This year we were introduced to a new course that would enhance our learning to the next level, Personal Growth Plan (PGP). This course is basically the behind the scenes of a project. It was all about reflection and just getting to know yourself as a learner. We learnt many new skills, some I knew, some I didn’t, but we went into more depth so I could improve those skills, and use them to my advantage.
The whole course was leading up to the final project, the Time Machine. Basically it was all the concepts we had learned into one. We had to answer the following question:
What do I know now that I wish I knew before?
It involved reflecting and really unfolding what I learned that really benefits me now. I tried to tie in all three of the main concepts, productivity, goal setting and the 7 Habits Of Mind. In my artifact, I highlighted the most significant points and brought them to life. All of the skills I chose to highlight, will benefit me in the future to be more productive and manage my time wisely.
Here is my product:
Leading up to the final project, there were multiple steps we took from the beginning of the year. We started off by learning about setting goals and getting to know ourselves, which is something that I definitely wish I knew in the past. I think getting to known your self is where you have to start off with before setting any goals. It was all about knowing what you want. We even read a novel that was pretty interesting. It really made me think about goals I want to set and what I want to accomplish in the future. At the end of each section, we completed a creative reflection that highlighted the key points of the section. Our first task was to create a dream board. I really enjoyed completing the dream board because it made me excited for the future.
My Dream Board
The next part of the course was rolled around the 7 Habits Of Mind. I learned many new skills that I will definitely use in the future.
We were introduced to tools that would help us to stay productive and would help us manage our time. In all of my previous Mpols, something I wanted to work on was how to manage my time. Now I have been given the tools such as Things and Time-blocking, and I will 100% use these strategies in University.
Back to my Time Machine…
The book I created is done on Pages. I spent a lot of time colouring and drawing all of the little icons using Sketches Pro!!! The first page of my book, is one of the 7 Habits Of Mind, Put First Things First. Sometimes you just need to prioritize in order to get a task done. Even now before hanging out with friends, or going to a fun event I make sure I don’t have any close deadlines in school. This is a skill that I can take with me to University. I made sure that sleep and food is my first priority since I can’t function if I am tired and hungry.
My second page is all about goal setting. I already talked about setting goals earlier, however the goals that I included in the time machine are the goals I set at the beginning of the year. The two that I have already accomplished was getting my N and passing my Level 1 VASS course.
It just shows that by thinking out goals and writing them down can help you accomplish goals. I wish I knew how to set reachable goals in the begging of high school. Although, next year for Grade 12, I will make sure I set many goals at the beginning of the year that I can work on. For me, writing them down was a huge take away. You may verbally say you want to achieve something, but by writing it down is like a reminder that you can look at everyday. By setting goals also makes me feel more productive which is what my overall take away is.
In my experience, for me to complete any kind of project or goal, it has to by somewhat interesting to me. This was apart of the 7 Habits, Begin with an end in mind.
“Think about your own life”
It is important to use your strengths to your advantage. In PLP, we have multiple opportunities to come up with ideas for projects. I am more motivated when I chose a topic I am really interested in. Also if I can use my strengths it will make my final product stronger. In my book I showed some examples of my strengths and interests, and the two almost intertwine. You want to highlight your strengths into something you are interested in. This technique of focusing on my interests has made a difference for me in school. I am more motivated when I am doing something I enjoy. Overall to relate back to productivity, if I am motivated I am significantly more productive.
Reflection (part 2), What inspires me
My final but most important point that I really want to empathize is REWARDING yourself. Sometime you just need to look back at what you have accomplished and be proud of yourself.
This could be from hanging out with friends to going on a vacation. Even after a day of tests, I could reward myself by going for sushi with my friends. Something that I have learned about myself is that I have to a break after a busy week. I will not function the next week if I haven’t given myself any rest! I would say this year I have put a lot of effort into my school work and I think at the end of the year I need to reward my self.
To conclude this course, I think I have taken away so much that will really benefit me in the future. Getting into the habit of using these tools will make University a lot less stressful. Not just have I learned new tools, but I also learned about my self, my interests and strengths. Now I know them I can use them to my advantage in the future.