What type of learner are you?
According to my Learning Style Questionnaire results, I have a strong preference for reflective nature. What does this mean for me? Being a reflective person means that I consider many alternatives and perspectives before I come to a decision. It means that I am a good listener and consider other people’s opinions before stating my own thoughts. And when I act, it has been well thought through, considering the past, present, and other’s viewpoints as well as my own. I demonstrate a moderate preference for being an activist and pragmatist, but I have a low preference for being a theorist based on the remaining test results.
I also undertook a VARK questionnaire to discover my preferences in working with information. The possible outcomes were a visual learner, aural, read/write, or kinaesthetic. It showed that I am a visual learner and I learn best through the aid of visual representation. This means that I understand, process, and retain information more easily in the form of graphs, diagrams, and pictures. It also means that information is better remembered if it is illustrated using color. My second highest score was for the read/write category, meaning I am a person who learns well through reading and wringing text- something that complements being a visual learner. From previous experience and everyday tasks, I would agree with these results.
Identify 3 things that you have learned about yourself
How does your preferred learning style affect you? What have you learned about the way you learn?
Moving away from home and starting a new life as a university student is challenging for anyone- including me. It is understandable why young people can struggle to adapt to leaving home life’s familiarity and security in exchange for settling in an unfamiliar environment with new people. Additionally, there’s the pressure of understanding and managing a new format of education, which can present difficulties without immediate support from family and friends previously known to us.
After doing deeper research on reflective personalities to broaden my understanding, I have learned that I have many subconscious traits that have affected my decision-making, thus helping me to settle into university and struggle less than anticipated: Being a reflective and visual learner helps me with academic material. With being a reflective learner, I am motivated and understand what I want to achieve and why. It's known as being metacognitive- being aware of one’s cognitive processes. It’s also common for reflective learners to take a proactive approach to life, and I’ve noticed in myself that I try to broaden my understanding of new subjects and topics through further research. My reflective and visual tendencies help with personal experiences and interpersonal relationships with individuals. This is done by using existing knowledge to help develop and evolve my understanding of new ideas, which helps to adapt to change.
What have you found challenging?
Joining the university’s halls of residence means that, more often than not, people are living with strangers for their first year of university. Before settling into my accommodation, I was apprehensive that my potential flatmates could spoil my university experience, but thankfully I was proven otherwise. Moving in with strangers has enabled me to collaborate and connect with different personalities that I wouldn’t have necessarily had common ground with. Overall, I feel that this is a positive experience as it has allowed me to gain an adaptive social ability that is very transferrable to my professional role as a Dental Hygiene Therapist.
Being a visual and reflective learner, I have noticed, has its drawbacks; if lectures aren’t visually stimulating and involve a lot of speech. I tend to notice that my mind can wander, but to regain focus, I write notes as the lecture progresses. However, I am a slow writer and it can lead me to miss key information out. This could cause potential issues when it comes to exams when time restraints are in place, so perhaps this is an area that I can work on. Being a visual learner can lend itself to surface learning, a trait that is not encouraged at the university. I realize that I am going to have to work especially hard to retrain my learning technique and ensure that I fully understand the concepts that I am being taught in full detail. Finally, reflectiveness takes time and practice. Dentistry is a fast-paced environment that requires decisions to be made quickly but carefully. I have to remember to make my analyses thoughtfully and be conscious of my time management.
What have you found enjoyable?
Overall, I am loving my time at the University of Birmingham and studying Dental Hygiene and Therapy. Starting a new life away from home has so far been a great experience; I’ve had a chance to explore the second-largest city in the UK and the beautiful University campus. I have found it very uplifting to be surrounded by an awe-inspiring environment, especially in my accommodation in the Vale- the encompassing wildlife and foliage set a tranquil space that is perfect for me, and I’m pleased to be a part of it. The aesthetically pleasing surroundings create optimal conditions for reflective thoughts and studying.
Spending time away from home has allowed me to flourish in independence and gain a broad spectrum of new skills. All tasks I have to complete, I have to do myself on my own time, and it has made me very conscious of time management and organization. Deploying these crucial skills has given me confidence in my capabilities and I believe I am now very settled in the student lifestyle.
I have enjoyed making new friends at University and transitioning into adulthood, and I believe that it has had a positive effect on my personal attributes and will assist me in the world of Dentistry.
What have you learned about becoming a professional?
According to the Oxford dictionary, a professional is “someone who is competent or skilled in a particular activity”
Professionalism to me means that a person is fulfilling their duty in serving and managing patients, with the patient’s best interests at heart. Professionals are mindful of ethics and integrity. Everything is done with competence and confidence, whilst being objective and not subjective when relaying information. The duty of care to patients includes confidentiality of sensitive information from conversations and personal records. The information must be kept within the dental setting only, and not extend onto an inappropriate platform e.g. social media. The General Dental Council sets standards for dental professionals covering conduct, performance, and ethics. This is in addition to the core values to be upheld in the NHS Constitution. There are also Birmingham Dental Hospital policies to adhere to e.g. uniform. I believe that the uniform policy projects a sense of teamwork and unity throughout and ultimately looks efficient, smart, and professional. Overall, standards expected extend beyond the patient to all members of staff in and outside of work. Continued Professional Development ensures that skills and knowledge are kept up to date and that current treatments and quality of care are available to make the visions of staff and patients a reality.
Although I haven’t been practicing Dental Hygiene and Therapy for long, I’ve had a previous experience that required a professional outlook. I have been a falconer for many years and it can sometimes raise ethical concerns with members of the public, mainly those who do not agree with birds of prey being kept in captivity and used for demonstration purposes. Some occasionally express their opinion in an aggressive manner. In these circumstances, it was essential that I kept composed, and remained polite and professional at all times whilst using my knowledge to educate and enlighten them. Conducting myself in a professional manner became easier with experience, and I know that it will be a great assistance when I start meeting patients.
Think of one action from this reflection to take forward in your personal development.
From this reflection, I have learned that learning methods can consist of “surface” and “deep” approaches, according to Morton and Säljo. Deep learning is preferred for the study of Dental Hygiene and Therapy; my studies impact people’s lives and well-being and I’m not just learning material for exams. Therefore, I will act to ensure my studying techniques will continue to incorporate the deep approach in all subject areas. I will maintain a positive attitude, and interest in my studies and thrive on the challenge
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Essay about Visual Learner.
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