1

E-portfolio values:Why are personal values important in the world of

portfolios?

Simon GrantJISC Centre for Educational Technology and

Interoperability Standards (CETIS)ePortfolio 2009, City University, London

2009-06-24

2

Overview

I want to present a view of values which convinces you that values are vitally related to portfolios in several ways

Personal values and their relation to competence E-portfolios and values Understanding the different aspects of personal values E-portfolios for different aspects of values

3

What are personal values?

(I offer this, as I am not satisfied by other definitions)

Persistent patterns of personal choice between available meaningful options for action (physical or verbal)

Including: how you tend to behave (dependent on context) what you tend to prioritise (e.g. in terms of time, money) how you tend to treat people etc. etc.

Values can be moral, or just personal preference I trust this is at least plausible

then we'll follow through the consequences

Values are part of competence

I'll draw this out starting with the more obvious parts of competence

Then give a couple of examples

5

Plain, explicit knowledge

“Do you know...” facts how to do things (explicit “know-how”) what actions lead to what effects

Easily testable quizzes, multiple choice tests a traditional aspect of examinations

Knowledge can be about values but that knowledge is not the same as having those values

6

Basic capability across contexts

“Can you do it? Show me here and now!” lift this weight thread this needle read this text make this machine do something...

Testable on demand, anywhere given equipment Traditional practical tests, face-to-face evaluation BUT explicit knowledge and basic capability still do not

account for on-the-job effectiveness What is missing to make up competence?

7

Competence has choices/values

Competence depends on explicit knowledge range of basic capabilities on-the-spot choice of adequate actions in real contexts

Think of the choices made by bankers in past years Line blurred between free professional choice and moral choices

that affect people in important ways Just the same range as with personal values

and quite possibly directly linked Competence = knowledge + capability + good choices Competence = knowledge + capability + values

8

E.g.: football skills

Knowledge Do you know the rules of the game? Do you know how to recognise good space to move into?

Basic capabilities Can you kick a ball accurately to a chosen place? Can you keep up a suitable activity rate for 90 minutes? Can you dribble a ball at a certain speed?

Choice of adequate actions in real contexts Do you keep the ball or pass it at appropriate times in a match? Do you choose well between shooting at goal or playing on? Do you make good choices of where to move to in good time? Do you tackle opponents fairly?

9

E.g.: diplomatic communication

Knowledge Do you know the required words / phrases of that language? Do you know about interpersonal communication and diplomacy

(e.g. listening, tactfulness)? Basic capabilities

Are you able to pronounce the words understandably? Are you able to string them together meaningfully?

Choice of adequate actions in real contexts Do you choose words that are effective? Do you choose well between speaking and listening? Do you balance tact with clarity effectively? Do your actions result in successful conclusions?

10

So: e-portfolios and values?

Portfolios excel in collating and presenting evidence for things otherwise hard to give good evidence for

The knowledge and basic capabilities are not so hard to assess in other ways, but evidencing quality of choice in real contexts is harder

Portfolios can bring together evidence for quality of choice, from results and/or expert witnesses

Thus portfolios can evidence competence, through evidencing quality of choice, or personal values

11

Relates to professional interests

Here are a few ways that personal values relate to what may be your professional interests

Please feel free to take up the topics later...

12

Assessment

Assessment in contexts other than e.g. the workplace cannot cover quality of choice, or thus competence

To assess competence, or personal values use an e-portfolio approach or expert assessment on the job

13

Recruitment

Employers want candidates who have evidence for all the components of competence for the job on offer

Personal values is one of these components evidenced through candidate's proven competence

Personal values also affect candidate's fit with corporate culture

14

Social networking

Many of the things that people spontaneously display on social networking sites are to do with personal values (=persistent patterns of choice...)

15

Professional development

Professional values and ethics are intimately related to personal values though not necessarily the same

To distinguish professional and other roles recognise distinctions between their respective values

16

Personal development

Much reflection is about how we could make better choices in the future, and how we could develop our personal values to inform those choices

Values are key in many views of personal development

17

But there is more to it than that...

People say one thing, and do another (hypocrisy) or want one thing, can't help doing another so, we need to distinguish between

what is thought or said what is done

Privately value some things, publicly profess others may be devious, but may also be necessary so, we need to distinguish between

what is private what is public

Leads to a 4-way distinction, helps to understand better how personal values relate to portfolios

18

public

actions

private

words/ideas

Four aspects of personal values

professed

espousedoccurrent

effectivesocial norms, andwhat you say you

would choose

what you'd chooseto or for yourself

(maybe secretly?)

what you actuallychoose, from what occurs just to you

in terms of effects,choices you are responsible for

19

public

actions

private

words/ideas

In cycles, perhaps like Kolb's

professed

espousedoccurrent

effectiveconcrete experience reflective observation

abstract conceptualisationactive experimentation

20

public

actions

private

words/ideas

Presentation and reflection

professed

espousedoccurrent

effectiveconflict or harmony evident publicly

portfolios(presentations)

are

do you agreewith norms ofbehaviour?

do the wrong things occur to you?

essential

reflection

can you tracethrough cause

and effect?

21

Values development process

When you are constructing your portfolio presentation what you profess may conflict with what is seen as effective restore harmony via reflection on personal value conflicts

ideally with a trusted mentor or critical friend

Portfolio tools can be used in this development in personal or professional areas of life already done with approaches like Kolb's so too with conflicts such as yellow on previous slide

Trust is largely to do with harmony of values Thus portfolio tools and practice can become

“engines of trust” (Serge Ravet & Maureen Layte)

22

But, for helping younger people

with values, perhaps less portfolio and more education They may not have authentic espoused values yet So, first, we could help them

to understand about their personal choices and values including the idea that values will differ in different contexts and that other people's values may not be clear at first

to be actively involved in varied contexts with varied values to broaden the range of choices that occur to them to deepen their understanding of cause and effect to espouse authentic values in context when they are ready

Take account of their order of consciousness (Kegan)

23

Summary

Values/choices + skill + knowledge = competence Portfolio approaches ideal for evidencing values

bringing together real results plus validation from others Values distinguished

public v private; actions v words/thoughts professed, espoused, occurrent, effective

E-portfolios as linking public aspects of values Personal development as mechanism for realignment Engines of trust - yes But only as the individual is ready!

24

Thanks...

Thanks for your attention many more related ideas are in my new book and in Robert Kegan (1995) “In Over Our Heads” and in Rita Carter (2008) “Multiplicity”

I look forward to creative discussion My e-mail address is on my home page

(search for “Simon Grant”)