Blog – Week 8

Note of Thanks

Thank you to all of my classmates for you support and insight throughout this course.  I have learned so much from each of your personal experiences as they related to being an effective communicator.  It has extended the learning experience for me.  I wish you the best as you continue your academic journey.

Dianne

 

 

Week 6 - Blog Assignment

To be quite honest, I have not been in many group situations that paid much attention to the adjourning stage.  It didn’t seem to matter whether or not the group was high-performing or if the group had the clearest established norms.  In my opinion, once the task was completed, the group members have just seemed to drift off on their separate ways. 

However, I have had one group that experienced a very memorable adjourning stage.  I had a wonderful student teaching supervisor.  She is an extraordinary mentor and a fascinating person.  Aside from being a college professor and student teaching supervisor, she also gave tours at the North Caroling Museum of Art.  At the end of our student teaching experience, she gave her ten student teachers a tour of the museum.  She singled out specific pieces of art from different periods and would relate them to how being an elementary teacher we would be able to influence the lives of children.  We then went to her house for a dinner and to share our final units.  It was hard to leave this group because we had been through so many courses together as well as shared our student teaching experience together.  All of us had been paired to experience a “dual” teaching experience in which we spent six weeks in one lower elementary grade and six weeks in an upper elementary grade.  Each pair was assigned to the same teachers, so that we could trade off grade levels at the halfway point.  In this way, we could share ideas and strategies about what worked and didn’t work well in the different classrooms and help each other design our final units.  It was a very close-knit group.  This final gathering was very memorable. 

As we are getting closer to obtaining our master’s degree in this program, I have given some thought as to how this group might adjourn.  At the end of our courses, I enjoy how we use our blogs to express our gratitude for each other and to wish each other good luck as we continue our studies.  This is a great way to adjourn since we are a part of an online community of learners.  However, as we near graduation, I look forward to meeting my classmates face-to-face at the graduation ceremony.  We have all shared so much of ourselves in our discussion posts and blogs that it would be nice to gather together to formally meet and to celebrate our accomplishments.

I think adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it gives the group time to celebrate their accomplishments, to acknowledge each other’s role in the team effort, and to reach closure before going separate ways.

 

Week 5 – Blog Assignment

I have just gotten home from spending my spring break with my parents.  The conflict that I have spent a good amount of time wondering and worrying about exists between me and my father.  I believe there are underlying issues as to why my father and I have a difficult time having a conversation.  The Conflict Resolution Network website has been helpful in realizing that conflicts come about from differences – in needs, values, and motivations (http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3).  As I have shared with you before, I avoid conflict and confrontation because I have the tendency to shut down in those situations.  O’Hair and Wiemann (2012) describe unproductive conflict as conflicts that are managed poorly and have a negative impact on individuals and relationships involved (p. 220).  My avoidance to discuss sensitive and difficult issues, such as not addressing the communication issues that exist between us, aids in causing this conflict to continue (p. 221).  My fear is openly discussing the root of our communication difficulties will reveal too many feelings that I think will destroy the relationship (p. 227).  So, I have tolerated the communication difficulties and have accepted our strained relationship for what it is.  From The Third Side website, I learned that responding to conflicts productively requires courage, preparation, knowledge, skills, creativity, and coordination (http://www.thirdside.org/).  I need to find the courage to address this conflict with my father.  In addition, I learned from The Center for Nonviolent Communication website how to express myself honestly without attacking (http://www.cnvc.org./).  I need to express my desire to address our communication issues without blaming him.  I need to acknowledge the role I have played in causing this conflict to continue.  Avoidance of this unspoken conflict cannot continue. 

Please share any insights or advice you may have on this matter. 

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3 

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/

The Third Side. (n.d.). The third side. Retrieved from http://www.thirdside.org/

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

            Martin's.

 

 

 

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.