HDF 415: LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO Matt Abraitis SPRING 2015 mabraitis@my.uri.edu mattabraitis.weebly.com

Opening Statement SLIDE # 4 Section 1: Self Leadership SLIDE # 5-6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Strengths SLIDE # 3 Opening Statement SLIDE # 4 Section 1: Self Leadership SLIDE # 5-6 Section 2: Leadership Theories SLIDE # 7-8 Section 3: Inclusive Leadership SLIDE # 9-10 Section 4: Critical Thinking SLIDE # 11-12 Section 5: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership SLIDE # 13-14 Intro. presentation topics: Getting involved, gaining skills, meeting new people/a community of leaders, finding your niche

Values in Action Strengths Signature Strengths WOO Communication Positivity Individualization Analytical Values in Action Strengths Honesty Love Social Intelligence Bravery Humor Selling point: Why they should be involved in the Minor/our programs? Our graduating seniors had a 3.63 GPA. You can be involved and have a fantastic GPA. Half were also in Honor’s and/or Greek Life. It’s about being in a community of people who want to make a difference – it’s about support and knowing the people to help you get want you want accomplished – starting TODAY! 3

OPENING STATEMENT HDF-415 was my first encounter with having students. I have been mentored myself on many occasions but have little experience with offering extensive mentoring to others. The following selections reflect on and summarize my growth as a leader through the aspect of mentoring others. Great things to be able to answer by the time you get ready for interviews…these are the things that people come to college for! Gain REAL experience in order to lead in your field of study! 4

SECTION 1 SELF LEADERSHIP #2 Student will demonstrate personal, organizational, and academic examples of self-discipline (Revised) Target Class: HDF-415 Additional Experience: Calendar & Additional Tools *Description Next Slide The are both academic and co-curricular opportunities. 5

As I have progressed throughout my second year at this university I have found that my personal organization has had to increase. I have taken on various positions at the same time, need to account for other students work, and are taking more difficult classes. Whereas, my planner is still a key tool to keeping myself organized it is not my only tool. I find myself using my mobile phone calendar with reminders in addition to three separate emails in order to keep organized what is professional, personal, and useless. I have meetings that I would never remember if I only used my planner and I have folders with students’ work that I would lose if I did not use other tools for keeping those things organized. All in all, as I progress through my college career I am sure my organizational needs and methods will change but what will not change is that I will need to be organized in order to succeed.

Leadership Theory and Models SECTION 2 Leadership Theory and Models #48 Students will demonstrate knowledge of the “Leadership Identity Development Model” by Komives et al Target Class: HDF-415 Additional Experience: N/A *Description Next Slide The are both academic and co-curricular opportunities. 7

In HDF-415, we looked at Komives, Leadership Identity Development Model, in order to help us identify where we are as leaders and as peer mentors so we could help our students identify where they are as leaders. One’s leadership identity is broken down into six categories within this model: awareness, exploration/engagement, leader identified, leader differentiated, generativity, and integration/synthesis. How this model works is a leader will first identify themselves among any of these six categories. They will then develop themselves by deepening their awareness and apply new skills. From there they begin to have group influences by engaging in groups and learning form membership continuity. At the same time that they are experiencing group influences, they are also beginning to change their view of themselves. This changed view of themselves results in broadening their overall view of leadership which in turn brings them right back to the six original components in which they may not identify under a different category. The cycle continues indefinitely. It is also important to notice that before any of this cycle can start, a leader must have developmental influences (peer mentor, role model, parent) in order to identify as a leader and be able to address this model appropriately.

Inclusive Leadership / Diversity and its application to leadership SECTION 3 Inclusive Leadership / Diversity and its application to leadership #83 Student will create a personal code of inclusive leadership (Revised) Target Class: HDF-190 as a Peer Mentor Additional Experience: N/A *Description Next Slide The are both academic and co-curricular opportunities. 9

I have always favored Relational Leadership I have always favored Relational Leadership. Specially, inclusive leadership played a key role in my early development of personal leadership. Though I still subscribe to what I believed inclusive leadership was a year ago, my opinion of it has changed slightly. I agree that it is knowing yourself, believing in fairness and equality, and treating all people equally. However, I now also believe, after having had students and having been a mentor for some time now, being an inclusive leader means I have to know others, really strive to see their differences, and continue to listen actively. In essence, my focus on inclusive leadership has shifted from being slightly personal to outwardly about others.

SECTION 4 Critical Thinking #89 Student will demonstrate proficiency of critical thinking (Revised) Target Class: HDF-190 as a Peer Mentor Additional Experience: N/A *Description Next Slide The are both academic and co-curricular opportunities. 11

Following the theme of the revisions for HDF-415, I have noticed that I have altered the way I approach certain styles of leadership. For example with critical thinking, I originally found myself being more introvert as stated above. However, now I find myself being more extrovert with my critical thinking. For example, when working with my students in our small group, when we have to decide on how to do something or why we are doing something we critically think. Instead of keeping to myself and critically thinking as I believe I may have done in the past, I now speak up and walk my students through my thought process and how I reached the conclusion I did in order to help them reach their conclusions also. This style of critically thinking is therefore on the entire other end of the spectrum even though it is still the same kind of thinking. I feel that had I never had the opportunity to guide students’ critical thinking as their mentor, I would have never developed this style of critically thinking.

(Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts and Skills) SECTION 5 (Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts and Skills) #106 Student will demonstrate proficiency of facilitation and de-briefing techniques Target Class: HDF-415 Additional Experience: Facilitation Number 2: Contemporary Issues *Description Next Slide The are both academic and co-curricular opportunities. 13

As explained in outcome #105, in HDF-415 we learned that the techniques to facilitation is to understand your material, form a lesson plan that encourages comprehension and engagement, and have the students apply the information. When it comes to de-briefing, you want to ask open-ended questions that encourage students to reflect on what they learned in relevance to outcomes and to engage one last time with the class. I have demonstrated proficiency in facilitation and de-briefing techniques via my second facilitation: Contemporary Issues. In this facilitation, I stated controversial statements about each core leadership theory the students had learned thus far (Relational, Social, Servant, LID) and asked them if they agree or disagree along a spectrum with the statement. I would then have them discuss why they agree or disagree respectively in relation to the statement and reflection on the model. When beginning this facilitation I made sure that I had a gasp on each of the core leadership theories I was going to discuss as I wanted to make sure I could answer any questions and maintain my credibility. I created the lesson plan already mentioned above which engaged the students in cross-debate while also helping them retain information about each theory or model. I also asked the students to give me real life examples to back up their respective opinion. These techniques helped me properly facilitate the lesson. When it came to the de-brief I had no issues either. I started by explaining why they did what they did. I explained that this purpose of the lesson was to gain perspective and awareness in relation to their LID and in turn improve their leadership identity. I also tied the lesson into their person ethics and by that extent the ethical outcomes as a lot of the students responded to the statements based off of their personal ethics. I followed that portion of the de-brief by then asking open-ended questions that specifically was looking for them to apply what they had discussed to their lives. Finally, I summarized everything accomplished that day and handed the class over to Robert for the rest of the period.