Personal Learning Activity # 3: No More Gesticulating!

Yes, I am one of those people who ALWAYS talks with her hands. Sometimes I depend on my gesticulations to make up for a lack of diction I might be experiencing certain days. Anyway, it's not really that much of a problem, but I've been more observant of other people and notice they barely gesticulate. Sometimes I feel it distracts my listener(s) from what I'm saying; so, my goal for this week was to test myself and see if I could stop gesticulating; also, if it makes a difference in my listener's perceived attention.
Methods for no more gesticulating is pretty self-explanatory: abstain from using my hands. It was pretty tough, and sometimes (many times) I couldn't help myself from gesticulating. I found it a little annoying that it just came naturally; I made a conscious effort to stop, but in many cases it didn't work. The times that I was successful and didn't use my hands occurred as a result of making more eye contact with others (which is another thing I'm desperately trying to improve). I found that if I concentrate on the person's eyes, I am less aware of my hands and more aware of the words I'm trying to say.
Assessing myself is also easy because either I would give in and use my hands, or I wouldn't. I think I failed at this because in more instances than not, I used my hands. Oh, well. It was worth a try and is something I will continually try to improve or prevent from doing.
My motivation for this was pretty high, I guess. Again, it is something I've become aware that I do--almost incessantly. My friends politely make fun of my gestures and try to imitate me. It's funny, but it makes me feel embarrassed--knowing that I use my hands all the time to convey the point I'm trying to make.
This week's reading seems to allude to the power of gestures--which is ultimately a good thing. It talks how teachers can encourage kids to collaborate and cooperate with peers, and to do so successfully, we have to demonstrate respect and caring for others and their opinions. A simple gesture, such as a thumb's up, is a good way to motivate, comfort, and encourage others. On the contrary, pointing at someone/singling them out is not respectful and only makes a child feel isolated or hurt. Teachers who really care and express it are the most effective. In one study, students reported that caring teachers are the ones who "asked if something was wrong when they [students] seemed upset," or whose "disciplinary procedures are fair and respectful" (Woolfolk 432). Woolfolk also says, "teachers trust and respect their students and care about them as learners and as people" (432). In my opinion, by showing proper gestures, or for those who don't gesture, students will be able to tell if you really care if you express it in your gestures or the amount of eye contact.

Personal Learning Activity # 2: Reading for Fun

The activity I chose for this week was to leisurely read for at least 20-30 minutes. My objectives were to devote some personal time to an activity that I love and try to unwind after a long or busy day. Since the only real time available to read was at night before bed, one of my methods included finishing homework and getting ready for bed earlier than usual, that way I could have at least some time to read one chapter. There really wasn't a way to properly assess this. I just know that my reading comprehension of books I read for leisure is much higher than when I read texts for college. I find that fact peculiar, but I guess it is all based on motivation: if I don't find the material interesting/enjoyable, I definitely won't be motivated to read it (but reluctanly continue because of the pressure to do well in classes); conversely, if I like the material I'm reading, my motivation to continue is high. My motivation was very high because reading is something I love to do and rarely have any time to read for leisure, except during the summer. This motivation I describe is that of intrinsic motivation, or motivation that is stimulated by personal interests (Woolfolk 373). It's really sad that I can't even do an activity that I love during the school year because of superfluous amounts of homework. I wish I could find time to read books for fun--not college texts that drain all energy and motivation from me--throughout the school year. That's why I chose this particular activity, because I was able to do something that makes me happy and in which I find great pleasure:)

Vocation Visiter: Higher Calling Conversation

Dr. Beate Hofmann, a professor of Christian education at the University of Applied Sciences, came all the way from Nuremberg, Germany. She spoke about some experiences that occurred in Germany during World War II. I attended her lecture and also heard her speak in my Christian Theology class. The lecture, titled "The Political Dimension of Christian Faith: Eye-Opening Experiences During the Hitler Regime in Germany," was empowering because it revealed the roles women had back at that time. They had the stereotypical maternal roles of tending to children and home, while men worked.
During the totalitarian regime, Adolph Hitler tried to spread the Aryan race (European without Jewish descent, or more familiarly, blonde hair and blue eyes). He encouraged an increase in birthrate, for if there were more people to reproduce, the more chances of increasing the "perfect" race. He gave women what was called a Mother's Cross. To receive this cross, a mother had to bear 4 or more children. For every child exceeding the fourth (i.e. fifth, sixth, seventh...etc., child), the mother received another cross. Women were supposed to wear these crosses in public so people could congratulate her for contributing to an increase in the Aryan poplulation.
Going back to the Holocaust and how it relates to education, we have to realize that Hitler was an extremist, completely turned around in his views. The damage he caused is irreversible, but can be prevented through the power of communication in today's society. We have to inform people that hate, discrimination, subjugation, and murder are not justifiable and, once again, irreversible. It is scary that someone like Hitler had the power and support to cause so much destruction. Of course, he gained power solely through propaganda.
It is our job as teachers to make sure discrimination/prejudice and other such subjugation does not take place in our schools. If we show how destructive hate can be, and then promote kindness in our classroom, students will emulate the niceties we establish in our classroom. It is important to exhibit a genuine caring and love for students, encouraging them to accept differences and be kind to everyone, for we are all different. We cannot have another incident such as the Holocaust happen again. Instead, we have to be sure spread the message and show the tragic results of a that time period when a power-hungry, prejudiced person was in power.

"You the Teacher; You the Student" : Personal Learning Activity #1: Watch the News

In Ed. Psych., we were given a personal learning log to record an activity that we wanted to learn. We are to choose an activity from a different "domain" for each week. These domains consist of health/wellness; political; interpersonal; spiritual; environmental; entertainment; lifestyle; local; or other. After establishing the domain, we identify our objectives of what we want to learn; describe the methods of how to complete the objectives; find ways of assessing our learning; and then reflect on how our lesson relates to the concepts identified in the assigned reading for that week.
For the week of Monday, March 26 to Saturday, March 31, I decided to make an effort to learn more about current events on a local, stately, or worldly basis.
My objectives: be in the know of politics, environmental issues, local/worldly issues--nothing that relates to celebrities! I wanted to really pay attention to what is going on in our nation/world and show a genuine caring/concern for what is happening at this point in time.
My methods: watch the local/world news, MSNBC; go online and find websites of the Cedar Rapids Gazette (my hometown), Des Moines Register (my state's capitol), and New York Times. Listen to and read stories of current events taking place in the community, state, nation, and world.
Assessment: I kept a journal to record the most interesting and/or shocking events of this week. Whenever I discussed the issues with others, I wouldn't consult the journal, that way I could see how much I really did learn. It made for interesting discussions since I could get different insight/opinions on these current issues.
Reflection: After I watched the news and read various online articles from newspapers, I discussed certain issues with my boyfriend, roommate, and other friends. We talked about how we, as Americans and students, are greatly affected these particular issues (e.g. increased tuition, increased minimum wage). It was really interesting that some issues were mentioned and discussed in my other classes. I feel that in order for a student to really know what is going on in the world, they cannot depend on other students, and instead, have to do some research for themselves. This type of learning is called situated learning. It "emphasizes that learning in the real world is not like studying in school" (Woolfolk, 347). It requires students to investigate activities and relate them to the real world--which will ultimately reveal what they have learned and how to apply it to particular situations.