Portfolio Process
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
—Maya Angelou
These wise words were shared with learners a handful of months ago and we remember they made quite an impression. These last weeks, learners have been reflecting on their Acton journey as they prepare for Portfolio meetings and they were reminded of these powerful words as they reflected on their journey and reflected on the journey of the entire studio. One Discovery Studio learner was reminded of word hero Maya as he reflected on his actions and how he makes his fellow travelers feel. As he went through the Self-Evaluation checklist he felt great! The checklist asks learners to indicate their level of mastery (novice, apprentice, journeyer, master) for a variety of categories of learning to learn, do, and be. He marked himself with a majority of journeyer or master marks. When it came time to receive his fellow travelers feedback that placed him in the novice and apprentice categories he paused and was a bit surprised. How could he view himself as a great leader and his fellow travelers view him as needing to grow in this area?
This dilemma was felt by many learners and for others that viewed themselves as needing to grow more were surprised by their value to their fellow travelers as growing leaders. This is why the process of reflection is invaluable!
360 feedback is a process we began this year for Portfolios and already we are reflecting that this process is worth doing next year at the half-way point or even quarterly. You may wonder, how is it 360 feedback? Learners self-evaluate, learners evaluate their fellow travelers, Guides share feedback, and parents share feedback. From every direction a learner can receive warm (compliments) feedback and cool (constructive criticism) feedback and know that everyone is on their team. In fact, I realized that I keep repeating at the end of many Portfolio meetings “We are all on team Lily/Sophia/Lucy/Sullivan…” Each time the learner looks back at me with big eyes and a beautiful smile. Knowing you have a team of support is perhaps the greatest hero’s treasure of all!
Treasure that was found during this year’s portfolio process is the following…
Q. What is your favorite part of Acton?
A’s. Quest…earning badges…making friends…playing games…learning so much everyday…lunch…gardening
Q. Learning and growing can be hard, what did you learn this year?
A’s. I learned that sometimes I can make mistakes…I learned how to work hard…I learned to keep trying…I learned patience…I learned to never give up and never let friends down
Q. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?
A’s. Getting my first badge…getting to Level 5 in Core Skills…winning the Twister tournament…working on my anger…mastering the 100 board…learning so much!
How will you reflect on your Acton journey this year? What areas did you master and what areas are you still growing as an apprentice? What is your favorite part of Acton? What does the hero’s journey mean to you? Consider taking a moment now or during our upcoming summer break and journal your thoughts, share your reflections with your family or perhaps with your fellow traveler Acton parents. We are all on this journey together and are on the same team, TEAM ACTON.