Personal development and study methods

Personal development and study methods help me to enhance self-development and build up individual personality. Besides that, it helps me to know more about myself and developed potential in the future. It helps me to improve my weaknesses and enhance the virtue by setting goal for the future. On the other hand, study methods can help me to improve my reading mistakes and get a better result in exam to achieve my goal in the future.

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I also improve self confidence and self-esteem in social skill from this subject. Before that, I am irresolute and less confidence in handling a task and make a decision in each part of life. But now, I become self-confidence to make decision in completing a task. (Mind Tools, 1995) Besides that, I also improve my self esteem in life. Before that, I have a low self esteem, always think negative and believe in negative comments. (Perera, 2002) I gives them impression feel without confidence to do something and negative influence on the decision making. But now, I have high self esteem by thinking positively and feel confidence to make a decision. (Perera, 2002)

Besides that, I also learnt on thinking skill from PDSM. Before that, I always think negatively and emotional. But now, I know how to differentiate the advantage and disadvantage when I am thinking independently. I would open my mind to accept other opinions and make the correct decision. (qcda, 1993) Besides that, I will think logically for every decision made in order to achieve the task. (qcda, 1993)

This subject teaches me to set up a personal career plan. It is to write down my proposed life agenda. (Answer.com, 2009) Before that, I never think about my life planning in future. But now, I know my objectives and direction after I studied this subject. I will easily achieving my goal and I can’t be hurry in taking any shortcut to achieve the goal by doing it randomly. I also have set up short term, middle term and long term goal separately to achieve it during period of time. I also learn the SWOT analysis to evaluate strategic planning method. (Answer.com, 2009) It will help me to overcome my weakness and develop my strength from internal and looking for opportunities and to occupy superiority in threat from external. (Wikipedia, 2009)

In addition, PDSM also improve my personal skill such as listening skill and body language. Before that, after I listen lectures from lecturer, I can’t understand what he taught. But now, I can understand the lesson. Besides that, I know the difference between hearing and listening. (Fodor, n.d.) After I study PDSM, my body language has improved. Before that, when I presenting something to them, they do not understand what I want to express. But now, I can present something by using verbal or non-verbal language to transmit a message to someone. (Mind Tools, 1995) I can attract my audience by using body language during my presentation.

PDSM teach me how to improve my reading skills. So, I can read effectively by using the reading techniques. It is to determine objective, skim and scan through the text, and speed reading to understand the text. (Price and Maier, 2008) Now, I can read an article even more smoothly and faster than before. Besides that, I can understand meaning of phrases or sentences easily. It would help me improve my reading skills effectively for my degree study.

I am learning about note making from PDSM. Note making is a technique to record important information effectively and recall it at any time. (Student and Community Services Unit, 1986) Before that, I am very confused when reading an article. But now, I am using note making technique to take down important information and memorize it easily. Besides that, it helps me to do revision more convenient and easily understand the content of an article. On the other hand, I will take notes in the class from lecturer. I can easily summarising and review the lesson base on the notes that I have made. (Jones and Mort, 1994)

Other than that, I also learn about mind mapping in this subject. I would know how to make a mind map by using the notes. The note in a mind map is in order and clearly to analyze each part of the topic. It would help me easily to understand and have a direct vision for each part of the main topic. I can imagine the mind map by brainstorming and write down the notes and ideas easily. It helps me to remember each part of the ideas that I list down for examination and to overcome the information overload problem. (Mann, 2003)

PDSM also teach me how to manage time. Before that, I always postpones my assignment until last minutes, thus I can’t finish it. But after I learned the skill, I can overcome procrastination and manage time well. I am able to hand up my assignment on time. Besides that, I can plan and manage time usage more elastic in setting priorities by assigning and making decision between urgent and important criteria. (Haughey, 2000) In addition, I can set my personal goals via using S.M.A.R.T. principle to achieve lifetime goal in the future. (Haughey, 2000)

Besides that, I also study learning method in PDSM. Before that, I do not know where I want to start on learning each subject. After I studied this subject, it helps me to find a ways to improve my study by the types of learning situations. For examples, I can discuss with classmates in tutorial and ask questions on lecturer. I will listen lectures from lecturer idea, recorded the notes and discuss with my classmates. I will know and understand the learning outcomes as a result on each courses of study. (Khathijah, 2004) I will manage my study and improve as well and enhance the quality of learning. (Khathijah, 2004)

In conclusion, PDSM helps me in studying skills, personality and self-development. It will help me to become a successful person and as a student in the future.

Reference:

Mind Tools, 1995, Building Self-Confidence: Develop the Self-Confidence You Deserve!, Mind Tools Industry, Available from

http://www.mindtools.com/selfconf.html, Last Accessed 25^th July 2009.

Perera, K, 2002, What is Self Esteem?, More-Selfesteem.com Company, Available from http://www.more-selfesteem.com/whatisselfesteem.htm, Last Accessed 25^th July 2009.

qcda, 1993, Developing skills: Thinking skills, Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency Company, Available from http://www.qcda.gov.uk/1841.aspx, Last Accessed 24^th July 2009.

Answer.com, 2009, What is Your Personal Career Plan?, Answers Corporation Company, Available from

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_your_personal_career_plan, Last Accessed 24^th July 2009.

Answer.com, 2009, SWOT analysis, Answers Corporation Company, Available from

http://www.answers.com/topic/swot-analysis, Last Accessed 24^th July 2009.

Wikipedia, 2009, SWOT analysis, n.p. Available from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis, Last Accessed 24^th July 2009.

Fodor, J, Dr, n.d. What is Active Listening? The Elmhurst College Learning Center, Available from

http://www.elmhurst.edu/library/learningcenter/Listening/what_is_active_listening.htm, Last Accessed 24^th July 2009.

Mind Tools, 1995, Body language: Understanding non-verbal communication, Mind Tools Industry, Available from

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/Body_Language.htm, Last Accessed 25^th July 2009.

Richman, H, 1998, 11 Free Tips Improve Studying Results, Sound Feelings, Available from http://www.soundfeelings.com/free/studying.htm, Last Accessed 14^th July 2009.

Price, G, Maier, M, eds, 2008, Reading Skills, University of Southampton, Available from http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studytips/reading_skills.htm, Last Accessed 17^th July 2009.

Lamb, A, and Johnson, L, 1999, Skimming and Scanning, n.p. Available from

http://www.42explore.com/skim.htm, Last Accessed 17^th July 2009.

Student and Community Services Unit, 1986, Note Making, Victoria University of Wellington, Available from

http://www.victoria.ac.nz/st_Services/slss/studyhub/notes/Note-making.pdf,

Last Accessed 22^nd July 2009.

Jones, G, and Mort, P, 1994, Note-Taking Skills, The Learning Centre Company, Available from http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/notetake.pdf, Last Accessed 19^th July 2009.

Mann, B, 2003, Overcome Information Overload with Mind Maps, WebProNews Company, Available from

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2003/08/20/overcome-information-overload-with-mind-maps, Last Accessed 23^rd July 2009.

Haughey, D, 2000, SMART Goals, ProjectSmart.co.uk Company, Available from

http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/smart-goals.html, Last Accessed 23^rd July 2009.

Khathijah Abdul Hamid, Dr, 2004, A Guideline for the Development of Learning Outcomes for Courses of Study Offered at Private Higher Education Institutions, Linn-Benton Community College Media Service, Available from

http://www.mqa.gov.my/fail/gpanduan/LearningOutcomesBI.pdf, Last Accessed 24^th July 2009.