Catching Up

OK, so I'm still really behind with my 23 things. I'm determined to catch up though, so I'm going to aim to blog 3 times this week. Probably today, Thursday and Friday. I've committed myself - now I have to do it!

I was already a (fairly half-hearted) user of social networks before signing up for 23Things. I had a Facebook account which was largely unused as well as a LinkedIn account, also not much used.   Partly as a result of being unemployed and having more time to think about and act on this stuff and partly as a result of signing up for CPD23 I’ve improved my LinkedIn profile and joined some more groups. I’m going to try to keep this current as it does provide a way to present a professional profile.

 I don’t think I’m ever going to be a real Facebook fan but I’m not really sure why. It certainly seems more of a social space than a business space and I suspect I’m just not that comfortable with the idea of having hundreds of friends.

Facebook is also blocked from most NHS computers which makes it difficult to use as a professional tool in that context. LinkedIn is accessible as far as I know.

I have registered for Google+, but again not sure I will make use of it. If Facebook is social, LinkedIn professional, what space does that leave for Google?

The networks I use tend to be the more specifically targeted ones. Professionally for example, as a CILIP mentor I have a profile on CILIP communities and I belong to the Librarians as Teachers network. Both of these actual sites have useful information as well as allowing networking which may be what makes them more worthwhile to me. Privately I belong to Ravelry and an Archers messageboard.

I fear I may be coming across as a cross between a Luddite and a Hermit. While not actually true this may contain a grain of truth.  I quite like being anonymous but I accept that this is not a good tactic if I want to become more professionally visible which is going to be increasingly important in the job market.

Everything in the garden's rosy.

I've been offered a job !!!

Public domain image from Clker.com

I won't say more until all the paperwork is finalised but - it looks very promising.

I'm fortunate not to be the main breadwinner in the household at the moment, so able to take a less than full-time post at less than the salary I was getting. Even so, after all the knockbacks and starting to really feel I might have to take a job outside the LIS sector as a stopgap I'm completely delighted!

Interesting to reflect on why this one worked out for me. I am 100% confident I can do the job - it's all the less challenging parts of my old one. The interview probably reflected that confidence. In addition I knew one or two of the questions I was likely to be asked from having been interviewed for a different job in the same organisation a while ago so was well prepared for those.

The excel test turned out to be relatively straightforward - as a result of not panicking I think.

So, if there's anybody out there reading this blog who is still looking for work - take some encouragement. There is something out there for you.

I'm baaaacck!!

I  hear that title in a kind of Jack Nicholson "Heeeeeere's Johnny" type voice.


I've got really behind with my Things. This is because:

• I've been on holiday to Yorkshire where yet again I failed to see puffins but had a lovely time otherwise
• I really had to concentrate on writing up my Umbrella experiences for HLG rather than writing in here
• I've been fretting about this week's interview and worrying that the jobs seem to dry up (even more) in the summer.

I'm aware that there's a catch-up week coming up so I'm going to give each topic proper attention rather than rushing to keep up. I will probably need to write here at least twice a week for the next couple of weeks.


First I wanted to return to Thing 5- Reflective Practice because I don't think I really did this topic justice in my previous post.
Having worked in the Health Service and studied alongside full-time practicing teachers I am aware that other professions also place a great deal of emphasis on reflective practice. To achieve my CTLLS I had to keep a reflective diary of my teaching practice.  The model I adopted was taken from Tripp's 1993 book.


I have found this site http://www.prodait.org/approaches/cia/ gives a useful summary of the critical incident analysis in action with examples drawn from teaching.


I found keeping the diary quite difficult. This, I think, was because the reflection requires quite a high degree of self disclosure which does not come naturally to me. Although the tutor emphasised that the incidents did not have to be negative these tended to be the ones from which I felt most learning would take place. Or possibly the ones I remembered best.


I not had come across the ideas of Reflection on Action and Reflection in Action before and these seem useful ways of looking at the kind of moment to moment responses to how well a task is going and the longer-term consideration of how a task went and could it be planned better in order to go more smoothly next time.


Looking around at other cpd23 people's blog posts on reflective practice it is interesting to seee how many have already undertaken reflective practice as part of a teaching qualification. My impression is that there are fewer people already consciously using reflective practice in other parts of their work.


 Lynn Meehan blogging in Librarycow's Library Reflections makes a very good point in her post Mirror mirror on the wall that incorporating reflective practice will help with the struggle to demonstrate our value to our employers. I hope to be able to take this back into the workplace with me at some point. It could also be a useful tool in considering success or lack of it in finding employment.


Tripp D (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching: Developing Professional Judgement, London: Routledge