It’s been a while since I’ve posted here but as I’ve decided
to have another go at Chartership, I thought this seemed like a good time to resurrect
this blog.
Originally
I registered for Chartership about 2 years ago, but for various reasons (lack
of motivation, not feeling settled in my job), I didn’t get very far. When I
saw that there was going to be a Portfolio Building workshop at the City
Library I thought this might give me the kick start I needed to get going
again.
On the
day there were presentations from Matthew Wheeler (CILIP Development Officer) and
Patricia Crosier (Candidate Support Officer). Matthew’s presentation on the whole process was very clear and
informative. I think I had been a bit daunted by the whole process, and he made
everything seem clearer, especially the PKSB.
Matthew explained that you can identify 8-12 key areas, which makes this
part of the process seem a lot easier than I thought. He was reassuring and told us not to over
worry it. Another key thing I found helpful is that it doesn’t matter if by the
end you haven’t improved on the rating you’ve given yourself, as long as you
can reflect and evaluate on how your skills have changed.
The overview
of the VLE was useful as prior to the day I’d only had a quick look at it.
Matthew took us through all the relevant sections, so hopefully it will be
easier to upload and manage documents now that I know where everything is!
Matthew
also explained how to organise evidence. It’s not just a case of compiling as
much as possible; the key is to be selective and reflective about what you’re
including. And evidence can be almost anything – even a conversation can be included
as long as you write it up reflectively.
After
the break, Patricia talked about where to get help. I won’t go into great
detail about this as the list is endless, but it’s reassuring to know that
there are so many avenues of support out there.
Finally
she talked about reflective writing. I’ve always worried that my writing can
tend to be more descriptive than reflective. Patricia gave us a good overview
on reflective writing which hope I can put into practice once I really get
started building my portfolio. A good piece of advice was to keep a log or
diary of activities and use some of the exercises mentioned in the presentation
each time you take part in a learning activity. I’m going to try to keep this blog more up to
date with recent activities as I think this will help with my reflective
writing skills.
All in
all it was a very good afternoon. It has made Chartership seem less daunting
than I thought and has definitely motivated me to restart the process.