e-learning blog Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:22:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Jonathan http://erambler.co.uk/2009/07/22/portfolio-assessment-age-computer/comment-page-1/#comment-173 Jonathan Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:42:18 +0000 http://allacademic.wordpress.com/?p=263#comment-173 <p>Hi both,</p> <p>I was on a coaching development programme last year and had to write personal reflection assignments at regular intervals as part of the assessment. The title we were set for the final reflection exercise was</p> <p>"‘Reflect upon your personal development as a coach over the duration of the coaching programme"</p> <p>This leaves it quite open for how to approach the assignment but I believe the aim was to reflect on what I learnt from my coaching experiences: how I feel I added value (or not) to my coaching sessions; how the models helped or hindered me; what does my experience tell me about me as a coach; how might I do things differently next time; do my own preferences or judgements play a part and what can I learn from this...</p> <p>The aim was to build self-awareness and learning. It is not to describe what actually happended but to think deeply about / reflect on what I leanrt from the experience. It took some practice before I found my rhythm but after some initial scepticism, I can honestly say I found the experience enlightening, cathartic and very useful.</p> Hi both,

I was on a coaching development programme last year and had to write personal reflection assignments at regular intervals as part of the assessment. The title we were set for the final reflection exercise was

“‘Reflect upon your personal development as a coach over the duration of the coaching programme”

This leaves it quite open for how to approach the assignment but I believe the aim was to reflect on what I learnt from my coaching experiences: how I feel I added value (or not) to my coaching sessions; how the models helped or hindered me; what does my experience tell me about me as a coach; how might I do things differently next time; do my own preferences or judgements play a part and what can I learn from this…

The aim was to build self-awareness and learning. It is not to describe what actually happended but to think deeply about / reflect on what I leanrt from the experience. It took some practice before I found my rhythm but after some initial scepticism, I can honestly say I found the experience enlightening, cathartic and very useful.

]]> By: Jez http://erambler.co.uk/2009/07/22/portfolio-assessment-age-computer/comment-page-1/#comment-165 Jez Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:05:28 +0000 http://allacademic.wordpress.com/?p=263#comment-165 <p>Hi Jenni, thanks for getting in touch and thanks for the question — definitely food for thought. It probably merits a new post of its own, but until I get round to that here are some thoughts.</p> <p>In my experience, reflection isn't something which all, or even many, university students are expected to make use of. It seems only to be common in teaching and areas related to medicine, particularly psychotherapy. Until I started doing my teaching qualification in the second year of my PhD I'd never come across it, so you're probably in a significant majority there!</p> <p>The purpose of reflection is, as far as I can make out, to learn from your own experience in a more structured way than just picking things up as you go along. By thinking not only about what you did, but how and why it did or didn't work, you can figure out how to improve.</p> <p>Anyway, I'm like you, in that I like facts and lists. One technique that I've found useful to get beyond that is to set a timer for, say, 10 minutes, and sit down and write (with pen and ink or at my laptop) for that period of time without allowing any stopping or editing. It doesn't matter what comes out, as long as you don't stop writing! Then, I can go back over what I've written, sometimes with a highlighter, and draw things out into fact-and-list form.</p> <p>Anyway, this is plenty long enough for now — I'll write a more detailed post soon, promise!</p> Hi Jenni, thanks for getting in touch and thanks for the question — definitely food for thought. It probably merits a new post of its own, but until I get round to that here are some thoughts.

In my experience, reflection isn’t something which all, or even many, university students are expected to make use of. It seems only to be common in teaching and areas related to medicine, particularly psychotherapy. Until I started doing my teaching qualification in the second year of my PhD I’d never come across it, so you’re probably in a significant majority there!

The purpose of reflection is, as far as I can make out, to learn from your own experience in a more structured way than just picking things up as you go along. By thinking not only about what you did, but how and why it did or didn’t work, you can figure out how to improve.

Anyway, I’m like you, in that I like facts and lists. One technique that I’ve found useful to get beyond that is to set a timer for, say, 10 minutes, and sit down and write (with pen and ink or at my laptop) for that period of time without allowing any stopping or editing. It doesn’t matter what comes out, as long as you don’t stop writing! Then, I can go back over what I’ve written, sometimes with a highlighter, and draw things out into fact-and-list form.

Anyway, this is plenty long enough for now — I’ll write a more detailed post soon, promise!

]]> By: jenni http://erambler.co.uk/2009/07/22/portfolio-assessment-age-computer/comment-page-1/#comment-164 jenni Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:40:34 +0000 http://allacademic.wordpress.com/?p=263#comment-164 <p>Hi Jez - how are you doing? I saw your email to Jonathan, and I couldn't resist a look at your blog. So I have a question (or more of a challenge for me really) which relates to my personal development in Internal Consulting capability, which is:... Much of the evidence required around how I am developing these skills, is to be via "reflective writing" after meetings, events etc. I feel pretty stupid saying this, but having had no actual uni education, I really have no idea how to go about "reflective writing". I am very much a "facts" or list person, eg This is what I did, this is what we achieved. Where to I start to understand exactly what is reflective writing - and how can it help me with my evidence for development?</p> <p>Jez - I don't know if this response is attached to the right topic - maybe it should be a new one? but hope it might give food for thought - or produce some tips to help me!</p> Hi Jez – how are you doing? I saw your email to Jonathan, and I couldn’t resist a look at your blog. So I have a question (or more of a challenge for me really) which relates to my personal development in Internal Consulting capability, which is:… Much of the evidence required around how I am developing these skills, is to be via “reflective writing” after meetings, events etc. I feel pretty stupid saying this, but having had no actual uni education, I really have no idea how to go about “reflective writing”. I am very much a “facts” or list person, eg This is what I did, this is what we achieved. Where to I start to understand exactly what is reflective writing – and how can it help me with my evidence for development?

Jez – I don’t know if this response is attached to the right topic – maybe it should be a new one? but hope it might give food for thought – or produce some tips to help me!

]]> By: Jez http://erambler.co.uk/2009/07/22/portfolio-assessment-age-computer/comment-page-1/#comment-24 Jez Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:39:58 +0000 http://allacademic.wordpress.com/?p=263#comment-24 <p>To update you all on the situation which inspired this rant, my portfolio was indeed selected, so the external examiner did read it. I didn't print it out completely in vain after all. He commented himself, though, that it would have been much easier to navigate had he been able to view it in electronic form. It seems that documents build around hyperlinking and tagging don't lend themselves easily to linear navigation on paper: who knew?</p> <p>Either way, hopefully I'll have done enough to cause this issue to be revisited by the course tutors (lovely people, all) and the rules will be revised for the future.</p> To update you all on the situation which inspired this rant, my portfolio was indeed selected, so the external examiner did read it. I didn’t print it out completely in vain after all. He commented himself, though, that it would have been much easier to navigate had he been able to view it in electronic form. It seems that documents build around hyperlinking and tagging don’t lend themselves easily to linear navigation on paper: who knew?

Either way, hopefully I’ll have done enough to cause this issue to be revisited by the course tutors (lovely people, all) and the rules will be revised for the future.

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