Week 4 Blog Assignment

This week I evaluated myself as a communicator, and I had two others evaluate me.  I found that I was more critical at evaluating my communication skills in public speaking, whereas my peers were much more complimentary.  My colleague who has seen me lead countywide workshops reported that I come across as very comfortable speaking in public; however, that is not how I feel. According to O’Hair &Wiemann (2012) I think I must mask my emotions when I speak in public, so that others do not see how nervous I am actually feeling (p.136). The two persons chosen to evaluate me have seen me speak publicly in different scenarios; one personal and the other professional.  In addition, we all agreed that I do not communicate in a way that would offend the person to whom I am speaking.  I am careful to take the other person’s feelings into account, and I do not like to engage in confrontational discussions. 

One insight that I gained about communication this week is that different situations call for different styles of communicating.  For example, as each person was completing the evaluations, they would comment that some of the communication styles would depend on the situation.  Sometimes I need to be very aware of time constraints when effectively communicating, such as when I am leading multiple parent-teacher conferences back-to-back.  However, other times I can be much more flexible about listening and effectively communicating due to more flexible time limits.  In addition, another insight I gained about communication this week is that I am not one to join in a confrontational discussion even when I have an opinion on something.  I will not state my opinion unless asked.  For example, this past week I was in a meeting with all of the other first grade teachers in our district, and we were designing the new curriculum guide based on the common core standards.  At times, the discussion was getting quite heated, and I would not participate in that part of the discussions.  I just listened carefully to the debate.  However, once I was asked to state my opinion on the matter, I would state my opinion as to why I felt some topic belong in a specific quarter of the school year and what standards it would cover.  In my personal life and professional life, I realize that speaking up is an area that I need to improve upon and feel more confident doing. 

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St.

            Martin's.

 

Week 3 – Blog Assignment 

I do find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures.  Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011) stated that your generation has important implications for interpersonal communication, especially as you relate to others in both family and work situations (p. 92).  Each generation has developed its own set of values, which are anchored in social, economic, and cultural factors stemming from the times in which the generation has lived.  For example, I speak more freely with people who are within a similar cultural group as mine.  I am more quiet around older people.  I was raised to respect the elderly.  This included listening respectfully and not speaking up if my opinion differed from theirs.  I also tend to avoid political discussions with anyone.  

Three strategies I could use to help communicate more effectively with the people/groups I have identified are:

*Ask more questions than I normally would in order to learn more about their worldview and perspectives based on the different cultural and historical events they have experienced (pp. 91 & 98).

*Learn to understand why other people think and act as they do and be able to empathize with their perspectives (p.99).

*Actively seek information about others by asking questions and listening for the answers, so that we can establish a common ground (p.105). 

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication:

            Relating to others (6^th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

 

Week 2 – Blog Assignment

Today I watched a muted episode of the Fox series New Girl.  I have never seen this show before nor did I know the premise of the show.  By watching the nonverbal behavior of the four main characters, I assumed that they were sharing an apartment together.  There are three males and one female roommate.  There was a sexual tension between one of the males and the female.  I do not know if there is more of a relationship, other than platonic roommates or not, but there definitely is a sexual tension. This tension appears to bother one of the other roommates, and it did not seem to have any impact on the other one.  They were fighting over a parking space that had become available in their apartment complex.  There was close proximity, in one’s intimate space, between the two which I felt added to the sexual tension.  The other male roommates kept a proper distance from the female roommate.  This led me to think that nothing was going on between them and her. 

Next, I watched the same episode with volume.  I was correct in assuming that there was a sexual tension between two of the roommates.  Evidently, they had shared a kiss previously.  Three of the roommates were arguing over a parking space and the “kiss” had impacted the decision by one roommate as to who should have the parking space.  This caused more arguments within the apartment.  It was eventually resolved that the roommate who didn’t seem to care about the kiss got the parking space. 

The assumptions I made, during the muted viewing, were fairly correct.  Although, I would have understood better that there is no on-going physical relationship between the two roommates, I was correct in assuming that there is a sexual tension there.   I never realized how much one relies on nonverbal cues to interpret what is going on around them.   

Philbin, J.J. (Writer) & Kasdan, Jake (Director). (2013, February 17).  Parking

            spot[Television series episode]. In New Girl. Los Angeles, CA: Fox Broadcasting

            Company.

           

EDUC-6165 Blog Week 1

When I think of someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context, the person that came to mind was my student teaching supervisor Dr. Rhonda Wilkerson.  Although, she could be a very intimidating person when she wanted to be, she could also be very approachable and understanding.  She was a wonderful lecturer. Not only was she a supervisor of student teachers from UNC, but she also gave tours at the North Carolina Museum of Art.  She appreciates and loves all types of art.  Her intense focus in education was learning styles.

When she gave lectures, what made her a competent communicator was her ability to capture and hold an audience’s attention with her examples about different learning styles and by using graphics, videos, and artwork to show examples of the various learning styles.  Even though her lectures may contain two hundred students and professionals, as she spoke about the various learning styles, she would put a personal touch to the descriptions that you almost felt that she was speaking about you, but not in an offensive way.  She was an advocate for all of the learning styles and would instill in you ways to meet the needs of the various learning styles.  Finally, she would integrate examples of artwork to extend the points of the lecture and take the learning experience to a different level.   The artwork was always diverse, and you could tell that she had spent a great deal of time considering what piece of art would go with what learning style or lesson that she was presenting.  It was always intriguing to see which pieces she would choose.  According to O’Hare and Wiemann (2012), in the lecture setting, Dr. Wilkerson is a competent communicator in that she adjusts her behavior to suit particular individuals and situations.  In addition, Dr. Wilkerson’s lectures were appropriate in that they met the demands of the situations, and they were effective.

 

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New

            York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

 

 

           

 

Professional Hopes and Goals 

When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds, one hope that I have is to make more of a concerted effort to be a culturally relevant teacher.  Hyland (2010) states that a culturally relevant teacher learns the cultural norms and values of the ethnic, racial, or language group and uses this knowledge to impact their instruction in order to improve the educational outcomes and experiences of the children.  

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to provide more professional learning communities on these topics in our schools.  Teachers need to learn more in depth information about these topics and have opportunities to discuss them with each other.  Then they will be better equipped to brainstorm ways to better meet the needs of their diverse student population and their families. 

Hyland, N. E. (2010). Social justice in early childhood classrooms: What the research tells us. YC:

            Young Children, 65(1), 82--87. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ProQuest

Central database: 

http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/197637742?accountid=14872

 

A Note of Thanks

 It has been a pleasure getting to know each of you during the past six courses.  Thank you for sharing your personal stories and insight along the way.  I wish you the best as you continue your educational journey in your specialization.  Thank you for your support and kindness. 

Best regards,

Dianne

Welcoming Families From Around the World

I am a first grade teacher in a public school, and a student from Portugal has just been assigned to my classroom.  Hyland (2010) recommends that to prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards him and his family that I learn more about the culture and customs of his home country and to make it a part of the school curriculum.  First, using the internet I research Portugal to find out the primary language, Portuguese, and the dominant religion, Catholicism.  I also learn about the protocol for eating, which is to wait until everyone has food before eating and to leave some food left on your plate when you are done eating.  This is good to know, so I do not misinterpret why he is not eating all of his school lunches.  In addition, I learn the importance of the extended family.  I can use this information to give him ideas for story starters.  Finally, I learn that eye contact is very important when communicating; however, using too many hand gestures is being too demonstrative, so it is recommended to limit hand gestures.  I will need to keep these things in mind when meeting with his parents and during my instruction, too.  Second, I will meet with the English as a Second Language instructor for tips and advice as to how best to meet this child’s needs.  I will find out from her his English ability and that of his parents.  In addition, I will set up a meeting with his parents and the school’s translator, so that I can meet them and learn what their goals are for their son.  Third, I will learn a few words in Portuguese in order to communicate a greeting to him and to ask how he is doing at various times throughout the day.  Fourth, I will find some books that he can read in his home language during the school day.  Fifth, I will obtain one of the school’s laptops and contact out technology instructor about the Google translator app, so that he and I and the other students can type messages during the day in order to communicate with each other.  I will use this application to type our classroom newsletters in his home language for his parents. It is my hope that by preparing in these ways, I will better meet my new student’s academic and social needs in the classroom. The translator and the translated newsletter will help to foster an open means of communication between the school and the family.  It is my hope that the student and family will feel comfortable at our school and a part of its environment. 

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/portugal.html

Hyland, N. E. (2010). Social justice in early childhood classrooms: What the research tells us. YC:

Young Children, 65(1), 82--87. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ProQuest

Central database:  http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/197637742?accountid=14872

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression 

When I think of an incident of when I have witnessed someone else as the target of oppression, I think of my two daughters.  Unfortunately, more times than I would care to admit they get into verbal slights with each other.  They will say things to “dig” at the other person in order to put the other one down and make the other one feel bad about their looks, their personality, or their grades.  They are only saying these things to build their own selves up and to feel more superior to the other, thus diminishing any sense of equity in the household.  I know that they are being sisters, and it reminds me of how my own sister and I interacted as teenagers; however, I try to instill in them that words do hurt.  We recently watched the movie The Breakfast Club together.  There are so many incidences of stereotyping and microaggressions throughout this movie.  I used this as an opportunity to talk with them about how we often judge people based on the way they look and act and how words can really be painful.  They agreed that it was very similar to how high school is today.  I hope that by talking with them when they start these verbal attacks on each other and by addressing them in the moment, they will learn the uselessness of them.  I think seeing a movie like The Breakfast Club where the insults were so blatant and real-life for them, also made them realize how painful and oppressing words can be.

 

Tanen, Ned & Hughes, John (Producers) , & Hughes, John (Director), (1985) The

            Breakfast Club [Motion Picture], United States: Universal Studios.