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Documentation of Dimensions and
Skills
Documentation
of a wide variety of learning experiences forms the foundation for the
construction of your Personal Professional Portfolio. A reflective
written record of the impact of your participation in the activity or
learning experience is a major part of the portfolio. Your progress in
attaining each Dimension and Skill is documented as you explore and
describe the experience or activity, and most importantly, as you write
reflectively about the changes within you and how each activity
contributes to your professional growth. The practice of learning from
reflection can lead to a level of focused and purposeful activity that
helps you see patterns in experiences, development of skills,
behaviors, values, beliefs, and personal insight.
Each
Dimension and Skill is presented with a short preamble or definition,
some examples or suggested activities, and documentation. The section
on documentation varies somewhat for each of the Dimensions and Skills.
However a common theme is apparent as you read through them. There are
three main components which should be included in all of the
documentation: Exploration - description of the activity, Reflection
-enhanced learning from the activity, and the Impact of the
activity on your professional career development.
Documentation
Format for Dimensions and Skills:
1.
Explore - Describe: Learning Experience or Activity:
Write a
brief description of the course, activity, or event. Identify the
purpose for selecting the learning experience, your reason for
participating, and your role or responsibilities.
2.
Reflect - Enhanced learning from the activity:
Write a
reflection of what you learned about yourself from the activity in
terms of abilities, interests, diverse points of views, leadership,
values, communication and interpersonal skills, and potential career
choices.
3.
Impact of the activity on your professional development:
From the
reflections on enhanced learning, extract one or more brief summary
statements of the learning that are generalizable in other settings, as
well as, for your professional career development. What are some
abilities, values, and skills that can be applied to career
development? This is more like a summary section or a listing of a few
keywords that described your learning.
Examples:
Since this
is a pilot program, the examples are given to give you a few ideas
about how to proceed with your own portfolio. These examples might be
"fleshed" out a bit more and could be a little more lengthy.
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Example 1: Responsibility to the
Wider Community
With Permission: Mark Szakonyi
1)
Explore - Describe: a brief written description of the activity,
why you selected the activity, and the impact upon individuals within
the community.
On of
my contributions to the community was to work as volunteer at Maple
Hospital. My job was to wheel the older patients to the destination
that they wanted to go. I also helped out in decorating and running
special activities including bingo, movie night, and a small carnival.
This job was select because I know it would be more challenging than
any other kind of volunteer work that I had done in the past. Many of
the patients were difficult to help and the whole hospital had very
depressing feel about it.
2)
Reflect - Enhanced Learning: reflect upon what you learned about
yourself as a member of a larger community and your responsibilities to
the community.
Through
volunteering, I learned that I liked to help people. This led me to
work at an inner city summer camp. I realized that i liked helping
people that were difficult to help. It made the job worthwhile and
different every day. My impact on the entire hospital community was
minimal since I was just one person trying to help a few hours a day.
On a day to day basis I was able to make some of the patients laugh and
other times I simply listened to them, letting them know that someone
was still interested in them. A majority of the patients were seniors
who did not have any family that visited them. Many of them were poor
and they were being cared for by the state because they could not
afford their own residence. It was rewarding to me to be able to
contribute something to the lives of other people.
3)
Impact: reflect upon the importance of responsible action in the
community as a future professional.
What
I came away with is the knowledge that it is the responsibility of the
younger generation to take care of the ones who can longer help
themselves. No matter how difficult these people are it is still the
right thing to help them. I can only hope that if I ever get in their
predicament there will be be people to lend a hand.
Keywords:
It is my responsibility to help others.
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Example 2: Written
Communication
With Permission:
Mark Szakonyi
1)
Explore - Describe: an explanation of what you learned from doing
these written activities.
Written
communication has been a constant throughout my education. My
reflections are based upon a number of these experiences.
2)
Reflect - Enhanced Learning: a commentary and reflection as to why
a certain way of writing is an effective way of communicating the
desired information, as well as an explanation as to why you chose one
format over another.
My
favorite kind of writing is short stories because I am able to blend
non-fiction and fiction into my interpretation of reality. It is one of
the only ways that I can show people how I see the world. Most of all
the process does not seem like work at all. Instead, it is more of a
process that does not seem like work at all. In stead, it is more of a
release of ideas that have been waiting to get out. I also enjoy
writing poetry. It has taken years for me to find my own voice and
style. For me it does not matter whether I actually write for a career,
because I know that even if I do not, I will still write for my own
pleasure.
Analytic
writing is a form of non-fiction writing that I enjoy the most. I find
it an excellent way to use my logic and reasoning nature to interpret
something. I enjoy any type of writing as long as I am interested in
it. This is usually the case because I have a wide range of interests.
When I do Have an interest, I put all that I can into that piece of
writing because I can never allow myself to do a partial job.
3)
Impact: assess your skills and abilities in written communication.
Through
my writing I have better learned how to make logical and valid
arguments. Writing has forced me to consider why I think a certain way
and what are the reasons. For me writing is a constant tool of self
assessment. I have lot of ideas and writing gives me the chance to put
them on paper where I can better reassess them. I have always
considered my self a writer, even when I was very young. I look at
every time that I write as an opportunity to write the best piece that
I can.
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A
model portfolio program has been developed over the last several years
at Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Use the link provided to
look at some of the example portfolios. There are some similarities and
differences in this program versus the program at Elmhurst College. You
may want to check out some of the portfolios as examples of some of the
reflective writing that we are looking for.
Link to the "K" Portfolio Program at
Kalamazoo College
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