Alys May-James BA Professional Practice Blog

It was lovely getting to see everyone on the group meeting, people who are new and people who are returning, like me. Can’t believe I am at the start of module 3- where has the time gone! It was great to refresh myself with some of the key points for this course. For those of you starting module 1 and 2 these points below really helped me through the modules. Handbooks- re-read these as many times as you need and mark certain pages that have important information on, so you can find them easily. Highlight and make notes on them as you need. You can also use the bibliography on the back to help guide you to more literature to read. Google Scholar is an amazing place to find literature- there is a link on the Unihub page to it. Blogs- use these in a way that is useful to you personally. Write about what resonates with you from the course. For instance, you could write about things you have found, or things that you have questions about. Also, go and check other people blogs who hav...

This week I attended 2 skype calls with other students. The first one was an all module discussion group, and the second had a module 2 focus. It was good to be able to connect with other students and listen to their thoughts on their work and the different ideas they have had. This week I have had to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 case at work, and so these skype calls came at a really good time for me. It reminded me of the importance of community and having contact with people- even if it is through a screen. This links to the concept of Affiliation which looks at how people benefit from forming close connections with others. Crisp and Turner (2007) explain affiliation as ‘a network of support that will help us when we are in need,’ (p. 266). I feel that the connections we make are so important at the moment, especially with what is happening in the world. These skype calls are an important place to make space for each other and to listen to what others have to say. The skype...