4.1 Describe how a learning activity has improved own knowledge, skills and understanding

Learning activities are any activities that facilitate learning as part of your job role. This could include (but is not limited to):

• Formal training
• Professional discussions
• Induction
• Shadowing
• Own research
• Reflection
• Observing others
• Reading care plans

It will be useful for you to be able to recognise learning opportunities, even when they are not immediately obvious. For example, you may observe how a family member interacts positively with a particular service user and incorporate this behaviour into your own practice or you may watch a television programme that displays different techniques for managing for managing certain behaviours and then discuss with your manager if this method could be trialled at your own workplace. These are all opportunities to learn new skills.

For this assessment criteria, you must be able to describe how a learning activity has improved your own knowledge, skills and understanding. This will often be part of your written work, however your tutor may also assess it as part of a professional discussion with you.

You could possibly explain how during your induction you learned how to fill in a Medication Administration Record (MAR) sheet correctly or that through shadowing, you learned the correct way to apply creams. Or perhaps that in-house safeguarding training in conjunction with reading your employer’s safeguarding policy and procedure helped you to understand the correct protocol to follow if you have a safeguarding concern.