There are several studies that have been carried out in the field of education management and have supported the idea of the self-reflective portfolio. The studies have suggested that self-reflective portfolio plays a very important role in life-long learning. It has been established that learners who are fond of keeping journals have a higher chance of achieving success in their education. Self –reflective portfolio more or less does the same role as a journal. However, this document provides a student’s reflection in a regard to a topic or a subject that has been taught (McMillan, 2012). A student provides the assumptions that he or she had prior to the teaching of the subject. He or she then discusses what his or her expectations were in regard to the subject or topic just before it was taught. Finally, the portfolio discusses the impact that the subject or topic had on him or her since it was taught. This paper presents a self-reflective portfolio about the subjects of managing, leading and stewardship (McMillan, 2012).
The topics of managing, stewardship, and leadership are not new to me. By saying that they are not new to me doesn’t mean that I had fully understood what they are all about. However, I had heard school going students and other people within the community talk about them long before I came to learn about them in school.
Managing
Based on my experience in the community and the ideas that I got from people, for a long time I Knew that managing refers to what an individual does. However, since my time in school, I have come to learn that managing is completely different from the concept that I had. I have come to learn that managing is relational and ethical. It doesn’t refer to a mere thing that we do, but how we refer and relate to other people (Hamp-Lyons & Condon, 2010, p. 19). Teachers in the learning institution instill a sense of managing into us. They have shown use the best way in which we should relate to our peers within and outside the institutions of learning. In addition, the teachers have reminded use to consider our relationship with the community members who we relate to quitting often. We have been encouraged to develop a friendship relationship with all the people who we relate to.
The concept that I have learned in school is good and encouraging because our parents have also told us the same. However, I have a feeling that exercising the idea is difficult and tricky. I have learned over the past that life in organisations is open, complex and messy (Lyons, 2010, p. 11). It is also open to different interpretations. Many people are therefore forced to believe that anyone can do whatever he or she likes. The argument may be practically true of false. However, from my school experience, I have learned that the case can be changed. I have learned about the importance of developing a good relationship with the people who are around us. We need to recognise and respect all the people whom we relate with. The people important and would be helpful to us at some given time in one way or another. Poor connection with the people around us means that the people would also not bother to relate well with us. I have learned that our followers such as our kids and siblings keenly watch the move that we make. If they realise that we don’t connect with some particular people, then they also shy away from the people. Such behaviour instils bad moral into them and there would be no other people who would convince them to behave otherwise (Chan, 2000, p. 42).
I have learned in class that the world is messy because there are many people with a lot of differences. There is no way in which people with a difference should be expected to behave in a similar way. All that can be done is to encourage them so that they can align their behaviour but there are people who would definitely be defiant. Despite that, we should stick with the knowledge that we have learned. We should do everything possible needed to ensure that meaning is created. We never stop to interact during our daily activities (McMillan, 2012, p. 31). There are several organisations and institutions in which people come together and therefore have to interact. We meet in banks, universities, shopping centres and governments among other areas. The subject of managing has greatly changed my understanding. I have come to learn that our relationship in these particular areas is not in any way depends on the manner in which the organisations or institutions are managed. However, it depends entirely on the way with which we regard one another. In addition, the subject has made me understand the role of the various organisations and institutions (Cambridge, et al., 2009, p. 43).
I have learned that they are purely tasked with the responsibility of providing goods and services to the people who are in need of them. It is therefore important that the management and employees of the institutions and organisations also develop a good relationship with their customers as well. They are in those positions simply because they are expected to provide the best services to the customers. If the topic was to be taught to us once again, I would not expect the teacher to come up with a different meaning from what I already know. The topic had appeared in the syllabus recently and was well covered by one of the teachers. I was very convinced by how the topic was handled. However, I still hope to learn the topic once again so that I can get the perspective from which the new teacher would argue about the topic (McMillan, 2012, p. 21). What I am not sure about is whether he or she will teach us exactly what we already know or there are some items that had not been taught and hence would be taught on that particular day.
Stewardship
For a long time, I knew that a steward only refers to someone who is in a managerial position and is therefore tasked with management responsibilities. As we grew up, there are people in the community who would remind us so that we could become good stewards. I ignored such request since I was not in any management position. However, I have since learned that I was ignorant for quite too long. The word has been directed to us by many of my teachers. This has swayed me to believe that one doesn’t necessarily need to be a manager in order to be a steward. I have asked a few of my friends about the meaning of the word. Their response was encouraging but not very convincing since I believe that a teacher would explain it better.
Friends have told me that a stewardship refers to being responsible and able to provide protection to anything that deserves to be protected and preserved. It may be a property, finances and any other thing that deserve care (Cunnningham, 2005, p. 37). I am very excited since I got the opportunity to learn the subject. I expected that the teacher would clearly explain the meaning of stewardship which has puzzled me over the year. I had already developed a feeling within me, prior to the lesson that the subject would enable me to be on par with my fellow students in regard to knowing the correct meaning of stewardship. I came to learn from the subject that I had already exercised stewardship at some point in my life. I didn’t expect that. I aspire to become a community development manager in the future. The profession demand that one must have the capability to take care of all the resources that he or she has been instructed to manage. The topic of stewardship is therefore very important for anyone who aspires to be in such a position. What I am not sure about the topic is whether it is practically applicable or not. Most of the subjects that we learn in school are theoretical. One can therefore not tell if the learned topics would be effectively applicable in real life situations (Brownhill, 2004, pp. 26-28).
There is one contradiction that I have faced in regard to the topic of stewardship since it was taught to us. The teachers informed us that managers in all organisations and institution should possess good stewardship qualities. However, research has established that there are very many managers that do not exercise stewardship. There are managers who have been prosecuted on grounds of corruption, misappropriation of funds and poor use of other resources that they are expected to monitor. I am therefore perturbed about this topic of stewardship. Several questions come to my mind anytime I think about the topic. Can one acquire stewardship skills by simply studying the topic? Can I be a good leader from this moment now that, I have been taken through the subject? These are just some of the many questions that I have and have never been answered. I believe that there are also some of my classmates who also have similar concerns in regard to the subject of stewardship. They would also get an opportunity to address their issues to the teacher when the topic will finally be taught. I expect that the subject would solve all the issues that we have raised about the topic.
Leading
I am very eager to learn about the topic of leading. I have seen people chosen as leaders under different categories. I have never understood the basis under which some of these leaders have been chosen. At some time, I developed the feeling that one has to be huge and stronger than the rest of the people in order to be chosen as a leader of the group. I have even been thrown into a lot of confusion of late because I have known some leaders who are very small in body size yet they are leading people, who have huge body sizes. When I inquired about this case, I got varying responses. There are some particular people who told me that there are people who are born to be leaders. It is argued that those particular people are born with leadership qualities. I don’t believe in the argument. I have a feeling that anyone can become a leader as long as one has leading qualities (McMillan, 2012).
I expected that the topic of leading would explain what it takes for one to be in a position such that he or she can lead. I also expected that the topic would explain to us who qualifies to lead and who doesn’t. I would like to report that the subject didn’t disappoint. I clearly explained me the areas of concern. Many people in the society aspire to be leaders. They hence need to have a good understanding of what leading is all about. I too long to be a leader in future. I intend to become a community development manager in the future.
Apart from the management responsibilities, one is also tasked with the responsibility of being a leader once he or she assume the position (Cambridge, et al., 2009, p. 53). Leadership skills would, therefore, be very important for me to be successful in the position. However, I am not sure is learning about the topic of leading would be enough for me to me pursue the future wish of becoming a community development manager.
There are people who have told me that they didn’t benefit a lot from studying the topic. They had to undergo other courses before they landed in their managerial and leadership positions. I believe that the case has since changed. I have confidence that the topic will provide me with the necessary knowledge required for leadership responsibilities. We have had some wrangles even at our class level in regard to who should lead us. The class leaders who we have had in the past have terribly failed in their responsibilities. The problem has been a lack of leadership skills. I expect the topic of leading to address the leadership problem in our classroom (Takona & Wilburn, 2004, p. 43).
The subject of leading has been welcomed by most of my class members who attended the lesson. I was also encouraged by the way in which the subject was taught (Paris & Ayres, 2004, p. 4). The subject looked at the professions that entirely depend on leading skills. Education transforms students so that they can contribute to the development of the society in which they leave. One way of making a positive contribution to the society is through the provision of appropriate leadership advice to the people who need it. It is therefore important that we pass on the leadership knowledge that we acquire to the rest of the community member. There are many people in the community who are not learned but are holding leadership positions. Such people have a lot of leadership experience but there are some skills that they luck (Chan, 2000). Having attended the subject, there are several skills that would be very important to such kind of community leaders.
I would visit the leaders in the community so that I can share the same with them. The subject has made me believe that teachers always know our needs before they come to teach us. I had so many leadership issues that I could not believe that they could be solved as easy as such. The teacher used a very simple approach in teaching us the subject. He gave us room to air all the issues and concerns that we had experienced in the past in relation to the subject. He the rearranged the subject such that it responded to all the questions and concerns in an orderly manner.
Conclusion
Following the teaching of the subjects of managing, stewardship, and leading, I have learned a lot of ideas. I have acquired a lot of skills that would assist me in the carrier that I would like to pursue. I had a number of assumptions regarding the subjects before they were finally taught to me. However, I had to relinquish the assumptions that I had once I was taken through the subjects. There were also some cases where by my expectations were met. Those were basic assumptions about the subjects that had been assigned to be taught. I would like to confirm that the subjects were well handled to perfection. The teacher‘s delivery was so good that I don’t believe if there is any other person who could deliver the lesson.
References List
Brownhill, S., 2004. Empowering the Children’s and Young People’s Workforce: Practice Based Knowledge, Skills and Understanding. London: Routledge.
Cambridge, D., Cambridge, . B. L. & Kathleen , B., 2009. Electronic Portfolios 2.0: Emergent Research on Implementation and Impact. London: Stylus Publishing, LLC..
Chan, Y. H., 2000. The Assessment of Self-reflection in Special Education Students Through the Use of Portfolios. s.l.:University of California, Berkeley.
Cunnningham, G., 2005. Assessment In The Classroom: Constructing And Interpreting Texts. London,UK: Routledge.
Hamp-Lyons, L. & Condon, W., 2010. Assessing the portfolio: principles for practice, theory, and research. New Jersey: Hampton Press.
Kerr, R., 2009. Self-Discipline: Using Portfolios to Help Students Develop Self-Awareness, Manage Emotions and Build Relationships. London,UK: Pembroke Publishers Limited.
Lyons, N., 2010. Handbook of Reflection and Reflective Inquiry: Mapping a Way of Knowing for Professional Reflective Inquiry. London: Springer Science & Business Media.
McMillan, J. H., 2012. SAGE Handbook of Research on Classroom Assessment. s.l.:SAGE.
McMillan, J. H., 2012. SAGE Handbook of Research on Classroom Assessment. London: SAGE.
Paris, S. G. & Ayres, L. R., 2004. Becoming Reflective Students and Teachers: With Portfolios and Authentic Assessment. New York: American Psychological Association.
Paris, S. G. & Ayres, L. R., 2004. Becoming Reflective Students and Teachers: With Portfolios and Authentic Assessment. New York: American Psychological Association.
Sullivan, A., 2006. Decision Making in Midwifery Practice. s.l.:lsevier Health Sciences, 2005.
Takona, J., 2013. Pre-Service Teacher Portfolio Development. s.l.:iUniverse.
Takona, J. P. & Wilburn, R. J., 2004. Primer to Developing a Successful Pre-service Teacher Portfolio. New York: University Press of America.
Tuescher, K. D., 2004. The Effect of Portfolios on Self-reflection in Counseling Students. s.l.:University of Wisconsin–Madison.
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