Seeing SAIL in Life Experiences

In time, SAIL will become second nature for you. It will help you notice learning in a whole new way. But how do you get started? The following activity is designed to help you identify powerful learning experiences and consider how they relate to the SAIL framework. It is also an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the framework.

Before you get started, download the Seeing SAIL in Past Experiences document to your local computer and open it. The file is in PDF format and so needs to be viewed in Adobe Acrobat. If you don't have Acrobat, you can download it for free at https://get.adobe.com/reader.

After you have opened the file, you will notice that it has clickable fields so that you can type directly within the document. You can save your work for use in subsequent exercises.

Seeing SAIL in Past Experiences Exercise

Step 1. Take a moment to consider the most significant experiences you've had in your life so far. They might be formal learning experiences, but they also might be experiences you've had on your own or with family, friends, and communities to which you belong. Note 5 experiences and be as specific as possible. For example, "sports" is too broad whereas "coached little league" is specific.

Step 2. Select two of the experiences that are most memorable. Take a moment to consider their impact on your learning and growth. Write a few sentences for each, recording the thoughts and ideas you gained during a specific moment in that experience. For example, "I developed strategies for reengaging players who were losing interest. A round of batting practice followed by ice cream could increase a discouraged player's confidence and sense of belonging. I learned that expectations for success and emotional attachment affect motivation."

Step 3. Review the SAIL reference materials and skills glossary that are embedded in the page below. This is an important step because it will help you reflect on the components and meaning of SAIL dimensions. Note that you can click on the documents to view in full screen.

Select two of your experiences and determine the level of engagement with SAIL dimensions in each experience on a scale of 1-5.

Step 4. Click on cells in the image to add up the impact of these two experiences. For example, if you scored Civic as a 3 in the first experience and as a 5 in the second experience, click eight of the cells.

You now have a visualization that provides a view of how these two experiences, combined, have contributed to your development.

Save the Past Experiences file, as you will refer back to it in the "SAIL Web: Adding Opportunities" section of this site.