My Professional Development Plan (PDP)
Nurul ‘Ain Abd Razak
For the past 4 months I have been working on my Masters of Educational (Biology) Technology through University Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Tanjung Malim ,Perak. Technically I am not a teacher because I don’t work in schools but I am a lecturer in one of the renown colleges in Perak – Masterskill University College of Health and Life Sciences. I’m a Medical Laboratory Lecturer and this is my second year as a lecturer.
In UPSI, I’ve learned so many new things from the respective lecturers, fellow classmates and personal exploration/trouble shooting. Although the month long period of classes each month has been challenging and intense, it’s been a huge part of my life that I look forward to each year. The knowledge I’ve gained through the program has shaped my knowledge/technology curriculum and I feel it’s important that I stay informed about the latest technology, teaching and learning tools, so that I can use all of these to its fullest potential and continue to provide optimal learning situations for my students. Hence, I look at this last assignment (My PDP) as a roadmap that will continue to guide my professional learning and teaching opportunities.
Credo of Technology and Methods In Learning in Education
My personal belief about teaching is teaching method and the media are inseparable. In other words, the way I design lessons and activities is really related to the projects my students complete in class. I also believe, hands-on learning and projects will also enhance the studies creativity and skill and they can relate the subjects more easily compare to learning the theories only.
Students come into my classroom with various skills and abilities, so it’s important to provide individualized instruction for each person. Some students need more guidance, while others can adapt and figure out how to create and build the project using the state of the art technology such as software features more easily. I feel that this individualized approach to student learning is best facilitated through project-based learning. I find that students are more motivated to learn when they can see a real-life connection.
My Strengths
Generally, I’m good at problem solving and am able to solve many of the problems that my students share with me. Even sometimes I also never encounter with these kind of problems, but I strive to improve my communication skills, knowledge, counseling skills and problem solving skill by reading the motivational books, search from internets, refer to some of the professional counselors, and try to think positively in order to help my students mentally and spiritually. I believe, a good successful student have a good healthy mind and spirit.
I love encouraging students to share their knowledge with others. This stems from my belief that students construct their knowledge through project-based learning.
Another strength I have is the energy I bring to the classroom. I enjoy researching to find new creative lessons and strive to provide the optimal learning situations for my students. This high energy level has attributed to the success my Faculty of Health Sciences Week, previously during my Bachelor Degree programme. It has also afforded me the opportunity to build strong relationships with my parents and volunteers, which provides a strong home-communication link and has allowed me to have other knowledge guest speakers visit my classroom.
5-Year Plan
Staying informed about the latest technology features is one of the main concerns I have and desire to incorporate into my professional development plan. One of the ways I will follow through with this goal is to stay in contact with the net.
I definitely will find a way to be a motivator. It is not just helping the students but also will build my confidence. I have previously attended some motivational talks and I gained a lot of knowledge and brought back exciting new ideas which were shared with staff members and incorporated into my curriculum whenever possible. I need to make time to attend the talks at least every other year in order to brush up my skills.
Getting my life better organized is a major goal I want to incorporate into my 5 year plan. It’s my desire to have my own PDP. I would really love to gain teaching experiences in other colleges at least another 3 years and continue my Phd. Programme during that duration of time.
Ask for Support
I’ve previously mentioned some of the ways I will seek assistance for my professional learning. One of the main ways of staying informed will be to continue the relationship with my very own lecturers in IMR, PTPL, MSU and UPSI. Working with lecturers who have successfully worked with some of the new programs I wish to learn how to use, will be another way of seeking assistance
Blow my Own Trumpet
Thus far I have been successful in my teaching experience and have many things which I am proud of. One way of sharing my success would be to show my professional plan to my principal and seek his opinion on how I can bring this plan to fruition. I need to be better about sharing class projects and report about what is happening in my classroom. This can be accomplished by presenting on staff development days and through blogging (E-portfolio – blogger).
