Personal Statement & Introduction:
To learn more about why I am ready to invest in the formal study of Media and creative media production, and why I am applying for a place to study Level 3 Extended Media BTEC, click here.
As a result of having been independently home educated all my life, with a strong emphasis on both entrepreneurship and on the fast-growing Self-Directed Education (SDE) approach - also known in educational pedagogy in the UK as Autonomous Home Education - I have built self-reliance, self-awareness, focus, determination and resilience.
I have a passion for creating story, narrative and theming, in my creative media projects and designs, and am fascinated by the ways in which media is developed and is used to impact, entertain or persuade. I have also enjoyed exploring several business and entrepreneurial endeavours, in the fields of UX Design, putting together websites for SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) using page-building software, and I also run a small but growing online t-shirt design company - Ckrispy T-shirts. My websites and business projects can be found at:
Theyconvert.com - my freelance web and landing pages development and build portfolio.
https://polarbearpages.com - Polar Bear Pages: a web and landing-page build business product that I co-developed and launched with my father.
https://www.teepublic.com/user/ckrispy - Ckrispy T-shirts: my t-shirt designs that I sell online.
https://nervecentral.com - NerveCentral Limited: a digital marketing consultancy, founded and run by my family, where I am a Junior Contractor in Web Build and a Trainee in UX Design.
For a full overview of my educational history, click here and here.
Home Education - What is Self Directed Education (SDE)?
To learn more about my educational history, and how I have been educated all my life, click here.
After much research and reflection, my parents decided to home educate, and raise my sister and I by mainly focusing on the approach of Self Directed Education (SDE) that is based on the outcomes of Self-Determination Theory.
Self-Determination Theory, developed by Deci and Ryan in the 1980s, states that humans are most motivated, and learn best, when 'intrinsically motivated'. Intrinsic motivation results from learning in an environment that allows autonomy, competence or mastery, and connectedness with others. In practice, this means that the most powerful learning and motivation results from a learner (i) being able to direct themselves, having the freedom to make their own decisions and choose what they are keen to learn, when and how, (ii) having the freedom and opportunity to develop mastery and competence in their pursuits and interests, and (iii) having access to other humans, such as mentors, tutors, peers and friends, for support and to learn together.
Intrinsic motivation nearly always produces the strongest and deepest learning outcomes and, by learning within a Self-Determination environment, learners tend to more effectively and more quickly 'get to know themselves', including their interests, what truly drives them, and their individual strengths and weaknesses.
Home Education Sports & Youth Groups, Organised by my Family and I:
My family and I have been very active in the home education community since 2008, founding and organising many home education groups, lessons, activities and field trips. In the last three years, I have supported my parents in launching and running two sports and social groups for home educated teenagers: our weekly Home Educated Teens (HET) Hangout, Hants & Wessex - Sports and Youth Group, and the Wednesday Teen Social Group.
At the Sports & Youth Group, we run weekly sessions for up to 30 home educated teenagers, where we lead and coach other home educated teenagers in field sports games, with a special focus on Ultimate Frisbee matches, and more recently Handball also. (My father specialised in Sports Management, in New Zealand, and used to run a personal fitness consultancy.) Wednesday Teen Social Group, that ran for two years, involved us organising weekly sports activities in different sporting venues, including indoor climbing and bouldering, off-road biking, badminton, trampolining, laser tag, archery, sledging, tenpin bowling and assault courses.
I have also enjoyed working my way through the belts and awards at weekly Japanese JuJitsu lessons, over the last few years, and have reached Green belt. For a few months, I additionally helped the Sensei coach and lead a JuJitsu class of younger children, for my Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award's Voluntary section.
Certifications, Awards and Training:
With regards to certifications, training and awards, I am in the middle of working towards my Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award, with the New Forest Open Award centre.
I have been awarded many UX Design and usability consulting certifications, from industry leader Uxcel.com, including in UX Design Foundations and Design Accessibility, and also have several certifications from Futurelearn, developed and endorsed by various industry organisations and academic institutions - such as Abertay University and the Film Distributors Association - including Film Distribution: Connecting Films with Audiences; Introduction To Indie Games and Video Game Design And Development: Character Design.
I will be sitting my English Language International GCSE and Functional Skills Level 2 Maths, in June 2023.
