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Tuesday 20 December 2011

Did you get the most out of your CPD/ CE this year?

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns
 
Janet Fraser presented a webinar recently on how best to reflect on the benefits of the CPD or continuing education (CE) that we undertake as professionals.

This workshop really opened my eyes to what reflection is and why we need to reflect in a professional context.  

We undertake CPD for different and individual reasons. It may be to put ourselves on a par with other professions, or because it is a requirement of certain associations. Either way, it’s not enough just to do CPD. We need to reflect on it too.

We can do this by consciously asking: How has this helped me, and how has it helped resolve any hesitations, discrepancies or dilemmas I may face? How has it impacted my personal practice? Sometimes, the very act of reflecting is self-solving.

In order to develop any degree of professionalism, we need to reflect on our development. But it's not enough to just look at ourselves in the mirror and then forget what we have seen once we turn away. We need to deeply and seriously consider our professional activities and give thoughtful consideration to the problems we face and potential ways forward.

Janet provided some great exercises and suggestions on how to reflect in a productive way and how to focus on the correct professional activities.

She also provided many resources and including one for informal education, lifelong learning and social action.

Access this webinar on our website. Originally broadcast: 6 December 2011. Duration: 67 minutes, including question and answer session.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.