PERSONALISED LEARNING

WEEKLY REFLECTIVE
PERSONAL DETAILS:
Student Name Florin Dumitru Coman and Student
JOURNAL Number H1809247

Module Leader: Yasmin Kulasi

Introduction:
This template should be used to record your reflections on the weekly
sessions. Please use the spaces provided to reflect on what was
discussed in class, what you gained from the session; did you find the
content useful, how can you relate it to your studies at university as a
business student. You will also need to discuss how you intend to further
develop the skills discussed in class. This is a continuous process and
should be completed during the module and not at the end.
In week 8 you will be expected to submit what you have completed so far,
via Blackboard, in order to receive feedback. You will then complete
weeks 9 and 10 and summatively submit the journal in week 16.
The Weekly Reflective Journal will be used in conjunction with your
Personal Learning and Development Plan and Interview to work out the
final grade for this module. Submission of all parts of the assessment are
required in order to receive a grade.

The Learning Outcomes for this module are as follows:

 LO1: To identify and use different styles and means of communication within
academic and formal contexts

 LO2: To demonstrate common study skills within a subject specific context

 LO3: To identify academic sources appropriate to the given task

Week 1
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills.

- In week one of attending the Personalised Learning module the lecturer ,

Sidrah, went through the introduction of the course. I was very intrigued of
what this course will consist of.
She told us what the module will involve and what she requires from us. We
learnt how to create a study plan and how personalised learning will help us in
the future.

- The lecturer showed us what a Personal Development Plan consists

of. I learnt that it is like a swot analysis on ourselves
 • Assessments and the breakdown of what is included (
journal, personal development plan and interview)

- I also discovered what we have to prepare at the ending of our class in

order to pass with a high mark. The lecturer was very thorough in explaining
the requirements of the assessments and also their due date. I learnt that we
have to create 2 assessments and a final interview in order to pass the module.

- In the last part of class we played a interactive game called Human

Bingo where we had 16 questions we had to ask the others in class and every
time you find someone that knew how to do the thing you asked you noted
them down. Who had the most question assigned to their colleagues won.
This was a helpful game for us to know each other and interact among
ourselves.

Week 2
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills.

- In our second week of the Personalised Learning course we reviewed what

we discussed in week one. We looked over our first part of the assessment and
the lecturer covered any information that was unclear on week one.
- We learned the difference between formative and summative submission of
our assessment.
We also learned about reflective learning and how students make the
transition from a passive learner to a active learner. How to reflect on what we
did and how to improve the outcome. The lecturer also showed us the
difference between learning and studying.
- The second part of the course was about Kolb’s Learning cycle. We learned
that Kolb’s learning cycle has 4 stages which are:
1. Having a concrete experience.
2. Observe that experience and reflect on it.
3. Step two brings us to analyze and draw conclusions.
4. And at last we need to improve our outcome by testing hypothesis in future
situations. (Kolb, 1984)
Honey & Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire was a great experience for
me and the class because we learned what kind of a learners are we . I got 26
points and the questionnaire said that I was a theorist which was pretty
accurate and also we found out new things about our colleagues. This
 experience helped me interact with my colleagues and improve my
communication skills

Week 3
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills.

- Week 3 of our course was about academic writing. We reflected on how

confident we were on our reflective writing, on what comes easy to us and
what difficulties we have. The lecturer gave us a list of words we should not
use in our academic assessments and also replacement words.
- We also saw the difference between academic writing and reflective writing
* reflective writing is produced after something happened, and we reflect our
own opinion from practice and experience
* compared to academic writing which relates a general, logical and objective
stance about the facts
- This part of the course helped me understand how to create the first part of
our assessment. What steps to take in consideration when reflecting on the
class we had.
- I also learned that we need to think ahead taking in consideration the
conclusions that we came to. The lecturer showed us 3 main questions we
need to ask ourselves in order to write reflective:
1. What ? This will provide context and background
2 So what? Using this part to discuss what was learnt and to examine your
thoughts and feelings
3.What now? We need to use this final part to consider the impact and
implication of your reflections
( Rolfe et al, 2001)

Week 4
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills.

In week 4 of our course we continued talking about academic writing. More

exactly the paragraph structures. We started of with explaining what a
paragraph is ( a series of sentences related to one main idea, sharing the same
point of view)
The lecturer showed us the PEE(L) or PEA(L) paragraph structure which is :
• Point ( introduce and make the point)
 • Example ( we should support our idea with evidence ,
research and examples), Explain
• Analyze ( Analyze and comment on the example,
explaining why it works within the context of the essay question).
We continue with a few examples of PEE/PEA paragraphs.
We also learned about the 4 essential elements in paragraphs :

1. Unity ( The paragraph should be about a single idea)

2. Order( The paragraph should be in logical order)
3. Coherence ( sentences should be connected to each other)
4. Completeness ( The topic is fully supported with examples, analysis
and evidence) (Week 4 Personalised learning PPT course, slide 15)

Week 5
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills.

In the 5th week of personalised learning the lecturer organised a field trip to
Milton Keynes but the trip was cancelled and instead we went to Luton Mall.
Our assignment was to visit a department store and a individual shop and
compare them.
Me alongside my team went to Debenhams and the store Next. We were told
to film our trip and make a short vlog about our discoveries. When we asked
the store managers if we can film in their store they did not allow us, but we
still managed to get a few minutes of footages.
The differences between the stores were obvious for example:
• The employees of the department store were less prepared
then the ones from the individual store ( The Debenhams staff had
limited knowledge about the shop they were working in compared to
the Next employees)
• Debenhams had a wider product base selling almost
everything a household needs and more compared to Next whom were
selling only clothing items and accessories
• We observed a difference in sales from this 2 stores,
meaning Debenhams had more sales then Next. Debenhams had more
customers in the shop compared to Next
From this experience I learned how to analyse and draw conclusions about
businesses. It also helped me be more outgoing in talking to people I do not know
( talking with the staff of both shops). It was a good experience for us to bond
with our team and even our colleagues whom we meet in the shopping mall.
Week 6
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills.

In week 6 of Personalised learning course the lecturer taught us about

Presentation Skills.
This was a very interesting lesson for me as we were due to have a group
presentation in week 7 for another course.
We learned why we were asked to prepare a presentation and it made a lot of
sense for me when she explained. I immediately knew that this was a great
help for me, to build my confidence and to help me in the future.
The lecturer presented the advantages of public speaking which are:
• Helps me connect with people ( it makes us more
vulnerable and easier to interact with)
• It makes me more competitive
• Public speaking is more likely to gain me a leadership
position
• It makes us more influential
We also saw the differences between written work and presentation and I
realised that a presentation is more complex then written assignments. In a
presentation there are more variables that are not under your control compared
to the written work.
The lecturer also showed us a few tricks that can help us with our anxieties (
fear), most of us have general fears about public speaking and presenting your
work to others. This helped me connect more with my audience when I
presented my part of the group presentation although I had a few moments
were I lost my train of thoughts but I remembered what the lecturer taught us
and I was able to get back on track.

Week 7
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills. Use a minimum of one academic source and reference this.

In week 7 of Personalised learning the lecture had a guest. The guest was our
librarian, she presented the library and the options we have that can help us
move forward in our academic path.
We took tour of the library and we saw all the books and resources we can use
in order to create better assignments, she also told us that if we need
additional help we can ask her. The librarian showed us from where to find
the books we needed for the university.
 After this we learned about Harvard referencing and how to use it in our
academic writings. By showing us a few examples of referencing I understood
what I have to implement in my assessments. Harvard referencing lead our
lecturer to plagiarism and she explained the types of offensces we could face
if we do not reference correctly.
We also learned the definition of plagiarism. This lesson will improve my
academic writing and build up my confidence in my work.

Week 8
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills. Use a minimum of one academic source and reference this.

This journal should be formatively submitted for feedback, via Blackboard, at the end of this week.

In week 8 of our course we continued learning about plagiarism. I found out

that there are different kinds of plagiarism and leaned ways in avoiding it. The
lecturer gave us some tips , she told us to make notes when reading and
researching that way we can note down where the information came from and
also we can differentiate our own ideas from the ones we reference
We had a couple of exercises that tested our knowledge about plagiarism, that
was very helpful to me because it will help me get better grades in class. We
also saw examples of harvard referencing and how to add them correctly into
our writings.
I learned how to create a list of references that needs to be added to our
written assignments.
The second part of the course we had a group activity to help us understand
plagiarism better. We made teams of 5 people and the lecturer gave us a few
questions we had to answer working as a team. This improved my
communication and social skills. It also builds my confidence when I see that
I am right and answer correctly.
In the last part of the class we showed our work to the lecturer because it’s
due date is soon and we wanted to know if what we have done so far was
good or not.

Week 9
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills. Use a minimum of one academic source and reference this.

In the 9th week of Personalised Learning course we learned about Reading Skills and Essay/ report
writing.
The lecturer asked around the class if we are currently reading something and then we dove into
the lesson. We discovered what a S.M.A.R.T reader is and how we can become one.
SMART reading means:
 - Selective ( being a discriminating reader, reading what we are interested in and not just
reading for the fun of it)
- Mapped
- Achievable ( our goal needs to be within the time and resources available to us )
- Relevant
- Time-limited
We also discovered the difference between academic reading and non-academic reading.
A academic reader should be active, selective, reads with a particular question in mind, re-read
with a purpose compared to a non-academic reader who is passive, reads from the first page to
the last, does not have questions in mind that need answering from the text, expects the author
to guide him through the narrative.
The lecturer also showed us the difference between Essays and Reports. This helped me because
I had certain doubts on what these differences can be.
In this week I learned how to become a smarter reader and also how I can use the different types
of reading methods in my day to day life. I also improved my social skills because of the group
activity we had in class.

Week 10
Please describe in less than 200 words what was discussed in this session and how you plan to
develop these skills. Use a minimum of one academic source and reference this.

In the 10th week of Personalised Learning course we started with the lecturer giving us some tips
of what we can do to maximise our chance to pass the interview that is coming up. We also
received some feedback on our Personal Development Plans. The lecturer continued with todays
lesson Employability and Personal Development Planning.
We started with the definition of employability and why is it important for us. I discovered that
employability is a set of achievement/ skills, understandings and personal attributes that makes us
more likely to succeed in our chosen occupations.
In this week we also learned about emotional intelligence and how we can use this in our favour.
If we have emotional intelligence we can work easier with others or in jobs where it is required to
face your customer.
The last part of the lesson was about Personal Development Planning and how this is a ongoing
process for us. The plan should include our goal and the road to reach them, the skills that we
possess and skills that need improvement and how to improve them.
In this week I have improved my ability to plan for myself ( using a PDP will help me see what I
lack in certain areas and plan to improve). My confidence level improved as I was able to discuss
with my colleagues about employability and explain some information to them.
Personal Development Plan

Name: Florin Dumitru Coman H1809247

Degree pathway:
Part 1 – Personal Analysis

Strengths

I believe that one of my strengths is the ability to learn quicker then my peers
Another strength of mine is the ability to follow through in certain areas of my life
Problem solving is a strength that I developed in the later years of my life.
Commitment. I rarely give up on something or someone.

Areas for further development

An area that needs improvement is my confidence, sometimes I do not believe in my

abilities to succeed.
Motivation is an area that needs continuous improvement, motivation can be lost
sometimes that is why I need to improve it constantly.
Ambition and trying new things. Sometimes I am not ambitious enough and I rarely try
out new things.

Opportunities

- Improving my chances to climb the management ladder in my current job. By

educating myself and striving to be better in my job hopefully will help me.
- Becoming an entrepreneur. Being serious and committed in school and life will help
me gain the knowledge to become an entrepreneur.
- Meeting new people that can change your perspective in life. Some people can add
value to your life and by going to University we open ourselves to this opportunity.

Threats

- Giving up is a threat that I need to consider as sometimes, when things get harder and
harder, the idea of giving up appears in my thoughts. It is obviously easier to give up on
something than to push through and finish it. It may seem easier to quit than to follow
through but it is better to enjoy the rewords of completing a task than to have regrets of
not doing it
- Reluctant to new experiences. New opportunities appear from trying new things. If I
am reluctant to try new things I may be missing out
What do I want to What do I have to How will I measure Target date for
learn? do? success? review?

In order to achieve The only way to find I will review this

Academic writing this I will have to out if my academic after every
read more and writing skills have assessment I do
practice until I improved is to check and after every
believe I am at a the feedback I book I read.
good level. receive from my
lecturers.
Go back to the Success in this Every month I will
Accounting skills basics of matter I will review what I am
accounting and measure when I doing and if I
start to refresh my check my work and consider it not to
knowledge. I have see if it is correct or be enough I will
to ask my lecturer not. rethink what I am
what I do not Another doing and set up a
understand and measurement of more efficient
practice by myself success is given by plan
until I know that I the feedback of my
understand how lecturer
and why I do
certain things.
Pay attention in I will measure the I will review my
How to business class on what we success by testing knowledge of this
world works discuss about the my knowledge subject every 3
business world. periodically. For months. This time
Everything that we example if I see a will be enough to
do in class is business that see if what I am
related to business intrigues me I will doing is good or it
and the business try to find out more needs changing.
sector so if I make a about it and I will
effort to deduce if the
understand it that company is doing
will help me in the well or not
future.
I believe that I will measure my I will review this
How to reading will help success daily. For monthly in order
communicate more me as it will example if I see that to see if the
efficiently improve my I have trouble methods I am
 vocabulary. This communicating with using are good for
will build up my someone I will know me or they need
confidence and that I still have work changing.
help me to do in this area
communicate more
efficiently.

Part 3 – Personal Objectives

Short-term goals (next 12 months)

In the next 12 months I wish to become a more confident person, I wish to not have
moments where I am uncertain about myself and what I can do.
I would like to accumulate more knowledge about my workplace and move up in my
career.
Another short-term goal would be to be considered one of the best students in my
group

Medium term goals (next 2-3 years)

I see myself in 2-3 years in a better position at work and in life. I know that if I work
hard and do the best I can someone will notice and will give me the opportunity I
need to go ahead in life. School wise I would like to be able to pass all my exams
without any troubles and maybe to help some of my colleagues out if they need it.

Longer term goals (beyond 3 years)

One of my long term goal is to graduate LSST with a first. ( I will be able to achieve
that if I give 100% of myself when I am at school and in my free time, knowing that if I
do well in school I have a better change to do well in life)
Another long term goal is to be financially secure. ( I am hoping that if I finish my
university studies with a high mark this will propel me higher into my career which in
turn will make me financially secure )
Another goal of mine is to be confident enough to handle what come to me without
second guessing myself.( This is a constant goal of mine, I cannot classify it as a short,
medium or long term goal. This is a permanent goal of mine)