How Self Managed Learning Can Enhance Lifelong Development Education Essay

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This report will have the information about how self-managed learning can enhance
lifelong development by evaluating the approaches to self managed learning, ways in
which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged
and the benefits of self managed learning to the individual and organisation. There
will be also information about my own current skills and competencies against
professional standards and those of organisation objectives. Identifying of my own
development needs and what activities are required to meet them. Personal
development opportunities I have got in meeting current and future needs.

INTRODUCTION
Self-managed learning is a way people or individual find different ways in learning
things, which could be in the society they are living or at work that is a diversified
environment. Self-managed learning also is about setting out the goals for the
learning by evaluating the purpose for learning and ways to achieve such goals.
People learn new things example the culture of different people, behaviour,
personality, perceptions etc. Individual can learn things not only in class but also
through friends, news papers etc. Self-managed learning gives people a chance to
come up with their own strategy in learning, though sometimes people take a short
term in learning something that could be maybe to enable them to pass the exam, or
completing a project, it is important for people to acquire such knowledge for long
term as the environment now is facing challenges due to advance technology people
need that knowledge that they could use them in their personal and professional life.
The following are the approaches to self-managed learning.

APPROACHES TO SELF-MANAGED LEARNING

Individual could learn through the research they will be doing that could be either
been issued by the university or college even at work place, people could learn
different techniques used in doing the research also the information about example

problems associated in UK business people could learn whatâs going on in

business environment.
SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES
People could learn through seminars, conferences what they have experienced over
there and make changes for the future. Seminars and conferences gives people the
opportunity to present their knowledge about something to other people who end up
learning new things. Seminars and conferences helps people becoming confident in
speaking in the public and develops presentation skills which are needed in the
organisation
SOCIAL NETWORKS
There are different social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, My year book etc
where people spend more than two hours a day chatting with friends learning new
things about other peoplesâ information also people could learn through
use of bulletin boards, internet and new groups. People can learn how social
networks owners such as Mark Zuckerberg how he became successful, individual
could learn and find their means of succeeding in their careers.
INTERNET
Individual can learn through internet such as different articles written by different
authors concerning management studies, strategic, risk management etc. People
could acquire such knowledge that could be transferred to work places. There are
different sites that could be searched on the internet that help people learning things
example Directgov.co.uk that have different information and services that people
could learn from them.
Through self-managed learning, individual such as myself have experienced personal
things that there are ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional
contexts could be encouraged.

WAYS IN WHICH LIFELONG LEARNING IN

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CONTEXTS
COULD BE ENCOURAGED
Lifelong learning is all about continuous learning personally that could contribute to
the professional context. Individual could have personal assessment as means of

lifelong learning by evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats

(SWOT analysis). My strengths are good learning skills, ambitious, friendly etc,
weakness is sometimes I get stressed when I am tired but I try to control it by having
enough sleep and doing some physical exercises helps to minimise my stress,
opportunities are continuing with further education and my threats are recession,
money.
SWOT ANALYSIS
By evaluating personal SWOT this will help me with my professional learning using
other tools which are self-reflective learning and continuing professional
development (CPD). Self-reflective learning is about trying to review some opinions,
judgements, personal understanding and actions that you are willing to take in a
proper way and be honest about it. This will help me to link my professional
development to practical issues that I have experienced in my life either socially or
academically.
SELF REFLECTIVE LEARNING
Self-reflective learning could help learn new skills at work place also developing my
personal skills through having work task and responsibility assigned to me. While
self-reflective learning reviews things, Continuing professional development (CPD)
combines approaches, ideas and techniques that help to develop my personal
learning and grow to certain level of that I could link it professionally by planning
and evaluating my effective learning that could be through others, accepting
judgements or opinions.

POSITIVE IMPACTS OF SELF-MANAGING

LEARNING TO THE INDIVIDUAL
Self-managed learning is about people taking their own initiatives in managing their
learning, there are positive impacts of self-managing learning to the individual as
well as the organisation. Graduates or students who will be soon graduating such as
myself and others acquire degrees from different professional skills in which we have
learnt from university and apply that knowledge within the organisation where we
will be working.
TEAM WORK SKILLS

Individuals have learnt working in teams from their academic background through
group work assignment or university projects such knowledge they will all apply
them in the organisation.
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Individuals learn how to make a presentation using projectors which gives the
chance to express the knowledge of what they have learnt from particular topic also
give them confidence to talk in front of others which become an advantage to the
organisation when been given a task to do that need to be presented to the manager
and other directors from the same company of different company.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Self-learning helps individual develop communication and writing skills which is of
use to the organisation objectives. Individuals through self-managing learning helps
them to be independent due to that it challenges them to come up with their own
learning that they could connect or share it with others so that to create a good
synergy that will enhance organisational development also helps others to learn new
things they didnât know about it. Some people get a chance to be class
representative which is part of leadership skills self-managing learning that could be
of advantage to the organisation.

ADVANTAGES OF SELF-LEARNING TO THE

ORGANISATION
Decision making, self-managed learning help individuals acquiring decisional
making skills through various learning experience they have that could be from
education or work experience.
Being ethical, individual can learn about moral judgement from personal experience
that could be an advantage to the organisation in a professional manner.
Problem solving, these are the kind of skills an individual can have through selflearning that are transferable skills that a person can acquire them from work,
education, hobbies or interests on how to solve various problems practically that
could be applied in the organisation.

Organisation prefers people to be flexible in the working pattern meaning assigned to

different tasks without any personal commitments that could limit someone from
working. An individual could acquire this through self-learning by focusing to the
organisational objectives.

PERSONAL SKILLS AUDIT LINKING WITH

ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Organisation try to make sure their objectives are met and such objectives need to be
SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound), this is by
evaluating the qualities and expectations they need from the staff to those whom they
have contracted with in achieving such objectives. They need staffs that have
potential skills such as leadership skills, time management, team player. Writing and
communication skills, ambitious etc, such skills could be linked with objectives of the
organisation.
NHS OBJECTIVES
Providing a comprehensive range of services to the people
Shaping its services around the needs and preferences of individual patients, their
families and their carers
Responding to the different needs of different populations in the environment
Improving the quality of services and minimise errors, using different strategies of
reporting health problems
Supporting and valuing its staff
Public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to NHS patients
PERSONAL SKILLS
I am good at writing skills, listening skills, friendly, researching skills, these kinds of
skills I have could be useful for meeting organisations expectations from my personal
skills. These skills I could transfer them to others so we all work together in bringing
new ideas to the organisation. I have got caring skills for other people as organisation
such as NHS requires a an individual to have that kind of skill in their organisation, I
am working on developing business skills that I could apply them professionally at

NHS as my objective are set on working with that organisation in the business
department, their objective is to provide good health services to people in all the
areas of the organisation from the health department to finance, human resources
and strategic level.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AND

ACTIVITIES REQUIRED TO MEET THEM
As organisation requires an individual to have time management skills, leadership
skills and IT skills, in which to me those are the weaknesses I have in which I am
working to acquire them by engaging myself in training at the my working place
setting out tasks and taking leadership part monitoring time management from the
start of the assigned task to the completion. As I do face communication problem
sometimes, try to solve my weakness by having class presentations about certain
topics.
PERSONAL STRATEGY
I read more books, news papers such as business pages like The Times, Financial
times, Telegraph etc to expand my knowledge that will help me develop my
communication skills which is required by the organisation also proper strategic
planning through reading Harvard business review learning how other organisation
have taken to improve the performance in their organisation. Personal development
by developing my learning through researching what kinds of changes might
happened in the future years to come organisations by evaluating the environment
politically, economically, socially, and technologically (PEST)

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET

CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS FOR BOTH
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL
CURRENT NEEDS
As at the moment I am still pursuing my qualification higher national diploma in
business. My target is completing all the assignment by end of June so that my
results or transcript could be used by the university to enrol me for the final year top
up degree in BSc in business.
FUTURE NEEDS

Opportunities are the chances that a person may have I developing themselves
further in another level of understanding and professional. Opportunity I have
personally is continuing with further education that is joining university for the third
year degree top up in Business. After that am planning to specialise in strategic
management, after my degree I will have various training in strategic management as
my future needs for both personal and professional. I also have the opportunity for
doing my Masters in Strategic management that will help me formulating strategic
plans.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Personal development plan is the way that individual such as students or anyone
draw up a plan that will help them know where they are and where they are heading
to in future prospective personally and professionally. Professional bodies try to
encourage members to continue updating their record for professional and
development for the purpose of maintaining registration or professional status that
organisation prefers for future development.
Personal and professional development plan requires individuals such as me to have
a proper planning put in place for my future development which need to be flexible
due to the job requirements and aspirations change. Changes happened continuously
in all aspects of life and individuals put efforts into keeping side by side new
knowledge and expanding their abilities that will receive rewards when opportunities
arise. The following are my stages for the professional development plan
Developing Curriculum vitae, this is my first stage of knowing where I have reached
in terms of my education and skills that need to be developed more.
Short-term objective, focusing on what I am doing now on completing all my course
modules before June, as it will be my condition for enrolling for the BSc course.
Long-term objective, I have set out my action plan with the dates showing what I
want to achieve in five year time from now
SWOT analysis, monitoring regularly personal analysis by trying to develop the areas
where I have realised are my weaknesses, developing other areas where I found I
have got some opportunities

Time frame, will be having my professional development time frame from the time I
started my career till the time I am planning to reach
How to learn effectively, by attending various learning programs that will help me
develop personally and professionally
Regular reviews of my personal and professional development plan
The diagram shows my personal and professional development plan and actions that
I will take by evaluating my strengths and weakness.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT CHART
ACTION
RESOURCES
WHEN
Further business studies after my higher national diploma in business (HND)
Finding a university than will help me enhance my business career
From September 2011 to June 2012, complete within one year
IT training
As my business area requires high level of IT skills, I will find a short course for
developing my IT skills
Plan to complete within three months
Leadership skills, decisional skills and time management
I will join various training and a workshop that will develop my leadership and
decisional skills and manage time
Plan to complete within six months
Masters in strategic management

Finding proper business institute that I could acquire such qualification

Planning to complete within one year
Join NHS organisation
Finding opportunity to join NHS organisation in the strategic department in the
health sector
After my Masters in strategic management
Register with professional body
Finding a strategic management professional bodies so that I could become a
member for my future development
During my employment period

CONCLUSION
Self-managed learning is not something easy, though some people tend to passive
that managing their own learning through self-managing learning is an old fashion
way of learning. The fact is that itâs not true, the basic requirement needed
to set out the goals and meeting them is hard approach to learning. Proper plan put
in place by making an action plan, monitoring it, setting the date, reviewing it
regularly will help learners achieve their goals. Though they need the help from the
colleagues by accepting opinions and judgements that will help them to learn.
Individuals need to understand the stages for the professional development plan for
the purpose of having a clear objective of what they would like to achieve from selfmanaging learning

RECOMMMENDATION
My recommendations is that learners in order to develop their learning skills they
should have join self-managing learning programmes into certain groups between
five to six individuals where they could put in place proper strategic learning and
reporting on the progress of it. The group should be meeting from time to time for
reviewing their learning assessment and challenges they might be facing through
their learning. I believe that learning groups provides a unique, cost effective way
that helps individual to learn in a clear sense and solving business problems that

tend to happen from time to time due to different circumstances such as economy,
natural calamities, environment etc