Danielle Chemello

PCP Assignment

10/11/11

#3

Page 1

Section 1: Participation in PCP Meeting Over the past two weeks, I attended two person-centered planning meetings. During the first meeting, I was the target person and during the second I was a participant who gave a few suggestions and tips to aid the target persons success. During the first meeting when I was the target person, there were five people in attendance. We all sat around a round table in Amanda Merganthalers living room to discuss what I wanted to learn and accomplish from this meeting. We did not have too many materials other than ones to take notes and make charts with. I used my laptop to take notes and to make a workout schedule while other members typed on laptops or wrote down notes. My meeting started at 5:50 PM and ended at 6:25 PM, so it took 35 minutes total to complete. Attendees included myself, Amy Svenningsen as the facilitator, Amanda Merganthaler and Abbey Storey as participants, and my close friend Hannah W. as a person who can help me stay motivated and help build my dream of exercising more. Each member was there to discuss my dreams. fears, and outcomes of the Making Action Plans (MAPS) student centered learning transitional planning. The goal of my meeting was to develop a plan that allowed me to exercise more often which would lead to a healthier lifestyle. I felt that the MAPS was the best fit for me because it addressed my fears about this lifestyle change. It was reassuring to have a solution to the problems that could arise before they happened so that I would not stress over it when the time came. Also, I felt that MAPS really fit well with a lifestyle change because it is typically used with students in transition phases. From the meeting, it was concluded that I would work out five hours per week and with a friend when possible. We made a schedule of my week and when I will workout (which can be found on the last slide on the uploaded powerpoint).

Danielle Chemello

PCP Assignment

10/11/11

#3

Page 2

The second meeting I attended was for Amanda Merganthaler. Abbey Storey was the facilitator while Amy Svenningsen and I were participants. Amandas friend Donato was also in attendance because he had run a marathon before. Like the first meeting, we sat in Amandas living room around a round table. We all took notes on our laptops or on paper. Amandas meeting took a little shorter than ours. It started at 6:25 PM and ended at 6:40 PM, 15 minutes in total. Instead of using the MAPS, they chose to use the Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH) person centered planning strategy because it allowed us to look at a longer term goal. It also focused on dreams and goal setting as well as making a schedule to reach this ultimate goal. Amanda wants to train for the Illinois marathon in April. The PATH allowed her to look at what she needed to do over a six month period. From the meeting, it was determined that Amanda would eat more healthily and train appropriately so that she could complete the Illinois marathon without walking in April. She also would need a friend to work out with so that she would stay motivated to continue training. Donato would be that person. He also will give her tips from experience and motivate her to continue so that she can succeed in accomplishing her goal. Section 2: Critical Reflection on PCP Meetings Actual PCP Meetings I found that the two PCP meetings I attended were rather similar because of the topics. I wanted to exercise more and Amanda wanted to train for the Illinois marathon. Some of the outcomes and conclusions were the same, however, the methods used were different. I used the MAPS planning which focused more on fears and dreams of me starting to work out more while Amanda used the PATH planning which focused more on the long-term goal of training for the

Danielle Chemello

PCP Assignment

10/11/11

#3

Page 3

marathon. She needed a little more guidance than me because it was a more complex goal and it would take much longer to accomplish. The role of the facilitator was very similar in each meeting as well. Both introduced the members to each other and made everyone feel comfortable by keeping the atmosphere relaxed. We took the meetings seriously but still were able to joke around with each other because of the light atmosphere. Our attitudes toward the meeting allowed people to be more comfortable with each other and more willing to participate. We all contributed ideas because we felt that what we had to say was valued. Also, each member of the meeting was a good friend of the target person so they genuinely cared for the persons dreams and goals. I definitely thought that the meetings were effective because we looked at a goal that the target person was seriously interested in. As the target person, I feel that my meeting was beneficial because of the schedule we made. Before, I thought that I didnt have enough time to work out but after my days were mapped out on the schedule I was able to see that it was possible for me to work out five hours per week. I even have started to work out although I am not quite up to the selected five hours per week. I really thought that this process was useful and I would not have changed anything about it other than doing it sooner! Not only did I find my meeting effective but I really thought that Amandas was useful as well. I could tell that she was grateful for a friend to help her with training and to offer advice. I think that the work out schedule will be just as beneficial for her. As a participant in her meeting, I felt good about myself because I was able to offer advice to her about staying motivated and making a workout schedule. Playing this role was just as rewarding as being the target person in my own person centered planning meeting. I feel as if I would enjoy

Danielle Chemello

PCP Assignment

10/11/11

#3

Page 4

participating in a real meeting like this because I loved helping Amanda by offering ideas and words of encouragement. Application to Future Work As stated earlier, I really found the PCP meetings to be useful because we made a schedule for working out and I have already started to employ it. I can imagine that this would be the same for any other individual as long as they used a goal they were really interested in accomplishing. In future uses, I would make sure that the target person was truly committed to reaching their goal before using a PCP meeting. This way, it would be much more beneficial and be a good use of all the members time. I realize that the meetings may be long and arduous but they are most definitely worth it. Breaking up the meeting into small segments could also be the best use of the members time. It would allow them to be most effective because they are not bored or tired from previous work. Person Centered Planning not only creates a useful plan for accomplishing goals, but it also creates relationships between parents, students, and staff. The time together will allow the parents to see their child as an important factor in their personal growth. Parents will value their childs ideas more because it is truly what they want for their own future. Often, parents will neglect what their child wants because they have not thought to ask them. Also, PCP meetings allow for the teacher and parents to form a bond. Often times, parents can develop an us verses them attitude towards teachers. Through a PCP meeting, parents and teachers will see that they are on the same team when it comes to the students well being and future goals. PCP planning can be useful in many ways. It can form bonds between parents and teachers while creating ways to accomplish goals for students. These goals can have to do with anything the student wishes. For example, if the student wants to learn more socially, the

Danielle Chemello

PCP Assignment

10/11/11

#3

Page 5

meeting can develop a curriculum for the student. This may include more social opportunities in school for the student as well as more social opportunities outside of school. PCP meetings can focus on more academic items as well. In high school, students can choose which science courses they want to take, so the PCP meeting could reflect that decision. The student should be able to see that they are capable of choosing their own classes when the opportunity is possible. This way, a student who is very interested in chemistry can choose classes and extracurricular activities that have to do with that instead of stumbling through biology or geology courses. Person centered planning can have limitless benefits for students, parents, and teachers alike.