Portfolio 2018-19

Soft Skills: Setting Personal Goals

What are soft skills?
Soft skills are a combination of interpersonal people skills, social skills, and communication
skills. In the workplace and school environment, soft skills are considered a complement to hard
skills, which refer to a person's knowledge and technical expertise.

Your task:
From the list below, choose ​two soft skills​ that you would like to work on over the course of the
school year. Do NOT choose the same skills you have chosen previously.

​Common soft skills for college/career readiness:

● Self advocacy​ – Identify your needs and be able to explain them to others; ask for help when
you need it.
● Responsibility​ – You are held accountable for their actions in academic, personal and social
contexts.
● Self management​ – Self management includes all aspects of taking control of your life
including monitoring your own health, eating habits, self care, laundry, finances, etc.
● Communication​ – Listen and express yourself so you may communicate effectively with other
people both orally and in writing.
● Teamwork and collaboration​ – Work effectively with others to successfully complete
projects as part of a group.
● Critical thinking and problem solving​ – Think critically and analytically, both in the
classroom and in other aspects of her life, in order to make decisions, solve problems, etc.
● Study skills​ – Work independently, organize work, read carefully, prepare for tests, plan
ahead, use different strategies to practice and memorize, be comfortable writing in many forms.
● Comfort with technology​ – Be comfortable and proficient with online research, e-mail
communication, and various software programs like Google Slides, Sheets, etc.
● Tolerate ambiguity​ – Know that life isn’t always black and white; understand and work in a
“gray” area to be more comfortable and to understand subtleties better.
● Comfort with diversity​ – Be open to new people, different cultures, different lifestyles, and
different ways of thinking and behaving.
● Innovation and creative thinking​ – Be willing and able to “think outside the box” and apply
new approaches.
● Ability to work independently​ – Do large blocks of work on your own and keep track of your
work and responsibilities.
● Ability to follow directions​ – You need to be able to follow both simple and more complex
directions.
 ● Have personal goals​ – Have strong personal goals -- even if they change over time -- to help
yourself be engaged and stay on track.
● Be engaged​ – Participate actively in your own education, expect to work hard, and stay
involved.

What would you like to work on this year? Select two and write your thoughts below.

Skill #1​:
Why did you select this skill? Consider why it is important to you and why you think you need
to work on this skill. I selected study skills because I do study before tests and prepare myself for
tests. But I think I need to work on this skill because I do the same thing trying to memorize
something and I think if I learned different ways maybe it will be more helpful. I haven't really
written in different forms or really understand what that means. I want to be able to think more a
head when doing my work.

Name three ways you can work on developing this skill. Consider what you can do both inside
and outside of school. Some ways I can work on this skill is make notes during class to learn
more about the subject and remember more about it and look over it before a test. Outside of
school I could go over the notes and make them more simple into another note sheet talking
about everything I just learned.

Skill #2​:
Why did you select this skill? Consider why it is important to you and why you think you need
to work on this skill. I chose this skill because i'm not really a social person but I do try different
styles. It's important to me to see that other people's lives are different than mine or others. I am
an accepting person but i'm not a social person so I don't talk to many different people which i'm
trying to obtain this skill.
Name three ways you can work on developing this skill. Consider what you can do both inside
and outside of school. I can work on developing this skill by trying to talk to more people or
being more open. I can try to speak out more in classes if I have a question or something to say
in a discussion. I can try to talk to people that I notice have the same interests as me or an
interesting interest that they like.

At the end of the year, you will reflect on your soft skills progress in your final presentation.