- What key issues did you examine through your placement activities this week?
This week I have struggled with the concept of being a critical thinker in varied ways. I find that I am able to critically reflect on my own actions when I do encounter a general problem with a necessary solution, however this week I have found myself considering if I am thinking correctly about how to improve myself. I find that I can expand further when I am prompted but in this instance, I need to learn to prompt myself. But maybe critically thinking is not just about how I can improve myself in the work place, but how I can help my workplace improve as well. After all, McCormick’s (1993) short article considers that an internship is designed to challenge the student, just as much as the employer and the business need to be challenged by the student undertaking the internship. So this week, the question I am asking myself is, am I doing enough to challenge the internship at Plan International as much as it is challenging me?
- How does this reflector relate to one (or more) of your required readings?
Both McCormick’s (1993) short article and Gardner’s (2008) article consider the fact that employee’s are quite taken with job applications and resumes that hold international internship experiences with employee’s most commonly stating that the qualities they find in such students are “resourceful in accomplishing assignments”, “ability to work independently, “allocating time effectively”, “gaining new knowledge from experiences” (Gardner et al, 2008) and many more.
- How do the issues you have examined during your placement this week compare with those in your home country?
In comparison to Australia and internships I have conducted there, I find that I may be more challenged in completing set tasks to a certain standard. However, I am finding here that my main challenge is using my initiative to actively find tasks and provide feedback as my education and previous experiences are vastly different to those here and I can offer an outsiders perspective.
- Did you face any professional challenges in your placement this week? How did you overcome them?
Professionally, I do not think I have faced a challenge this week. However, I do think I will be facing a challenge next week as my mentor has let us know that she would love our feedback on their new country strategy before they publish anything. So this week, I guess I could say my challenge is to prepare myself and learn about their current country strategy so I can provide relevant and quality feedback where necessary.
- What was your key learning outcome from this week’s placement activities?
My key learning outcome from this week’s placement activities is that I should aim to think outside of the box when being a critical thinker, such as McCormick (1993) says “it is easier to be a critical thinker when contemplating information or perspectives from a distance” and that “part of becoming a manager is learning to evaluate alternative business strategies” (McCormick, 1993). Therefore, I will challenge myself to further expand on my thoughts, actions and surroundings without any outside help.
Bibliography:
Gardner, P, Gross, L, Steglitz, I 2008, “Unpacking your study abroad experience: Critical reflection for workplace competencies”, Collegiate Employment Research Institute, Vol. 1, No. 1, Pp. 1-11
McCormick, D 1993, “Critical thinking, experiential learning and internships”, Sage Social Science Collections, Vol. 17, No. 2, Pp. 260-262
Alexandra Hall 