Page 41 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

A Life Vision Portfolio (LVP) is a special type of portfolio that combines a life vision with the concept of
a portfolio. In its entirety, an LVP is a comprehensive collection of items that intimately describes a person
and tells his or her life story.

Why is it Important to Develop a Life Vision Portfolio?

While anyone can create and benefit from having a Life Vision Portfolio, it is an especially appropriate tool
for students. Because an LVP goes beyond recording or documenting to include reflective thoughts and
narrative, it is an excellent means to gain insights about learning and the development of learning skills.
This is true for both the student who creates the portfolio, as well as any person who reads the portfolio.

A Life Vision Portfolio documents growth over time. For this reason, an LVP should contain many examples
of assessment items, including self-assessments. These assessment items focus on providing feedback to
improve future performance and aid in the development of learning skills. While your grades are a permanent
entry on your college transcript and can be included in your LVP, they are an example of an evaluative
item. For more discussion of assessment and evaluation, refer to Chapter 13.

By developing a Life Vision Portfolio, you are afforded the opportunity to assess yourself continually and
have others assess you. Assessment is a process that represents a positive, win-win situation. You receive
feedback that identifies and promotes your strengths while identifying your areas for improvement and
providing suggestions on how to implement those improvements. This can be especially beneficial because
many students find it difficult to determine or appreciate their progress in areas such as reading, writing,
critical thinking, and problem solving. Throughout this text, there are many opportunities for you to improve
your skills in these areas and document your growth.
An LVP serves many purposes including:

• encouraging you and your instructors to regularly reflect on your work in a positive and constructive
manner

• encouraging you to take on greater responsibility by actively planning your education and your life

• encouraging you to produce quality work and communicate with a high level of proficiency

• allowing you to see growth in a wide range of learning skills and contexts through the use of
assessment and self-assessment

• allowing you to use evaluative items to demonstrate your strengths rather than weaknesses

• helping you to gain self-confidence as you see growth and improvement in your abilities

• allowing you to reaffirm who you are and what your values are

• providing you with a greater sense of empowerment as you make progress on goals and objectives

Factors that Promote Commitment to the Development of a Life Vision

Being Comfortable with Self-Disclosure and Exploration
Self-disclosure involves dealing with the good, the bad, and the ugly—about YOU. It is very
important to be true to yourself as you reflect upon your personal history. Many times we are willing
to share only those things we are proud of. As you take time to reflect upon past events, activities,
behaviors, and people in your life, you must make honest determinations. As you explore new

Chapter 2 — Strengthening Identity 35