Page 43 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

What matters to me?Values analysis—Seriously reflect and identify the values you feel most strongly about. Discuss and
rank your most important personal values.
Where am I going? What are my plans? Who will I be?
Meaning of life—Another possible component of the portfolio that incorporates your values is a
two to four-page paper discussing your views and insights with respect to the question “What is
the meaning of life?”

Processing life’s difficulties—Being able to respond to negative life experiences and learn from
them is an important life skill. Describe the two or three most significant negative experiences in
your life along with what you learned and how you grew from those experiences.

Personality inventory tests—Tests of this kind can help you learn more about yourself and can be
included in a Life Vision Portfolio. The Myers-Briggs Indicator and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter
(free versions are available online) are two well-known examples.

Plans, goals, and ideas for the future:

Educational plan—Determine which major or majors are of interest to you. Identify the general
education courses you are required to take along with the courses in your major and their
prerequisites. Include a timeline, semester by semester, for the courses you plan to take.

Career plan—Reflect on how you want to make a living. Respond to “I would enjoy the following
career because…”Describe the differences between a job and a career and why you feel a career is
important. Note that the career and placement service on campus is a good source for information
including career interest surveys which can help with this component of the portfolio.

Reflect on personal life issues—In a free-writing format, respond to, “I would like the following in
my personal life and relationships…” A suggestion is that the term “personal life” be broken into
four areas: family, recreation, social, and spiritual.

Legacy or“rocking chair analysis”—Imagine you are celebrating your 90thbirthday. The front page
of your local newspaper is featuring a story about you. Write the leading six paragraphs for this
article. Identify what aspects of your life you feel will continue beyond your life.

Synthesis paper—Identify how various aspects or components of your life relate. Write a three-page
paper that addresses the following issues: (1) the relationship between your career, work, avocation,
personal, and spiritual life, (2) the relationship between your likes and dislikes, as well as your values
and passions, and (3) balancing the trade-offs in life to produce the desired legacy for yourself.

Time analysis—Consider the value of time in your lifetime. How much time will you spend on a
career as compared to time with your family, or other aspects of your life? The purpose here is to
gain new perspectives for the value of time. Begin by answering the following questions. How long
do I expect to live? How many hours are in a year? How many hours are there in my projected life?
How many hours will be spent working (on a career), sleeping, and on other important aspects?
Do the estimations and calculations and write about your insights.

Other Possible Components:

Resume—Create a resume that identifies your career path and past accomplishments. Include an
analysis of your skills as part of the resume.

Role model exploration—Identify five people (still living or deceased) who are your role models.
Provide a one-page write-up for each which includes an explanation as to why the person was
chosen. Autobiographies are one source of information about role models.

Chapter 2 — Strengthening Identity 37