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Personal Development Personal Development PlanningPlanning

Section 1.9 -2006 #1

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ContentsContents• In this session you will be covering the

following topics:1. PDP – an overview – what it is?2. 2. Components of the PDP Portfolio;3. What You Will Gain from a PDP;4. Building Your PDP5. Personal Tutors.

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1. What is a PDP?• A reasonable definition of Personal

Development Planning (PDP) is:– 'It is a structured and supported

process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and / or achievements, then to plan for their future personal, educational and career development'.

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Why is a PDP needed? • According to Stella Cottrell in the text ‘The

Study Skills Handbook’, indicates that you require:

• 1. Specific subject knowledge;• 2. A range of further skills, such as:

– To be able to work with others using people skills;– To be able to solve ‘out of the box’ problems;– To be able to take on project work;– Competent in self management.

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The Dearing Report recommendations:

• The 1997 Dearing Report stated that students should receive structured opportunities to become:– More aware of themselves;– More aware of how to learn;– More aware of how to improve personal

performance;– Better able to cope with the transition to

their chosen career

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The Conception of PDP• To meet these requirements, it was generally

agreed that students should put together a a personal development plan, to cover not only their main subject area, but also skills in support of the main subject.

• It was also considered important to have a range of other inter-personal skills.

• There was also a need to store all of the information together in one place, hence the PDP portfolio evolved.

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2. Components of the PDP 2. Components of the PDP PortfolioPortfolio

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The three parts to PDP PortfolioThe three parts to PDP Portfolio• These were shown in the previous diagram,

and are reproduced below: 1. A Personal Record of your learning and achievement – may

include personal goals, plans, reviews and achievements;2. A formal institutional Transcript giving information about

your learning and achievement;3. Your plan to fill the skills & learning gaps that you, the

student, considers necessary (The Actual Personal Development Plan).

• It is intended to embedded the process into most of the modules in your study programme.

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3. What You Will Gain from a PDP3. What You Will Gain from a PDP

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Advantages for Your Learning Are:

• A clearer focus;• More control over personal motivation;• Developing essential skills in self-

management;• Greater independence and confidence as a

learner;• More enjoyment and less stress from your

learning;• More awareness of how to apply your

learning;• Reflective, strategic, analytical and creative

thinking skills.

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The Benefits of PDP to Professional Life• Gaining strategies to improve personal performance;• Gaining a better sense of what kind of life and work

you want;• Confidence in choices made;• Confidence in skills, qualities and attributes;• A better position to compete for jobs;• Ability to discuss your skills & competences with

employers;• Positive attitude, creative thinking & problem solving

approaches.

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Benefits of PDP to Personal Life• Better understanding of self and what makes

you ‘tick’• A better position to make choices;• Better sense of self as individual;• Greater awareness of needs and how to meet

these;• Greater awareness of unique contribution you

can make;• Developing positive, forward-looking

approach;• Developing skills e.g. reflection, strategic

thinking, self-direction & self-evaluation.

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4. Building Your PDP4. Building Your PDP

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The Stages to Produce the Plan

• You will already have some of the portfolio evidence, for instance your official assessment results (Transcripts).

• You will need to put together a review of your skills.

• Then decide from evaluating these two chunks of evidence, what you should plan to do to fill any skills gaps that you have. This then becomes your Personal Development Plan

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A Skills Audit • Your plan will depend upon YOUR analysis of

YOURSELF plus a great degree of reflection.• Therefore a good starting point is to

undertake a skills audit.• Choose main subject headings, such as:

academic skills, creative thinking, computing, discussion, leadership, people skills an so on;

• Then score yourself in accordance with your degree of competence. Your tutor can provide you with a score sheet.

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Personal Records• Education and training, include the schools

you attended and list the qualifications that you achieved with dates.

• If you have an employment history, show it.• If you have undertaken voluntary work,

include this.• If you can show leadership qualities in social

aspects of your life, show these.

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Put it together in a Portfolio1. Official Assessment Results (transcripts)

Do a personal audit of your skills

Analyse the results & decide what you need to do to improve yourself.

3. Convert this to a plan with objectives

& an overall goal

Information held in a Portfolio

2. Your own personal records of achievement, for instance, workplace and social

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5. Personal Tutors• Members of academic staff who will support

PDP activities.• Often might be small group meetings as well

as individual sessions.• Can be a compulsory sessions in each

Teaching Block• PT available for further meetings at your

request.• Will provide academic guidance, pastoral

support and referrals to other agencies.

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All that remains, is for you to start your PDP activities

Good Luck!