Introduction
Learning is essential to individuals’ personal and professional growth, and various academic theories have distinct approaches to this subject. Experiential learning, known as Kolb’s reflective cycle, is one framework that emphasizes empirical evidence as the primary learning instrument. Based on substantial experience, Kolb’s reflective cycle introduces three additional stages of learning – thoughtful observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation (Nagle and Tzoc, 2022). These three concepts are essential in experiential learning, laying the groundwork for reflective analysis. They help learners better understand themselves through a lens of personal experiences. Ultimately, the current reflective report summarizes my personal and professional development based on Kolb’s reflective cycle.
Relationship with Yourself
In this section, I aim to highlight experiences of my personal and professional journey, analyzing my self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Moreover, I want to reflect on the relatively recent events since I am currently in the most challenging period of my life. I am thirty-three years old and a single mother trying to raise my five-year-old daughter properly. While I was initially optimistic about building a family, recent events have taken a physical and mental toll on me. My mother used to help me with household matters, such as babysitting for my daughter and assisting me with housework. However, she has recently collapsed with various illnesses, primarily affected by heart problems and dementia. I am doing my best to balance my life around raising my daughter and caring for my mother, but it is challenging.
Concerning my personal reflection and emotional intelligence, I have discovered that I am an empathic, social, and confident person. Still, the recent hardships have made me acknowledge the problems in my mental health. As I have learned, emotional intelligence refers to how well people can cope with their emotions and use them for their benefit (Cherry, 2020). Recently, I have not been able to effectively manage my emotions, as I constantly feel stressed, anxious, and powerless. I need to learn how to cope with real-life challenges and control my mental health better if I want to support my family. Today, I can keep moving forward since I know my daughter and mother depend on me, and I would never abandon them. When I pray to God, I seem especially strong, and my spiritual connection has always helped me overcome challenges in life. Nevertheless, I frequently feel powerless recently and realize I cannot do anything properly.
Moreover, I would like to briefly discuss my professional development in this section since it directly relates to my experiences in my personal life. I work as a healthcare assistant in a residential care home, and this experience has been crucial in providing care for my mother. I aspire to become a nurse to fulfill my dreams, and I need to get a degree in the university to achieve this goal. It is my third most crucial concern, aside from raising my daughter and providing care for my mother. I want to work in a hospital and help people to the best of my abilities. Consequently, I would like to give an example of a personal experience analyzed via Kolb’s reflective cycle to illustrate the point about my self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
Concrete Experience
The event description is the first stage of the experiential learning framework. In this section of the report, I would like to discuss my experience being a single mother of a five-year-old daughter and a single carer of my mother with worsening dementia. Over the last year, it has been particularly challenging for me over the last year since my mother’s medical condition is getting worse, and I have to do more housework work. I have extensive experience as a healthcare assistant in a residential care home, but the amount of necessary work is overbearing. Every day I need to find an appropriate balance between spending time with my daughter, caring for my mother, education, and working. I am grateful for all assistance I receive from friends and family, but ultimately, I am the only one who should care for my daughter and mother. They are dependent on me, and I have promised myself that I will make every effort to support them and never give up.
Reflective Observation
The second stage of Kolb’s learning cycle is reflective observation. This concept refers to the process of reviewing past experiences and trying to notice differences between the perception and actual events (McLeod, 2017). As I mentioned briefly in the previous chapter, I have realized the importance of managing my emotions to prevent burnout and anxiety. Although I fail to do so at the moment, I recognize that emotional intelligence is a powerful instrument to overcome real-life challenges, and I fully intend to learn this skill. It is crucial for me since I want my daughter to have the best childhood possible, and I want to act as a role model for her. Yet, I consistently feel like I fail my family by not providing adequate care. I realize that my expectations may not always match my actual experiences, and still, I feel frustrated when it happens. Ultimately, emotional intelligence is a crucial concept relevant to my experience and might help me better control my emotions in the future.
Abstract Conceptualization
The third step of the cycle is abstract conceptualization or learning from experiences. After reviewing my past experiences last year, I understand that I must learn how to manage my emotions better. If my daughter and mother see me in this saddening state, they will worry about me. Moreover, I want to grow as a professional, and it is impossible if I constantly worry about my failures and my inability to provide adequate care for my family. Abstract conceptualization is a process of improving existing ideas based on past experiences (McLeod, 2017; Leal-Rodriguez and Albort-Morant, 2019). In other words, I have always wanted to provide for my family and grow as a professional. Nonetheless, I have never taken the time to understand my mistakes and failures. After reflecting on it, I believe improved emotional intelligence might be an appropriate solution to my problems.
Thus, I must learn to control my emotions and use them for my benefit. I am confident that the primary principles of emotional intelligence will help me maintain my psychological health, resulting in a better life for my daughter. According to Cherry (2020), people can improve their emotional intelligence through listening, empathizing, and reflecting on their experiences. I believe that the current assignment is an excellent opportunity for me to acknowledge my emotional state and prepare a development plan to improve my emotional intelligence. If I can improve my emotional intelligence, I can accept my mistakes, reflect on them, and prevent future complications (Cherry, 2020). I believe that my current emotional problems might significantly affect my family, and I genuinely want to learn how to control my emotions.
In Kolb’s framework, diverging learning style assumes the assessment of experience from multiple perspectives, appreciating other people’s thoughts. In other words, apprehending other people’s views increases their understanding of the experience (Leal-Rodriguez and Albort-Morant, 2019). Furthermore, research has proved the framework’s effectiveness in various industries and areas of life, such as helping people with mental health and adult education (Morris, 2020). After reflecting on this strategy, I have already realized that it helps me manage my emotions. I genuinely worry about my family’s well-being more than about my own. However, I recognize the importance of their perspectives, and I would not want them to worry unnecessarily about me. As I mentioned before, I want to be a role model for my daughter, so I need to learn how to monitor and control my emotions better.
Active Experimentation
Lastly, the fourth stage of Kolb’s framework is active experimentation which implies the practical implementation of learned skills. I will elaborate on this topic more in the SMART plan section, but I agree that active investigation is necessary to integrate discussed skills. For instance, I understand that it is essential to improve my emotional intelligence. However, merely thinking about it does not substantially impact my mental health, and I need to take specific actions.
First, I intend to note and analyze my emotional condition when I have a bad day or feel powerless. I will try to understand the reasons for my depression and thoroughly reflect on them. I frequently feel helpless when I have an overbearing number of tasks. For instance, a busy day at work and a large amount of housework might significantly worsen my emotional condition. In such cases, I will take my time and note the exact reasons leading to my depression. Secondly, I intend to improve my time management skills to address my responsibilities at home and work effectively. The current course has offered me essential knowledge about time management, such as a clear assessment of objectives and thorough planning. I intend to employ the acquired skills to design my schedules for approaching days and weeks. In turn, it will help me mentally prepare for the upcoming work and responsibilities. Ultimately, I plan to improve my emotional intelligence by reflecting on my past experiences and using Kolb’s reflective cycle to my benefit.
Relationship with Others
The current section of the report examines my personal experience with relationships with others. In this part, I would like to discuss what I have learned during this course and my interaction with peers. Before elaborating on this subject, I would like to add that I have vastly enjoyed the exercises during lessons and working in a team. This experience made me realize that despite many differences among students with various backgrounds and lifestyles, we could communicate effectively.
Thus, the case study example for the current sub-chapter is my experience as a group member. Before attending the course, I thought I knew about teamwork, effective communication, and active listening. Nonetheless, I realized that my understanding was on the surface level, and I learned a lot from the current course. Mainly, I would like to emphasize active listening and transparent communication as vital areas of teamwork. During face-to-face team exercises, I understood how critical these factors are.
Being a group member during this course was an invaluable experience for me since it drastically differed from my general understanding of teamwork. Notably, during my work in a residential care home, I cooperate my actions with other nurses and healthcare assistants; however, our approach is different and lacks transparency in communication. I realized it only after participating in the face-to-face exercises during the current course with a substantial emphasis on open-mindedness and team integration. I believe that this experience has significantly helped me grow as a person and as a professional.
Namely, teamwork exercises improved my communication skills and active listening. For instance, we had to discuss multifaceted topics with various face-to-face approaches openly. Despite team members’ distinct perspectives, we listened to each other and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the selected decisions. Active listening and open-mindedness were critical in our discussions – everyone was polite and open to new experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed these sessions, and I believe that I have significantly improved my competencies in active listening and acting as a team member. Moreover, I think that I can use the acquired skills in my work and improve my communication with other nurses and healthcare assistants in my workplace.
Communication with others and the ability to work as part of a team are essential in the therapeutic setting. Working in the healthcare field necessitates communication to provide high-quality care to my patients. As a prospective nurse, I seek to foster individual and group excellence to maximize good outcomes. According to McGarity et al. (2020), nursing practitioners with expertise in connection to the building are entirely prepared to establish cohesive teams that provide high-quality care. In addition, I want to further alter my ability to communicate with my team and enhance my awareness of commitments to develop a value system and work towards common goals.
SMART Development Plan
In the current section, I intend to prepare a SMART development plan of my objectives. My development objectives have always concerned care for my family and self-improvement, and they remain the same. The goal I want to state in great detail is the improvement of my emotional intelligence. Writing in the SMART format, I would formulate it as “to improve my emotional intelligence by focusing on personal reflection, time management, and relationships with my family within the next six months.” It is a specific, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goal that will significantly help me manage my emotions and reduce anxiety. I have doubts about evaluating this objective since it is challenging to measure the differences in my emotional state myself. Although, at present, I feel powerless and anxious most of the time, if I can make a positive change in my emotional health, I will mark my action plan as a success. In other words, I will measure my SMART goal by evaluating my emotional health.
I intend to formulate three primary priorities for my action plan to achieve the proposed SMART goal. The first one is a thorough reflection of my emotional state each time I feel powerless or depressed about my efforts. Per the primary principles of experiential learning, I plan to emphasize the reflection process and thoroughly evaluate my experiences and emotions (Leal-Rodriguez and Albort-Morant, 2019). According to research, it is a crucial part of the learning process that helps people understand their feelings and change their approach to life (Nagle and Tzoc, 2022). Furthermore, a reflection on one’s emotions has been proven to be an effective strategy for emotional intelligence training, which is my primary goal (Cherry, 2020). Therefore, my priority in the action plan is to reflect on my mistakes, emotions, and experiences whenever I feel powerless.
Next, I plan to improve my time management skills by applying the principles I learned in class and reinforcing good habits. I cannot correctly make schedules due to extensive homework and unpredictable behavior from my mother, with worsening dementia. I frequently adjust my plans depending on my mother’s current condition and the necessary amount of care. Nevertheless, I believe I can reinforce my good habits, such as waking up early and doing chores to allocate more time to work and providing care for my family. I emphasize strengthening my time management abilities to reduce stress and efficiently manage my calendar. Precise day planning will help me prioritize duties, appropriately divide time committed to each objective, and schedule additional activities for self-reflection and development.
Lastly, I intend to challenge myself with specific actions and experiments to improve my mental fortitude. According to Skottun and Krüger (2021), one of the pillars of experiential learning is the experiment; through experimenting, individuals progress from discussing something to doing or experiencing it. I believe that it is a crucial step in my journey of self-improvement that I have always been putting aside. I am dedicated to nursing because I am deeply devoted to supporting needy people. Compassion will guide me for the remainder of my professional life. Lown (2018) acknowledges that compassion is a component of emotional intelligence and is essential in nursing. Developing the action plan makes it evident that I need to take specific actions to improve my emotional intelligence. Even if I fail, I should learn from my mistakes and try my utmost to maintain a positive outlook on life.
As mentioned briefly, I am not entirely sure how to evaluate my progress, except for self-assessment of my emotional state. I intend to monitor my progress by reflecting on my emotions daily and talking to close people. I am confident that if I can positively change my emotional health, my family and friends will notice and appreciate it. Moreover, I plan to take an emotional self-assessment test three times during the proposed period of six months. Although it is still based on my perception of my emotions, it would allow me to check my objective progress and see changes more illustratively.
Conclusion
In the current reflective report, I have discussed my personal and professional development through the lens of Kolb’s learning framework. The first part of the assignment concerned my reflection on the experiences and taught me the importance of emotional intelligence. In the second section, I reflected on my experience as a group member during the course. I have explored that transparent communication and active listening are fundamental to productive teamwork. Consequently, I have developed a comprehensive action plan for my SMART goal of improving my emotional intelligence. As a result, I have formulated three primary priorities and decided on the monitoring approach through self-assessment tests.
I believe that the current assignment has significantly helped my personal development and might assist me in my professional practice. Working as a healthcare professional is a physically and emotionally taxing process. My mental health deteriorated over the last year, and I believe it is time to think about myself and learn how to control my emotions better. If I improve my emotional intelligence, I can complete my work duties more efficiently and allocate more time to my family.
Today’s healthcare professionals are brave, visionary, and mentally resilient. I am willing to learn more and develop my abilities and competence. The global community commonly holds critical ethical values, embodying the humanistic and psychological approach to health. I am responsible for offering excellent treatment services that are efficient, evidence-based, and enjoyable, as well as strategically focusing on my continuous education to ensure a high standard of care. My nursing purpose is to be transparent and devoted to the people I serve by following values and core beliefs and making wise decisions. My job is to assist each patient by employing the most acceptable evidence-based methods and demonstrating a keen understanding of the human condition. Enhancing my organizing and time management skills will aid in executing my team’s tasks and obligations. I want to become an achiever focused on task accomplishment and persistent demand for success. To conclude, I am grateful for the chance to complete this assignment since it makes me reflect on my past experiences and apply the principles of experiential learning to my benefit.
Appendix A
Appendix B
Personal Development Plan
- Regularly reflect on my emotional state whenever I feel powerless or depressed about my efforts. Per primary principles of experiential learning, I plan to emphasize the reflection process and thoroughly evaluate my experiences and emotions. Therefore, my priority in the action plan is to reflect on my mistakes, feelings, and experiences whenever I feel powerless.
- Improve my time management skills by applying the principles I learned in class and reinforcing good habits. It includes waking up early, doing chores to allocate more time to work, and caring for my family. I emphasize strengthening my time management abilities to reduce stress and efficiently manage my calendar. Precise day planning will help me prioritize duties, appropriately divide time committed to each objective, and schedule additional activities for self-reflection and development.
- Challenge me with specific actions and experiments to improve my mental fortitude. Through experimenting, individuals progress from discussing something to doing or experiencing it. In addition, I need to take specific actions to improve my emotional intelligence. In case of failure, I will learn from my mistakes and try my utmost to maintain a positive outlook on life.
- Evaluate my progress through self-assessment of my emotional state. I intend to monitor my progress by reflecting on my emotions daily and talking to close people. I plan to take an emotional self-assessment test three times during the proposed period of six months to check my objective progress and see changes more illustratively.
Appendix C
Evidence of WPO
While I am at University, I cannot work because I’m my mother’s carer. However, there are still opportunities for studying and developing my career in this situation. Through education, I can learn and understand how to be ready with all the necessary knowledge. There is a possibility to practice how to write a cover letter and make a professional CV to apply for the job. Moreover, working on the presentation for the interview and researching the tactics of successful negotiations will help to make the first steps into the nursing career. After finishing University, I will go to work, the final goal of all my activities and studies. Eventually, I strive to become a nurse in Hospital, helping people and making their lives better through quality healthcare services and assistance.
Reference List
Cherry, K. (2020) ‘What is emotional intelligence?’, Very Well Mind.
Leal-Rodriguez, A. L. and Albort-Morant, G. (2019) ‘Promoting innovative experiential learning practices to improve academic performance: Empirical evidence from a Spanish Business School’, Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 4(2), pp. 97-103.
Lown, B. A. (2018) ‘Mission critical: Nursing leadership support for compassion to sustain staff well-being’, Nursing Administration Quarterly, 42(3), pp. 217-222.
McGarity, T., Reed, C., Monahan, L., and Zhao, M. (2020) ‘Innovative frontline nurse leader professional development program’, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 36(5), pp. 277-282.
McLeod, S. (2017) ‘Kolb’s learning styles and experiential learning cycle’, Simply Psychology, 5, pp. 1-8.
Morris, T. H. (2020) ‘Experiential learning – a systematic review and revision of Kolb’s model’, Interactive Learning Environments, 28(8), pp. 1064-1077.
Nagle, S. and Tzoc, E. (2022) Innovation and experiential learning in academic libraries. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Skottun, G. and Krüger, A. (2021) Gestalt therapy practice: Theory and experiential learning. Routledge.