Section 7: How will I get there?
According to Fleming and Mills (1992) there are four modes that seemed to reflect the learning of the students and teachers. Known as VARK, Visual, Audio, Reading and Kinetic, this allows understanding on a learning style best suited for you (Cox, L., et al, 2011). I will be continuously learning and growing heavily throughout the duration of the course. Therefore, it is important to understand effective learning for myself.
After completing the VARK questionaries (see appendix 5), I believe identifying as multimodal (see fig 20) compliments my personality type. As I am seen as easily bored, I learn between alternating between learning styles. I learn better and feel more comfortable being able to ask questions and have conversations. Therefore, I will need to be creative in my learning styles and productivity.
Discipline and motivation are the drivers which will push me to work hard towards my goals. It is vital for me to understand my intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Intrinsic motivation relates to the natural, positive feelings of the ‘doing’. The motivation is from the enjoyment and satisfaction of the individual (Knecht and Studer, 2018). Extrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation conveys to the external benefits of the activity. The extrinsic motivator factors on “separable rewards or to avoid negative outcomes” (Baker, E., et al, 2010). This can be translated to academic results, trophies and weight loss. A big personal motivator is visualisation, which can be argued as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. This is because I can see the end goal and the reward, however as it isn’t real it is for intrinsic reasons. In an academic context, one big motivator is feedback or module results.
Figure 21 shows a reconstructed Benjamin S. Bloom (1960) Mastery Learning Instructional Theory. The original model showed students progression from Unit 1 to Unit 2, with those who demonstrate the skills and ability on the first round going into enrichment activities. Student who needed additional support in mastering the skills and knowledge received correctional feedback, then leading to a second form of reflection (Guskey, 2007). This theory was translated into how it can motivate a student such as myself.
The end goal within the next five years is to move out of Birmingham to experience another city. Whilst looking at potential jobs’ roles, experience remains a constant requirement. Therefore, I need to gain the experience before applying for job roles, I have planned to gain at least 3 years’ experience before moving out of Birmingham (see fig 22). By understanding myself, how I work, learn and motivate myself I can push myself to achieve my 5-year goal. Although I aspire to be out of Birmingham by 2026, I will remain up to date with new, potential opportunities.