Wow! how time flies. So we have come to the end of another wonderful and highly beneficial learning experience at Walden University.
I want to say a big thank you to our lecturer for facilitating such an exciting learning experience. I am also grateful to all of you dear colleagues for what you shared and for your love and passion for children as shown in your discussion posts, responses, and blog posts. I have learned a lot through all these.
Thanks so much and best wishes.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
WEEK 6 BLOG POST
WEEK 6 BLOG POST
I can remember all those great times we had
There were so many memories, some good some bad
Yes and through it all
Those memories will last Forever
There's peace in where you are
May be all I need to know
And if I listen to my heart
I'll hear your laughter once more
And so I got to say
I'm just glad you came my way
It's not easy to say
Goodbye
Lionel Richie
If I can call it a team or group them I will say I am going to find it hardest to leave the entire children in my present class as we are about to do in the next two weeks. The normal thing to hear is students missing their teachers but I think or the reality is teachers do miss their students as well if not much more. That is the feeling I am getting now and this assignment kind of bring it out the more. My students are unique, their uniqueness lies in their being smart, inquisitive, honest, the unique difference of each of them, and how they connect with me- I am more of their friend than their teacher.
The adjourning stage of any group is as relevant to members of that group as the other four stages though the function is different. While the other four stages are concerned with the task of managing and developing the group, the adjourning stage is concerned with the break up of the group.
To a great extent, I have bonded with colleagues and facilitators in this course despite the fact that it is an on-line course. Saying goodbye will not be easy and as such the adjourning phase will come with some challenges, however, the fact that I would have successfully completed the program, achieved my goals, and fulfilled the purpose of the program will give me a sense of achievement and the impetus to move on to new things.
I can remember all those great times we had
There were so many memories, some good some bad
Yes and through it all
Those memories will last Forever
There's peace in where you are
May be all I need to know
And if I listen to my heart
I'll hear your laughter once more
And so I got to say
I'm just glad you came my way
It's not easy to say
Goodbye
Lionel Richie
If I can call it a team or group them I will say I am going to find it hardest to leave the entire children in my present class as we are about to do in the next two weeks. The normal thing to hear is students missing their teachers but I think or the reality is teachers do miss their students as well if not much more. That is the feeling I am getting now and this assignment kind of bring it out the more. My students are unique, their uniqueness lies in their being smart, inquisitive, honest, the unique difference of each of them, and how they connect with me- I am more of their friend than their teacher.
The adjourning stage of any group is as relevant to members of that group as the other four stages though the function is different. While the other four stages are concerned with the task of managing and developing the group, the adjourning stage is concerned with the break up of the group.
To a great extent, I have bonded with colleagues and facilitators in this course despite the fact that it is an on-line course. Saying goodbye will not be easy and as such the adjourning phase will come with some challenges, however, the fact that I would have successfully completed the program, achieved my goals, and fulfilled the purpose of the program will give me a sense of achievement and the impetus to move on to new things.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
WEEK 5 BLOG POSTING
While conflict is indeed a natural part of every relationship, a great conflict arise through provocation (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2009). The recent conflict I had with my assistant perfectly fit into this description. It all happened that we had agreed on what to do for the week when we had our planning meeting and roles has been assigned. I have always cherish a positive relationship with my colleagues especially those who work directly with me. I strongly believe that the working relationship between a teacher and her assistant holds the key to the success of teaching and learning in any early childhood classroom. So, it has always been that I try to establish understanding between me and my assistant by fully informing her about the intention of the lesson, the way I have planned it, what are the expected outcomes as well as get her inputs and contributions.
The conflict arose because my partner failed to do what was expected of her do and when I gently asked her about it, she could not give me any response. She only left the classroom and come back later to do it. Not only was it belated, she did it in a way that showed that she is either incompetent or outrightly acting provocatively. As O'hair & Wiemann (2009) rightly said, when someone you worked with or depend on performs poorly, the person is in a sense provoking conflict. Needless to say that I was annoyed, I talked to her with annoyance leading to the head of the school's intervention before the issue was resolved.
The non violent communication principle as advocated by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg emphasis the need for empathy in communication. People need to receive empathy before we talk about a particular challenge, problem, criticise them or even talk about an error they have committed. In retrospect now, I think I should have been able to manage the conflict in a more effective way if I had first take care of myself emotionally as this would have enable me to truly empathise with my partner before taking up the issue with her. As someone once said, “if your discussion isn't going well, it is probably because you haven't emotionally connected to the other person and vice versa.”
Another strategy that I have learned this week and that I could have used to better resolve the conflict is to first observe the situation well without evaluating or judging my partner. This would have made my reaction to be based on principle or reason and not on pressure thus I would have been able to state my discussion with her in a more objective way and I would have been able to get a more responsible action or/and answer from her.
Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
The conflict arose because my partner failed to do what was expected of her do and when I gently asked her about it, she could not give me any response. She only left the classroom and come back later to do it. Not only was it belated, she did it in a way that showed that she is either incompetent or outrightly acting provocatively. As O'hair & Wiemann (2009) rightly said, when someone you worked with or depend on performs poorly, the person is in a sense provoking conflict. Needless to say that I was annoyed, I talked to her with annoyance leading to the head of the school's intervention before the issue was resolved.
The non violent communication principle as advocated by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg emphasis the need for empathy in communication. People need to receive empathy before we talk about a particular challenge, problem, criticise them or even talk about an error they have committed. In retrospect now, I think I should have been able to manage the conflict in a more effective way if I had first take care of myself emotionally as this would have enable me to truly empathise with my partner before taking up the issue with her. As someone once said, “if your discussion isn't going well, it is probably because you haven't emotionally connected to the other person and vice versa.”
Another strategy that I have learned this week and that I could have used to better resolve the conflict is to first observe the situation well without evaluating or judging my partner. This would have made my reaction to be based on principle or reason and not on pressure thus I would have been able to state my discussion with her in a more objective way and I would have been able to get a more responsible action or/and answer from her.
Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
WEEK 4 BLOG POSTING
The importance of perspective taking was stressed by late Peter Drucker when he said that an "outside-in perspective" (seeing things as a customer or client would see them) is responsible for the creation of some of the most innovative businesses of the past and present. Having a glimpse at how other perceive us or things will help us greatly in communication, as one will likely communicate with them based on that awareness and thus communicate better. Knowing how others feel and their perspectives help us learn how to relate with them.
This weeks learning exercise has really give me a glimpse as to how my family members perceive me as a communicator. My husband and my daughter completed the survey as I did. I discovered that my husband and daughter's responses were almost the same and were quite different from my own responses. If we are to judge then by majority, then their responses can be adjudged to be right.
I realized that after the completion of this exercise and with the surprised result, I have been making efforts to improve on my communication based on the outcome.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Communicating Differently
Week 3 Blog Posting
Strangers, people different from us, stir up fear, discomfort, suspicion, and hostility. They make us lose our sense of security just by being 'other'.
Henri J. M. Nouwen as quoted in Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011)
I teach in an International school here in Turkey, though most of the students are Turkish, however, about 30 percent of the students and half of the teaching staff are from other countries such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Australia, India, Pakistan, etc. I am the only African in the school and as such I have been communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds since I came to the school.
Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011) noted that in the US today it is not uncommon to encounter people who do not speak your language, even if your language is English! This obviously will be a great challenge and from my experience here I can agree no less. Ultimately, your ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with others is a product of whether you can understand each other's verbal and non-verbal codes (Beebe et al., 2011). I have experienced the frustration of getting to the grocery shop and not being able to communicate with the shop attendant and that of boarding a bus and not being able to communicate with the bus driver and the entire passenger all because I do not speak the same language with the people.
Another way I communicate differently with the people, especially the Turkish people is through the non-verbal cues. For example, I am used to waving down a taxi if I needed one, I have done this several times without the taxi drivers I waved to responding to me as expected, it was just recently in one of my classes that a students described how to call a taxi in Turkey that I understood what the problem was.
Effective communication remains the pillar upon which relationships are established, nurtured, and maintained. From the learning resources and discussions this week, I have learned some strategies that I can use in order to improve on my communication with people from different cultural backgrounds in my school. The strategies include 1. Development of appropriate knowledge of others through questing and listening, as Beebe et al., (2011) suggested, this will help reduce the barrier pose by the use of different codes in communication. 2. Being mindful and open-minded. 3. Avoiding negative judgments and being respectful of others culture.
Reference
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Strangers, people different from us, stir up fear, discomfort, suspicion, and hostility. They make us lose our sense of security just by being 'other'.
Henri J. M. Nouwen as quoted in Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011)
I teach in an International school here in Turkey, though most of the students are Turkish, however, about 30 percent of the students and half of the teaching staff are from other countries such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Australia, India, Pakistan, etc. I am the only African in the school and as such I have been communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds since I came to the school.
Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2011) noted that in the US today it is not uncommon to encounter people who do not speak your language, even if your language is English! This obviously will be a great challenge and from my experience here I can agree no less. Ultimately, your ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with others is a product of whether you can understand each other's verbal and non-verbal codes (Beebe et al., 2011). I have experienced the frustration of getting to the grocery shop and not being able to communicate with the shop attendant and that of boarding a bus and not being able to communicate with the bus driver and the entire passenger all because I do not speak the same language with the people.
Another way I communicate differently with the people, especially the Turkish people is through the non-verbal cues. For example, I am used to waving down a taxi if I needed one, I have done this several times without the taxi drivers I waved to responding to me as expected, it was just recently in one of my classes that a students described how to call a taxi in Turkey that I understood what the problem was.
Effective communication remains the pillar upon which relationships are established, nurtured, and maintained. From the learning resources and discussions this week, I have learned some strategies that I can use in order to improve on my communication with people from different cultural backgrounds in my school. The strategies include 1. Development of appropriate knowledge of others through questing and listening, as Beebe et al., (2011) suggested, this will help reduce the barrier pose by the use of different codes in communication. 2. Being mindful and open-minded. 3. Avoiding negative judgments and being respectful of others culture.
Reference
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Week 2 Blog Posting
The program I watched for this week blog assignment is a local drama program here that my daughter loves to watch. I chose a drama program because I believe it will give me a good opportunity to really understand the concepts of verbal and non-verbal communication and be able to grasp the differences between the two. I watched the program, the same episode on two different channels, in the first channel I watched with the sound turned off while at the second channel, I watched with the sound turned on.
True to my expectation, the activity helped me to fully understand the differences between the two. While verbal communication is the use of actual(spoken) words in communication non-verbal communication refers to sending and receiving messages without words. The first time I watched I tried to understand what messages the actors passing across, the feelings they are expressing, and the basis of the relationships between the actors through their non-verbal behaviors such as eye contact,facial expressions, hand gestures, body distance, and body positioning. My second time of watching the program, I turned on the sound and was able to hear what they were saying, the voice tone and quality, and their silences and pauses.
Most of my assumptions and interpretations while I watched without sound were right when I watched with the sound turned on, however, some were wrong and were outright misinterpretations. Though I believe this could (largely) be as a result of my not knowing the show very well, there are many lessons that I learned from this experience.
I discovered that sometimes the messages convey verbally may be different, contradictory, and inconsistent with that convey through our gesture and such. For instance, I misinterpreted the nodding of head in the drama by one of the actors to mean yes but actually the guy was doing it while he was saying "no I am not going to do what you are asking me to do." Notwithstanding the fact that non-verbal communication, such as the use of eyes, can convey emotions more effectively than words can, the meaning it conveys at times may be ambiguous (Carnes, 2011).
Resources:
Carnes, D. (2011). The differences between verbal and non-verbal communication. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/166482-the-difference-between-verbal-nonverbal-communication/
The program I watched for this week blog assignment is a local drama program here that my daughter loves to watch. I chose a drama program because I believe it will give me a good opportunity to really understand the concepts of verbal and non-verbal communication and be able to grasp the differences between the two. I watched the program, the same episode on two different channels, in the first channel I watched with the sound turned off while at the second channel, I watched with the sound turned on.
True to my expectation, the activity helped me to fully understand the differences between the two. While verbal communication is the use of actual(spoken) words in communication non-verbal communication refers to sending and receiving messages without words. The first time I watched I tried to understand what messages the actors passing across, the feelings they are expressing, and the basis of the relationships between the actors through their non-verbal behaviors such as eye contact,facial expressions, hand gestures, body distance, and body positioning. My second time of watching the program, I turned on the sound and was able to hear what they were saying, the voice tone and quality, and their silences and pauses.
Most of my assumptions and interpretations while I watched without sound were right when I watched with the sound turned on, however, some were wrong and were outright misinterpretations. Though I believe this could (largely) be as a result of my not knowing the show very well, there are many lessons that I learned from this experience.
I discovered that sometimes the messages convey verbally may be different, contradictory, and inconsistent with that convey through our gesture and such. For instance, I misinterpreted the nodding of head in the drama by one of the actors to mean yes but actually the guy was doing it while he was saying "no I am not going to do what you are asking me to do." Notwithstanding the fact that non-verbal communication, such as the use of eyes, can convey emotions more effectively than words can, the meaning it conveys at times may be ambiguous (Carnes, 2011).
Resources:
Carnes, D. (2011). The differences between verbal and non-verbal communication. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/166482-the-difference-between-verbal-nonverbal-communication/
Sunday, May 6, 2012
COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR
One thing I have noticed with inspirational leaders is that they are great communicators. All inspirational leaders communicate effectively. One way to communicate effectively is to be able to give a good narrative. The first rule of a good narrative that writers as well as good communicators learn is to show not to tell. A good example of a leader who shows in his communication is President Barracks Obama of the United States. I love the passion and skills with which Barracks Obama delivers his messages.
There is no doubt that he is a powerful and effective communicator.Good communicators use words, voice tone, and body language to communicate effectively. I like the way Barracks Obama uses his voice when he communicates (the resonances, the pitch), his facial contacts, his body language, and how he chooses his words to paint a graphic detail of the message he is passing across. I would want to model my communication behaviors after him.
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