Prerequisites Please refer to order #448474: Practicing research – 4. This order is a continuity of this work.
Coursework 1 2: Ground Rules Building
Aim: To determine a coherent set of ground rules that are acceptable to the Action Learning Set Words count: 150 Order details:
This activity serves as the starting point for the Action Learning Set meetings that you will participate in later in this course.
Take some time now to think about your personal needs and what you wish to gain from the Action Learning Sets. We would like you to produce your own initial set of ground rules that you would find acceptable. How you present these is up to you but your final output should be saved as an image file.
We would encourage you to write a short description to go alongside your ground rules, briefly explaining how you selected and developed these.
Coursework 2 3: Exploring the Action Learning Approach
Aim: To familiarize yourself with the action learning approach, explore the value of the process and identify potential obstacles to the approach within the context of this course Words count: 350 Order details:
We would like you to spend some time considering the action learning approach and thinking about how you feel about the process. You may have previously been involved in
Action Learning Sets so might reflect upon these experiences, or if you have not participated in an Action Learning Set before, you might consider what obstacles and benefits you foresee in utilizing the approach.
Now, think about your eight-week timeline for your project and consider whether your estimates still seem realistic. Consider how you are going to approach this course’s Action Learning Sets and consider how to engage with the process to get the best results for your intended project.
We would like you to spend some time exploring some examples of active learning activities. The website provides numerous examples of types of active learning activities that are best suited to different group sizes. Try to identify those that you feel might be most applicable to your role and project.
We would then like you to consider the following questions:
• How do you think the Action Learning Sets in this course will benefit your learning?
• How do you intend to gain the maximum benefit from the Action Learning Sets in this course?
• What obstacles do you foresee in the action learning process within this course and how might you overcome them? • How do you think Action Learning Sets might be of value outside of this programme? We would also like you to consider the elements of action learning that you think may be most challenging in relation to your project and identify any areas of concerns that might have arisen from your personal reflections.
Coursework 3 6: Understanding Reflective Practice
Aim: To surface and explore your understanding of reflective practice Words count: 150 Order details:
Take some time to think about what reflective practice is and what it means to you. Try to consider how you have approached the task in the past, and how you could improve your self-reflection in the future. Identify any elements of reflective practice that you find challenging or unhelpful, and explain why this is the case. You might want to indicate how you could overcome these challenges or approach reflective practice in a way that would be more beneficial to your learning and development.
We would like you to present your thoughts in a pictorial way, visually presenting what reflective practice means to you. Your image may contain up to 150 words and should capture your response to the question:
• What are your views of reflective practice and how useful do you believe it to be for your learning both within and out with this programme?
We will return to this activity at the end of this section, so it is important that you complete this activity as it provides the foundation for Activity 8: Developing Critical Reflection Skills.
Coursework 4 7: Analysing your Reflective Practices
Aim: To reflect on your previously written reflective accounts Words count: 550 Order details:
We would like you to undertake a systematic and rigorous analysis of all the reflective accounts you have submitted during your journey, along with the feedback you received.
Using template analysis and Reynolds’s (1998) four characteristics of critical reflection for initial a prior codes, as provided in the template below, identify if and where these themes and trends appear in your work. Read and re-read your reflective accounts and the feedback provided to establish any additional emerging codes and add these to your template. Complete the template by adding illustrative quotations to each section.
Watch this video on template analysis to help you in this activity. You may also find the resources available on Professor Nigel King’s website useful.
PS: Reynolds, M. (1998) ‘Reflection and Critical Reflection in Management Learning’, Management Learning, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 183–100.
Coursework 5 8: Developing Critical Reflection Skills
Aim: To consolidate your understanding of critical reflective practice Words count: 150 Order details:
Take a few moments to think about what critical reflective practice means to you. Without looking back to the earlier sketch you did in Activity 6: Understanding Reflective Practice, draw a second picture that represents critical reflective practice for you. Once completed, look back to your earlier picture and compare the two. What, if anything, has changed?
We would like you to annotate the second image to indicate where your images are different. Next write no more than 150 words summarising the differences and explaining why your perspective has changed or ideas developed. Your response should also identify how this new understanding of critical reflection might enhance your future reflective practices.
