Work Experience

For my work experience I spent a week at North Yorkshire Disability sport where I saw the benefits of integrated sport but also the difficulties faced when trying to change long standing attitudes. I saw the team members using a variety of techniques to break down barriers in society and encourage disabled people to take part in sport. I spent time meeting organisers of main stream clubs and helping them adapt their clubs and make them suitable for disabled people. I also spent time with disabled individuals helping them overcome the barriers we all have when faced with a new challenge. I really enjoyed the week and as a result have signed up the disabled section of sport makers who find placements for willing volunteers to help with local disability sport.

Madeleine McCann

There are many aspects of the horrific abduction of Madeleine McCann that from a psychological point of view I find fascinating. The psychological state of the abductor is clearly something most of us find very challenging to understand. It poses the obvious question what would motivate him or her to abduct a small child and potentially kill her? Whilst researching the case I have come across many theories and explanations for the reasons behind the abduction such as not being able to have a child of their own, hatred towards Madeleine’s parents and the hardest reason to understand, a paedophile. As many of us can not relate to the feelings and emotions required to abduct a child it makes it very challenging to get into a criminals mindset and solve the case. The psychological effect that abduction will have on those closely involved in the case is also very hard to imagine. The impact that Madeleine’s disappearance will have had on her parents and her younger brother and sister is unavoidable and whilst reading Kate McCann’s book I have learnt about a few techniques psychologists have used to try and help them all deal with the consequence. For example one psychologist recommended to Kate to write down all her emotions and feeling in a private diary to help her come to terms with the disappearance of her daughter. Kate admits that this simple technique has helped her a great deal and allows her to express her emotions in a calm and controlled way.

Part-Time Employment

Whilst being in full time education I feel is also important spend some of my free time in part time employment. I have been working every Saturday for over a year in a local shop that primarily sells sandwiches. My role within the company requires me to be a highly motivated team player and I believe I fulfill this role to the best of my ability. I enjoy providing a high level of customer service in which customers can rely on. I believe my experiences in the workplace have taught me valuable organisational skills, and has given me the ability to relate well with people, which I believe would be of benefit in the world of work and university.



Reference from Penny Wood

  

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award

 During my Third year at Secondary school I was offered the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edindurgh Award scheme. To achieve the award it is compulsory that you complete a personal programme of activities in four sections. As a result of these activities I found myself helping people, the community, getting fitter, developing skills, and going on an expedition. For the volunteering section that I completed for 6 months I taught primary school children to swim for an hour a week. I found this aspect of the award very rewarding and I really enjoyed working with a variety of different children. For the physical side of the award I continued horse riding which I do on a regular basis and set myself a realistic aim to achieve. The final independent section was the skills section. For this I learn how to cook a 3 course meal to a high standard and I view the skills I gained invaluable! With my team, we planned an aim for our expedition, decided on a location and did a large amount of training to ensure we were fully prepared. We completed a practice and afterwards the qualifying expedition. Once we had completed our final expedition we gave presentation about our experiences and achievements to an Assessor. Throughout the whole experience I have learnt so much and although there were some frustration along the way it was very worthwhile. 



Vfifty Award

This week I was proud to receive my Vfifty award for completing 50 hours of volunteering. The award is presented to young people who choose to spend time doing something which benefits others. Vinspired awards recognise the time committed, the skills developed and the difference made through volunteering and having a positive impact on the community. They highlight the motivation, commitment and desire volunteers have for self improvement, which I believe are all key attributes required in candidates for any employment.  For my award I have spent at least an hour a week in Scope charity shop where I worked on the shop floor serving customers, which has helped my people skills considerably. Over the year I have really enjoyed working with completely different people who also want to play their part in helping others and I plan to continue my volunteering on a weekly basis. My work has had a positive impact on the community as all profits made by the shop go towards helping disabled people have the same opportunities to fulfill their life ambitions as non-disabled people.

Prefect

This week I was thrilled to accept the position of prefect at Ripon Grammar School. I am really looking forward to the opportunities that this role will bring and excited at the prospect of becoming a role model for all students in the school. As I was nominated for this role by my peers and teachers, I aim to respond well to their expectations and fulfil any tasks set to the best of my ability. As a prefect, I am expected to meet the highest standards in terms of behaviour, work ethic and appearance. The aim of the role is that primarily you are an ambassador for the school and it is expected that prefects must be willing to help at school functions and have the confidence and leadership skills to supervise at break and lunch on a regular basis. The role commences when we return to school after our AS examinations and I am very much looking forward to having a positive impact on the school.

Psychology Conference

On the 17th of April 2011 I travelled to Nottingham University to take part in a psychology conference. Over the weekend there were two presentations; Programme 1 had an emphasis on Clinical Psychology and Programme 2 focused on Social Psychology. Between the presentations we had the opportunity to stay overnight giving us the chance to sample life in a university hall. There were over 15 lectures over the weekend and I was truly captivated by all areas of psychological theory and research. In my view, 'The Edge' session was the highlight. It gave an insight into what it would be like to study psychology at university, what you can expect from a course, the huge differences that exist between many types of psychology courses and the essential requirements of successful applications. After attending the conference it has made me certain I want to practise a career in psychology, due to my intense interest and eagerness to study it.

The Psychologist

The article that stood out to me in May's addition of the Psychologist was 'Failing boys, failing psychology' written by Marc Smith. It is of great interest to me why many boys do not chose to study psychology and those who do, achieve significantly lower results on average than girls. Naturally, this poses the question why this is the case. Boys appear to be more attracted to science based subjects and since 2008 psychology has been classified as a science but it seems it is an exception to the trend. Interestingly, boys represent the majority in physical education and sports science which significant amounts of the course are based on psychology such as personality and motivation. Rowley and Delgarno (2010) surveyed A-level psychology teachers in an attempt to understand how psychology is taught in schools. Nearly 80 per cent of those who responded to the survey were female creating the feeling psychology is a majority female subject. The overall popularity of psychology as an A-level subject is rapidly increasing but unfortunately only the minority of the students studying it are boys.

Key Skills Level 3

Key Skills awards have been described as "gaining a range of essential skills that underpin success in education, employment, lifelong learning and personal development". I completed both Levels 2 and 3 throughout my time at secondary school. Level 2 was relatively basic whereas Level 3 moves from straightforward tasks to coping with the demands of more complex activities. As a candidate I had responsibility of making decisions about how tasks were organised and had to meet set deadlines. I based my portfolios on relevant topics that affect many teenagers such as expenses associated with learning to drive and booking your first holiday. I produced databases, powerpoint presentations, graphs and word documents throughout the course and completed an exam at the end. The award allowed my ICT skills to significantly improve and I developed many new skills I can now use on a daily basis.

The Psychologist

Reading the April addition of The Psychologist, an article by David P.French and Stephen Sutton caught my attention. The article asked the question why is it people who are aware that they are in a psychological study may not behave in their normal way? This interests me as many of the studies I learn about on my psychology course at school depend on people behaving in their usual way when taking part in a study. Acting in a different way and showing a variety of demand characteristics could potentially have a huge impact on the results of the study and make it impossible to generalise the findings. Alternatively, you could chose not to inform the participants of the aim of the study but this encounters the ethical issue, lack of informed consent. People behaving differently when aware they are taking part in a study is a limitation of many psychological studies but unfortunately there is not an easy way to avoid the problem.

Three Peaks

During charity week last year I decided to walk the Three Peaks of Yorkshire which involves climbing Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. The traditional time set to make the venture a challenge is 12 hours, so my aim was to complete the course within this time. The purpose of my walk was to raise as much money as possible for Teenage Cancer Trust. This charity funds and builds specialist units for young people in NHS hospitals across the country. They bring teenagers with cancer together with loads of new friends of their own age so they can support each other and have the best possible chance of a positive outcome. I completed the gruelling 26 mile circuit within the time and raised £250 for Teenage Cancer Trust. The walk tested my fitness and determination but helping young people with cancer made it very worthwhile.

Lifeguard Qualification

In the summer of 2010 I completed the demanding National Pool Lifeguard Course. The course consists of an intensive 2-week period of physical training and theoretical classroom work, followed by a practical in-water and out-of-water assessment on pool rescue, first aid, CPR and lifeguarding concepts. I was drawn to lifeguarding as it is an amazing public service making people feel confident, happier, safer and the possibility of potentially saving a life. I really enjoyed the challenge of learning something completely different and consider my first aid skills gained invaluable.

Sports Leader Award

Sports Leaders Awards provide nationally recognised awards, based on the candidate's ability to demonstrate their leadership skills for a certain period of time, within a specific setting. For my award I chose to teach hockey to pupils in Year 5 and Year 6. Whilst teaching I had to use specific skills such as giving instructions, the organisation of people and equipment and the use of space. Throughout the award I felt  I developed essential life skills such as organisation, motivation, communication and working with others.

Work Experience

Having completed my GCSE examinations, I decided it would be extremely beneficial to spend a week working with children in my local primary school. I acted in the role of Classroom Assistant, supporting the children in the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. One particular child stood out to me who had been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. He regularly distanced himself from the group and his condition impaired his ability to socially interact with others. The week I spent with the young boy inspired me greatly and I decided to find out more about his disorder and how it is caused. During my research I discovered an Open University course which aims to present an overview of autistic conditions.  The course provides an accessible introduction to the autistic spectrum, principles and problems of diagnosis, and biological and psychological approaches to explaining underlying causes. The course commences in November 2011 and I am very much looking forward to learning more about autistic spectrum disorders.

Reference from Markington Primary School