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Running head: VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 1
Vocation & Discernment
Crystal Norwood
Loyola University Chicago
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 2
We intend on designing a seminar that encourages students to reflect upon and
explore their core values and passions in order to inform their future vocational pursuits.
It is our hope that this seminar will provide students with the space and tools to reflect
upon their “why,” to explore who they are at their core, and to reveal what brings them
the most joy as it relates to their future life and career goals. Additionally, we hope that
in the years following this workshop, participants will continue to be guided by their
values and passions and will be inclined to constantly reflect on their “why.”
Leah Rational for ICD project
Students are often pressured to decide what they want to do with “the rest of their
lives” beginning at a very early age. Such conversations are often focused on selecting
the “right” major or choosing a career path without giving students the opportunity to
reflect on their passions and values. As a Graduate Assistant in an academic advising
office, I find that the conversations I have with students regarding their future goal plans
are often straightforward. Students don’t necessarily want to engage in conversations
regarding their passions and values as they relate to their future plans, perhaps because
they have not been challenged and encouraged enough to do so. Students often mention
that they intend to go to medical school, graduate school, or become a lawyer and want to
know the best way to get to those end goals rather than focusing on revealing their niche
then working on discovering a path that supports it. In addition to having one-on-one
conversations with students, I think it would also be extremely beneficial for students to
be given the tools and space to do some personal reflection and exploration which is what
we hope to provide through this seminar.
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 3
Crystal’s Rationale for ICD project
In reflecting on my own journey and experience I have been really fortunate that I
was told to follow my dreams and passions. Along the way I have encountered
individuals who invested in my passion to help people. Unfortunately everyone’s
journey is not that way. So in reflecting I believe in the power of allowing students to
follow their calling. I think as administrators, family members and faculty we crush
students dreams in steering them on a path. Last semester I took a spirituality class and it
focused on passion and calling. Through that experience it has been powerful and has
charged me to share this with everyone. I believe that everyone should have the
opportunity to encounter a course like the one I did. The thing that I fall back on is the
question, if you could do anything that you knew you couldn’t fail what it be? And what
wakes you up in the morning? These two questions get to the core of this potential
seminar.
Potential Clients
We came up with several potential clients we felt we could share our ICD project
including academic advising, career development, conduct, and leadership offices. We
felt it would be helpful to share this project with academic advising offices as partners in
collaboration. As alluded to earlier, academic advisors often have critical conversations
with students regarding future planning. In collaborating with advisors, they can become
the facilitators of such discussions in and outside of the seminar. This seminar topic
aligns well with the “Loyola Experience” which was created to provide students with an
outline of key experiences and milestones to work towards during their time at Loyola.
In year two, for instance, the “Loyola Experience” encourages students to explore and
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 4
define personal values and strive to understand how they relate to personal, academic and
professional goals while in the goals outlined for year three, students are encouraged to
find their calling and to lead with these values.
We also identified the Career Development Office as a client to share our ICD
project with as they would be an important partner in supporting students’ vocational
goal. The Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution is another potential client
we identified because of their dedication to providing a safe environment for students by
promoting responsible decision making and a focus on self-awareness. The opportunity
in partnership will allow conduct officers the ability to sanction students based on their
passions. Relationships between people and communities would be strengthening and
this partnership would allow students the opportunity to embrace the choices and
decisions they make while also opening up dialogue. The Student Leadership
Development is an office where staff believes everyone has the potential to engage in the
leadership process. This partnership would potentially go beyond the leadership scope
but more the understanding of values based and teaching individuals that they each have
unique talents and gifts that they can pursue.
Project details
The ICD project we would like to create is a seminar experience. This experience
would go for a 4 week period. We are hoping that each session would aim to be about 4
hours with content and reflection. Each weekly meeting would be developmental
focusing intentionally on personal development and discernment. The project audience
we were aiming to gear this seminar to are juniors and seniors specifically students in the
College of Arts and Sciences. Our hope is to also expand and incorporate students
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 5
outside these frameworks. We believe this experience would be beneficial to any and
every one. This seminar would be in partnership with faculty, community members and
campus partners. Their role will mainly be assisting in presenting and panel. We
understand that our campus partners have a lot to offer so really being intentional about
who comes and presents will allow us to meet our learning outcomes.
Learning Goals
Foundational Knowledge
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will
understand discernment as a life-long process.
Students will remember that there is a universal human hunger for connectedness,
purpose, and meaning.
Students will identify basic distinctions among faith, vocation and discernment.
Students will understand the big questions and the reason for asking and delving
deep into them.
Application Goals
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will
use storytelling and reflective dialogue to explore, make sense of, and hear their
own and others’ diverse narratives.
Students will imagine themselves as a whole person committed to their own and
others holistic development.
Students will use faith development theories and vocational discernment tools to
make sense of their own vocational story.
Integration Goals
A year (or more) after this course/workshop/program is over, we want and hope
that students will connect Fowler’s faith development theory and vocational
discernment to their own life and work.
Students will integrate their values system and discernment efforts into everyday
practice.
Human Dimensions Goals
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will
come to see themselves in any career that authentically combines soul with role.
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 6
Students will become aware of their own vocational story, what their calling is,
and the gifts and values that accompany it.
Students will interact sensitively, compassionately, and confidentially with
participants in the seminar by listening with love and care.
Students will become a person who can live free, undivided and whole.
Caring Goals
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will be
ready to engage with others holistically and authentically.
Students will value critical thinking and self-reflection as vital to one’s
development and exploration.
Students will be genuinely interested in other participants’ stories because these
stories shaped and will continue to shape their lives.
Students will be excited to connect their own values with the potentially rich
contributions they can make to society.
"Learning-How-to-Learn" Goals
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will be
able to identify important resources for their own continued learning.
Students will be able to construct knowledge about what vocation discernment
means to be their whole self.
Students will live their lives in ways that promote ongoing learning and
development.
Assessment Methods
This ICD project is a seminar that encourages students to reflect upon and explore
their core values and passions in order to inform their future vocational pursuits. It is our
hope that this seminar will provide students with the space and tools to reflect upon their
“why,” to explore who they are at their core, and to reveal what brings them the most joy
as it relates to their future life and career goals. Additionally, we hope that in the years
following this workshop, participants will continue to be guided by their values and
passions and will be inclined to constantly reflect on their “why.”
Assessment Activity #1: Eulogy
Eulogy Writing Assignment:
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 7
How do you want to be remembered?
First of all, you’re all going to live long lives full of happiness and success. With that said,
it is always an interesting thought to reflect on how you might be remembered once that
moment in time does come that you are no longer “with us.”
Your writing assignment will be a eulogy about YOU written by YOU. Basically a
eulogy is a speech given by a close friend or family member at a funeral that honors the
life of the individual who died.
You can approach this assignment from two perspectives:
1. You can write your eulogy with the focus of it being the life you’ve lived up to
this moment in time (16 years old-20 years old). What have you done? How will
you be remembered?
2.
2. You can write your eulogy with the focus of it being the nice long life that you plan on
living. You can write from any hypothetical situation. Maybe you lived to be 90. What
did you do in your 90 years that have positively affected those around you? This scenario
can include a little more fiction, but it should still be realistic and reflective of how you
actually would like to be remembered.
Your eulogy should be at least two pages typed/double spaced and written in the third
person (also identify who is delivering your eulogy). You will be assessed on your ideas
and your conventions. Be creative and try to think realistically. What do you want your
legacy to be? What do you want to be remembered as?
Refer to this source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/are-you-living-
your-eulogy-or-your-resume_b_3936937.html
Learning Outcomes Met
Application Goals
● Use storytelling and reflective dialogue to explore, make sense of, and hear your
own and other diverse narratives
● Use faith development theories and vocational discernment tools to make sense of
your own vocational story
Integration
● Students will integrate their values system and discernment efforts into everyday
practice
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 8
Human Dimension
● Students will become aware of their own vocational story, what their calling is,
and the gifts and values that accompany it
● Students will become a person who can live free, undivided and whole
Caring Goals
● A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will be
ready to engage with others holistically and authentically
● Students will value critical thinking and self-reflection as vital to one’s
development and exploration.
Learning How to Learn
● Students will be able to construct knowledge about what vocational discernment
means to be their whole self.
Assessment Activity 2: Life Map
In constructing your life map, we ask you to reflect upon your past, present and future
self, thinking about the events, places, people, values, and environments that have shaped
who you were, are and who you are going to be. Using the supplies of a large piece of
paper and markers, we ask that you map out your journey through life.
In an effort to support and encourage all participants to reflect deeply and share openly,
we will model our own life maps and share with the group before asking participants to
get started. We acknowledge the vulnerability that such an activity may require so we
would like to remind everyone that this is a safe space.
Learning Outcomes Met
Application Goals
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will
use storytelling and reflective dialogue to explore, make sense of, and hear their
own and others’ diverse narratives.
Human Dimensions Goals
Students will become aware of their own vocational story, what their calling is,
and the gifts and values that accompany it.
Students will interact sensitively, compassionately, and confidentially with
participants in the seminar by listening with love and care.
Caring Goals
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 9
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will be
ready to engage with others holistically and authentically.
Students will value critical thinking and self-reflection as vital to one’s
development and exploration.
Students will be genuinely interested in other participants’ stories because these
stories shaped and will continue to shape their lives.
Teaching and Learning Activities
Teaching/Learning Activity #1
Watching Dr. Brene Brown’s TedTalk on Vulnerability:
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability
Engaging in Reflective Dialogue with Self and then with Others
Dr. Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate
College of Social Work. She has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage,
worthiness, and shame. We believe that sharing her TedTalk on “Vulnerability” will
provide participants of this seminar with a vehicle to discuss vulnerability, courage and
other things that can enrich dialogues in and outside of the classroom and can also inform
their search for meaning and vocational discernment. We would like to share this 20
minute clip with participants and then provide them with 10 minutes to journal about
their reactions to the video or to simply sit in silence, reflecting. We will then split
participants into small groups of 3-5 to provide participants with an opportunity to
engage in reflective dialogue with others. After participants have had at least 20 minutes
to do this, we would have everyone come back for a large discussion, hoping that some of
the following powerful concepts and messages were discussed while also listening for
how participants made meaning from the video, their own self reflection and their small
group dialogue. We could guide the large group discussion by considering some of the
concepts Dr. Brown emphasizes such as connection, shame, worthiness, whole-hearted
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 10
living, compassion, and vulnerability and also dissecting some of her main messages,
including: People who have a sense of worthiness have a strong sense of love and
belonging and believe that they are worthy of love and belong; Whole hearted individuals
live from a deep sense of Worthiness: demonstrating courage to be imperfect and telling
the story of who they are with their whole heart, Compassion: understanding that we
must be kind to ourselves first in order to authentically practice compassion with others,
Connection: is a result of authenticity and we must let go of who we think we should be
to embrace who we are, and Vulnerability: that what makes you vulnerable makes you
beautiful; vulnerability is the core of shame, fear and struggle for worthiness, also the
birth place of joy creativity, belonging, and love; Let ourselves be deeply seen, love with
our whole hearts even if there is no guarantee, practice gratitude and joy, and believe that
we are enough.
Below are some of the learning outcomes we feel can be achieved through this
learning activity. We feel that this activity provides participants with an opportunity to
reflect upon their own experiences and definitions of vulnerability, connection,
compassion, belonging, etc as we feel such reflection is vital to finding purpose and is
also at the core of vocational discernment. In recognizing the value of vulnerability, we
hope that participants can connect with one another as well as connect with important
people in their lives, begin to reflect upon what it means to be one’s whole self as it
relates to one’s own personal development as well as developing as a professional. We
believe that the fruitfulness of discussions will be the strongest indicator as to whether or
not these goals have been achieved.
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 11
Students will remember that there is a universal human hunger for connectedness,
purpose and meaning.
Students will imagine themselves as a whole person committed to their own and
others holistic development.
Students will interact sensitively, compassionately and confidently with other
participants in the seminar by listening with love and care
Students will be ready to engaged with others holistically and authentically.
Students will be able to construct knowledge about what it means to be their
whole self.
Teaching/Learning Activity #2
Prep work required for this activity and for the seminar as a whole would be the read
Kevin Carroll’s “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball.”
http://www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com/books/
Reflective Dialogue with Self: Provide Participants with the Opportunity/Space to reflect
upon the following questions: If you could do anything and knew you couldn’t fail, what
would it be? What wakes you up in the morning?
Author, speaker, and agent for social change Kevin Carroll shares with his readers
in “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball” how to achieve human potential through discovering
one’s passion and embracing creativity. Find you own ‘rubber ball’ as Kevin coins it, is
striving to find your heart’s content, which will lead to prosperity, peace and happiness.
We would like participants to read this book in order to prepare to reflect upon the big
questions we pose in this workshop. As we have previously discussed, the above two
questions get to the core of this potential seminar. Providing students with the intentional
opportunity and space to reflect upon these questions is important in achieving the goals
of this seminar. At this time, we propose providing students with an hour during the
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 12
seminar where they can go to whatever space (be it staying in the room we are hosting
the seminar in, going on a walk, a coffee shop, etc) to reflect upon these questions. We
feel it is important that students have adequate time to reflect upon these big thoughts
wherever they feel most comfortable being able to do so. This would be an appropriate
activity to do towards the end of the seminar in order to ensure that participants have
previously been provided enough space and time to feel comfortable doing such
reflection.
We feel the below learning outcomes would be achieved through this exercise.
Because these questions are at the core of our seminar and are at the core of vocational
discernment and meaning making, all of the learning goals could be applied to this
activity; however, we felt the following most directly relate. This reflection opportunity
provides participants with the opportunity to reflect on their values system, do some
discernment, think about how their passions can connect to their future careers, and
understand the value of self-reflection. In order to provide authentic opportunities for
self-reflection, it would be difficult to assess whether or not these learning goals are
achieved through this activity since this is a personal reflection activity. We can invite
students, upon their return, to share with another participant what their experiences were
like as well as what they were able to reflect upon for 5 minutes each. We can also invite
people to share their experiences to the entire group, should they feel willing and brave
enough to do so.
A year (or more) after this course/workshop/program is over, we want and hope
that students will integrate their values system and discernment efforts into
everyday practice.
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 13
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will
come to see themselves in any career that authentically combines soul with role.
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will
become aware of their own vocational story, what their calling is, and the gifts
and values that accompany it.
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will
value critical thinking and self-reflection as vital to one’s development and
exploration.
A year (or more) after this seminar is over, we want and hope that students will be
ready to actively self-reflect upon their values, their “why,” and their passion
areas.
Integration of Design
ICD Integration Worksheet
Learning Goals for
Course
Ways of Assessing This
Kind of Learning
Actual Teaching-Learning
Activities
Helpful Resources
Where do you want to go?
Ideally what do you want
students to learn?
How will you know if
students get where you
want them to go? How
will you know if they are
achieving the goals you’ve
set?
How are you going to get students there? What teaching and learning activities will help them best meet your learning goals?
Who and what can help?
Primary Learning Goals:
Foundational
Knowledge.
1. Students will be
able to understand
discernment as a
tool to make an
appropriate
decision about
+Reflection Papers
+Life Map
+Daily Reflection
Questions
+Courageous
Conversations
+Spiritual Buddy
+ Recommended
Readings
+Alternative Break
Immersions
+Service Opportunities
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 14
career choice and
will understand that
discernment is a
life-long process.
2. Students will
remember that
there is a universal
human hunger for
connectedness,
purpose, and
meaning.
3. Students will
understand the big
questions and the
reason for asking
and delving deep
into them.
+One Minute Paper
+Reflection Paper
+Life Map
+One Minute Paper
+Life Map
+Daily Reflection
Questions
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Ted Talk- Brene Brown
+ Letter to future Self
+Story Corp Interview
+Courageous
Conversations
+Fowler Theory of Faith
Development
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Spiritual Buddy
+Red Rubber Ball Activity
+Recommended
Readings
+Service Opportunities
+Alternative Break
Immersions
+Affirmations
+Center Partners
+Retreats
+Campus Ministry
Primary Learning Goals:
Application Goals.
4. Students will use
storytelling and
reflective dialogue
to explore, make
sense of, and hear
their own and
others’ diverse
narratives.
5. Students will
imagine themselves
as a whole person
committed to their
own and others
holistic
development.
6. Students will use
faith development
theories and
vocational
discernment tools
to make sense of
+Reflection Paper
+ Life Map
+ Eulogy
+Reflection Papers
+Life Map
+This I believe Essay
+Reflection Papers
+Eulogy
+Life Map
+Story Corp Interviews
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Courageous
Conversations
+Spiritual Biddy
+Courageous
Conversations
+Ted Talk
+Spiritual BVuddy
+Courageous
Conversations
+Red Rubber Ball
+Spiritual Buddy
+Panel of Campus
Partners or outside
participants
+ Family, Friends and
Classmates
+Wellness Center
Mindfulness Groups
+Student Leadership &
SDMA at the workshop
+Wellness Center
Mindfulness Groups
+Recommended
Readings
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 15
their own
vocational story
reflecting on their
why, their values,
and their passion
areas.
Primary Learning Goals:
Integration.
7. Students will
connect with what
they are learning
about Fowler’s
faith development
theory and
vocational
discernment to their
own life and work
in the future.
8. Students will
integrate their
values system and
discernment efforts
into everyday
practice.
9. Students will
connect together
meaningful ideas
and practices.
+One Minute Paper
+Reflection Paper
+Life Map
+One Minute Paper
+Reflection Paper
+Eulogy
+Daily Reflection
Questions
+Reflection Paper
+Life Map
+Eulogy
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Courageous
Conversations
+Red Rubber Ball
+Spiritual Buddy
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Courageous
Conversations
+Academic Affairs
+Career Development
+Leadership
Development
+Fowlers Faith
Development Theory
Readings
+Panel of Professionals
+Loyola Student/Alumni
+Recommended
Readings
+Recommended
Readings
+Family, Friends, and
classmates
Secondary Learning
Goal: Human
Dimensions.
10. Students will come
to see themselves
in any career that
authentically
combines soul with
role.
11. Students will
become aware of
+One Minute Paper
+Letter to Self
+Storycorp Interview
+Daily Reflection
Questions
+One Minute Paper
+Life Map
+Letter to Self
+Daily Reflection
+Courageous
Conversations
+Spiritual Buddy
+Red Rubber Ball Activity
+Spiritual Buddy
+Courageous
Conversations
+www.futureme.org
+Campus Partners
+Wellness Center
Mindfulness Groups
+www.futureme.org
+Retreats
+Alternative Break
Immersions
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 16
their own
vocational story,
what their calling
is, and the gifts and
values that
accompany it.
12. Students will
interact sensitively,
compassionately,
and confidentially
with participants in
the seminar by
listening with love
and care.
Questions
+Life Map
+Letter to Self
+Daily Reflection
Questions
+Red Rubber Ball Activity
+Red Rubber Ball
+Courageous
Conversations
+Spiritual Buddy
+Loyola Student/Alumni
+Family and Friends
+Retreats
+Affirmations
Secondary Learning
Goal: Caring Goals
13. Students will be
ready to engage
with others
holistically and
authentically.
14. Students will value
critical thinking
and self-reflection
as vital to one’s
development and
exploration.
15. Students will be
genuinely
interested in other
participants’ stories
because these
stories shaped and
will continue to
shape their lives.
16. Students will be
excited to connect
their own values
with the potentially
+One Minute Paper
+Letter to Self
+Storycorp Interview
+One Minute Paper
+Life Map
+Letter to Self
+Daily Reflection
Questions
+Life Map
+Letter to Self
+Storycorp Interview
+Reflection
+Letter to Future Self
+Life Map
+Courageous
Conversations
+Spiritual Buddy
+Red Rubber Ball
+Ted Talk
+Spiritual Buddy
+Courageous
Conversations
+ Spiritual Buddy
+Courageous
Conversations
+Ted Talk
+Red Rubber Ball
+Ted Talk
+Courageous
Conversations
+Spiritual Buddy
+www.futureme.org
+Campus Partners
+Wellness Center
Mindfulness Groups
+Affirmations
+www.futureme.org
+Retreats
+Alternative Break
Immersions
+Loyola Student/Alumni
+Family and Friends
+Retreats
+Family, friends, and
classmates
+www.futureme.org
+Mentor
+Academic Advisor
+Career Development
Center
+Service opportunities
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 17
rich contributions
they can make to
society.
and Service/Faith
Student Organizations
Secondary Learning
Goal:
Learning how to Learn:
17. Students will be
able to identify
important resources
for their own
continued learning.
18. Students will be
able to construct
knowledge about
what means to be
their whole self.
19. Students will live
their lives in ways
that promote
ongoing learning
and development.
+Life Map
+Eulogy
+Reflection
+One Minute Paper
+Life Map
+Letter to Future Self
+Reflection Paper
+Letter to Future Self
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Spiritual Buddy
+Ted Talk
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Loyola Student
Experience
+Spiritual Buddy
+Red Rubber Ball
+Courageous
Conversations
+Study Abroad
opportunities
+Student Leadership
Workshops
+Fellow Participants
+Mentors
+Family and Friends
+Recommended
Readings
+Outside Resources (as
identified by student)
+Loyola Student/Alumni
+Panel
participants/Seminar
facilitators
+Mentors
+Academic Advisor
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 18
References
Astin, A.W., Astin, H.S., & J.A. Lindholm. (2011). Cultivating the spirit: How college can
enhace students’ inner lives. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
B Brown. (2012, March). Listening to shame. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame
Baxter Magolda, M. (2008). Three elements of self-authorship. Journal of College Student
Development, 49, 269-284.
Brown, Brene. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be
and embrace who you are. Center City, Minnesota: Hazelden.
Coelho, P. (2006). The alchemist. San Francisco: HarperCollins Publishers.
D’Arcy, P. (2011). Red fire: A quest for awakening. Inner Ocean/Innisfree Press.
Fowler, J.W. (2001). Faith development theory and the postmodern challenges. The International
Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 11(3), 159-172.
Fowlers, J.W. (2004). Faith development at 30: Naming the challenges of faith in a new
millennium. Religious Education, 99(4), 405-421.
G D Menton. (2013, May 13) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHHPNMIK-fY
Love, P. (2002). Comparing spiritual development and cognitive development. Journal of
College Student Development, 43(3), 357-373.
Miller, D. (2009). A million miles in a thousand years. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Incorporated.
Nash, R.J. (2001). Religious pluralism in the academy. New York: Peter Lang
Schweitzer (Eds.), Developing a public faith: New directions in practical theology (pp.
15-42). St. Louis, MO : Chalic Press.
VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT 19
Smith, C. (2009). Souls in transition: The religious and spiritual lives of emerging adults.
Oxford: Oxford University Press