Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Task 2b: Journal writing experience


On the whole the journal writing experience has been going well. The more I read the more inspiration I get to try out new methods, and try and critically pick it apart. 

Was I surprised by anything? Yes. Mainly the clarity you get from writing down your thoughts. Also the act of going through your day shows how much you have learnt. After journalling my day I generally felt a sense of almost relief, can go to bed with a clear head. Love the fact that a journal can only be judged by you the writer and thoughts are shared at your discretion. 
Was also surprised on how light I made some of my entries, especially after a stressful day. Think I like to be a positive person, so do some self correcting when writing! Will try not to do this. Instead write actual accounts, followed by how I could have made it better. 

Was there one way that really made you think? When attempting the suggested ways to start your journal there were two approaches that I really struggled with. First was the 'Graphs, charts and diagrams' I tend to over complicate artistic methods, partly because I know I don't have the natural ability. I struggled to find a graph that suited me, and really spent a lot of time trying to get things down, that I just found stressful. I then read Charlotte Ballards blogs on Journalling and she had posted a description and pictures of  created a diagram of head bubbles. I took her theory and today drew my own, but used coloured pens to highlight different feelings. I've already found this to be a great help in making all the niggles in my head into a manageable diagram which I can then tackle and reach positive outcomes. 


Is there one you might use again? I love writing 'What if?' I'd write my initial journal and then and the end write some what ifs. Sometimes my ideas were so out of this world, but it was nice to write, as I always ended positively. Sometimes it really made me see that by doing one small thing differently, it had a huge impact. This gave me inspiration to try and do more reflecting in the moment, in the hope that next time I can actively improve the situation.


Was there anything useful for the way you actively plan or reflect your work/your practice? I've found that, in my practice, when things don't do well I don't want to reflect upon them. I like to put them behind me, which I believed helped to move forward. Not to dwell, just get up and go. After reflecting in my journal and using different methods of reflection I've found just what a key skill reflection is in my profession. To look upon it as a skill to help improve work and not staying in the past has enabled me to gain a lot more from professional experiences. For example; Having a bad singing lesson. The old way, for me, was to put it down to having a bad day. A one off thing that I couldn't change. Instantly forget and just work for the next. The new way is to ask why. Was I unorganised, unprepared, tried to fit too much in, aiming for unrealistic achievements? And how could I of changed that situation to have a positive outcome?
And on the other side if I'd had a positive lesson, great, no need to worry, everything's good. Now since journalling, I can critically reflect upon this too, to find out why it was good, and what I can use again. I've been using the Kolb cycle to actively make the most of my experiences. Have found it's made me a lot more positive as I can actively see improvement!




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