7  Addressing Personal Obstacles

This chapter introduces a personal development methodology and focuses on skills from the affective and psychomotor domains. Value development skills are presented during the methodology discussion.  The chapter covers the health and well-being component of the psychomotor domain. Topics related to nutrition, fitness, stress, and sleep are discussed and additional resources on each may be found on the FOL resources site: http://www.pcrest2.com/fol/index.htm. Other health-related web sites are provided for public health and disease, and alcohol and substance abuse. Emotional development skills from the affective domain are discussed next with focus on the following skills: responding to success, responding to failure, managing frustration, taking risks, and coping.

As this chapter marks the half-way point of the book/course, students are given additional information, including the rubric, "Performance Levels for an Assessor", relating to SII Assessments. They are also tasked with completing an SII Mid-Term Assessment of the course.

èRelated/Helpful Faculty Guidebook modules

èKnowledge Table for Chapter 7

Ch 7

Addressing Personal Obstacles

Concepts

Processes

Tools

Context

Way of Being
Psychomotor Domain; health and wellness Personal Development Methodology SII  Assessment Method Sandra’s story (national guard veteran) Self-grower
Affective Domain; emotional well-being Coping process SII Rubric

Earth day SII by characters

 Assessor
Risk factors   Levels of Self-Growth (see Ch 1) Profile of a self-grower  
Mentor   Midterm assessment    

èOnline Resources for Chapter 7: http://www.pcrest2.com/fol/ch7.htm

èNotes on Chapter Content

What Do YOU Think? Competing Values

Critical Reflection Coping

Life Vision Portfolio Where have you been? Where are you now? And where are you going next?

Critical Reflection Mid-term Reflection

SII Mid-term Assessment

èActivities

Activity 7.1: Becoming a Self-Grower In-class: Full Activity 1 class period

This activity allows students the opportunity to evaluate their current level of performance against the "Continuum of Performance Levels" (which was first introduced in Chapter 1). They are also given "Key Criteria for Assessing the Quality of a Self-grower". The Critical Thinking Questions help to: sensitize them to the performance criteria, continue to think about how and when performance levels matter, and decide where they most need to improve their performance. Students will complete a formal evaluation of their performance level as part of this activity.

  1. What are the top three criteria you can use to differentiate between a responsive individual and a self-starter?
    Students should provide criteria that differentiate in the dimensions of Knowledge (adding to knowledge versus using knowledge), Social Interactions (using relationships for success versus are engaged in enjoyable relationships), Attitude (seek challenges and push at boundaries versus react to challenges and feel good about accomplishments), and Abilities (able to cultivate new abilities in unfamiliar areas versus are able to learn from others in a specific area).

  2. What two behaviors from all those listed in the Continuum of Performance Levels best describe you?
    Student answers will be very personal.

  3. What two areas or behaviors do you feel need the most development?
    Student answers will be very personal.

  4. Can a person be at one level of performance in one situation and at another level in a different situation? Explain by using examples to support your answer.
    The ability to perform versus a desire to perform must be separated.  When someone has built an ability to perform in one context they will not be satisfied to perform at a lower level in a different context.  Often though the desire to perform in a different context is what limits the performance, because of all the other things of value, this context did not have the priority.

Your Evaluation of Your Current Level of Performance

(Be sure to give examples and include additional sheets/pages as needed)
 
Activity 7.2 Personal Development Methodology In-class: Full Activity 1 class period

The purpose of the Activity is to provide an additional example of the Personal Development Methodology so that students can become more familiar with how it can be applied across a wide variety of contexts. They will additionally explore the larger implications of some of the steps through answering the Critical Thinking Questions.

Notes on the Critical Thinking Questions

  1. What are the differences between a like and a value? What are the similarities?
    Differences include the idea that values have to do with fundamental beliefs rather than preferences. Values also tend to guide us over the longer term rather than on a situation-by-situation basis. And value systems (or groups of related values) tend to be learned over a period of time and different situations. Similarities include the idea that each can vary from individual to individual and that we can use either to help us make decisions. As long as students have reasoned through their responses, a wide variety of responses are permissible.

  2. How can being aware of likes and dislikes as well as personal values help you focus on what your plan of action should be?
    Values, as well as likes/dislikes can be used to help narrow potential actions.

  3. How would your likes and dislikes be different from those of Adam’s if you were graduating from college and about to apply for jobs in your chosen career?

  4. What would your values be in this scenario? How might these affect the final outcome?
    Student responses will obviously vary but they should evidence that students have considered different options and that those options have been carried through the methodology to the outcome.

  5. Do you think the amount of time Adam spent figuring out where to look for a job was longer or shorter than it would have been had he not used the Personal Development Methodology? Why?
    Students tend to resist using methodologies for 'non-educational' purposes. This activity will give them the opportunity to recognize the potential value of a carefully considered and executed plan, as made possible through the use of a methodology.

  6. Do you think the amount of time Adam will spend in obtaining a job is longer or shorter than it would be had he not used the Personal Development Methodology? Why?
    Student responses will vary but should be substantiated through explanation.

  7. What other methodologies, besides the Personal Development Methodology, did Adam use in this scenario? What inferences can you make about the relationship between various methodologies?
    Adam obviously used the Problem Solving Methodology. Some argument could be made that perhaps Adam used the Reading Methodology for carrying out some of his research.