Task 2b: My Journal Experience - diagram example

Here is an example of the style of diagram I have tried to develop to be able to both comment on and evaluate my day. It has made me think about how I can improve anything negative and ensure to maintain the positives.

Task 2b : my journal writing experience (continued!)

Since my last blog I have tried out different styles of diagrams. I was a bit hesitant as I have found it enjoyable writing using description and evaluation. I decided to try out a range of spider diagrams using different topics to trigger thought about my day. My favourite was the day when I put all negatives events and feelings into one diagram and all positive things into another. This didn't give as much information however made me think about the events of the day in a different way and instantly evaluate how the day had gone: what I had enjoyed, what I had learnt, what I would like to do differently if the chance arises and best of all it reminded me of all the positives I have in life. It certainly put a smile on my face! I will try and upload a picture of the way my diagram has developed.

Task 2b: Journal writing experience (so far!)

Having spent a few busy days away from my blog I thought I would need to have to spend a good amount of time getting my head around many of the ideas raised however I seem to have been reflecting without out really realising it! Many things seem to have settled in my mind and my thoughts and views have become clearer.
It's a miracle!!

I have been adding to my journal and have some thoughts so far:

Naturally I write my journal in a descriptive way, followed by a bit of evaluation. This is almost a stream of thought going on to the paper: I'm writing what has happened and as it is going on the page I am thinking and evaluating the events often noticing things I hadn't thought of at the time. This way feels easiest to me. Occasionally I will add an extra 'what if?' section to my thoughts - this happens if something more dramatic has happened that day, particularly if I feel more emotional about it. Since journaling I have not come across an experience or exchange with somebody that made me particularly emotional and angry but I know that when this does happen I spend a lot of time considering all the things that happened, how they came about and how it could have gone differently - the usual "I should have said......." "I should have just..." goes through my head for a good while until everything has settled down! I assume this would appear in my journal in a format similar to 'what if'.
I have attempted a chart recently however didn't seem to be able to get my thoughts on the page quite as easily, my writing style became a lot more matter of fact and I evaluated my thoughts a lot less. I think I will look back on this and not be able take as much from it as other styles. I am going to look into graphs and diagrams and give those a go - see if I get anything different out of it.
Writing from another view scares me somewhat! It is the most daunting of the styles - part of my just doesn't want to think about what people think of me - I just like to get on with my day. I guess for this reason this journal entry could be a lot more interesting and better to reflect on in the months to come.
Finally, lists. How could I forget those little beauties - my life revolves around them! I, however, have never used them as part of a journal before. I found they are a great way of noting down the day when I am in a rush. I have found that lists alone aren't detailed enough to get my views of the day down so I have found myself jotting down the key points in the day just before I go to bed for example but then coming back to the list the following day and using the points to help me evaluate and delve deeper into my day. This has worked well for me.

Memory Vs Experience

I have had a look at Alan Durrant's blog and a few comments seem to have struck a chord and brought back a few memories. The experience that sprung to mind was an event that occurred when I was living away from home. Without going into all the details, I witnessed a minor incident on the street and ended up being the only person to have seen it properly so had to be interviewed by the police. It was all very dramatic! Either way, I knew what I had seen and didn't have anything to do with anyone involved and so talking to the police should have been simple - just say what you saw! This was the case the first few times I recounted the details however, the police had to keep coming back to me as the case developed to ask further questions. By this point I must have told my story so many times that I started to get myself in a bit of a 'tizz'- it was as if my mind was playing tricks and I started questioning myself, "Are you sure you saw that?" "Did it happen in that order?" etc Of course I knew what I had seen, I had no reason to doubt any of it but as time went along it was as if my memory started fading and the event had become a story in my head. I cant quite explain it as it was so many years ago but I do remember reflecting on the event on many occasions after and wondering what had happened in my brain to feel that change.
I had forgotten all about this event until reading the blog about Kahneman's thoughts on having two 'self's' an experiencing self and a remembering self. The event simply popped into my head! Maybe I had experienced the event and by recounting so many times, the event had converted into a 'remembering self' story. I had become the story teller and that's what had made me feel so strange, the event had become a story and the act of telling the police what felt like a story (obviously a very true story!) felt strange and wrong to me - it had been coming from a different part of the brain. The experience had gone, leaving behind the memory.

On a slightly different note, I remember watching a Loose Women programme (yes I am quoting Loose Women in my blog - I have reached new lows!!). They were discussing the weather and how it has changed over the years. One person commented that the weather always used to be glorious all summer and all of their childhood memories were of playing out in the sun. Another said they had always thought the same until they had got out a photo album and many of the experiences they had remembered as being in beautiful weather were in fact shown in the pictures to have been in the wet, grey and dull weather we seem to have every day! She commented on the fact that the pictures seemed to show a different story to her memory and how this had shocked her. She concluded that maybe the simple fact that she remembered having a fun day out with her family had completely over ruled the memory of the weather being miserable!
The emotions connected to the event had changed the actual experience  - effecting her memory.
I followed the link to Kahneman's talk on happiness and memory vs experience and was very interested in what he had to say, particularly the following statement:
"...it's about being happy IN your life and being happy ABOUT your life."

I think this I connected to the issue I discussed. Was the event as good as she remembers or is it the idea of the perfect day out with her family that has stuck as a memory? Is the weather really the only difference between her memory and the photograph or is it more connected to her emotions? Maybe she is happier thinking ABOUT her life than the experiences IN her life, as Kahneman discussed. Personally, I'd be inclined to think so.

What kind of learner are you?

As a teaching assistant in a primary school I spend most of my days supporting groups of children who need extra input. I am regularly in meetings with teachers, co-ordinators and external specialists who talk me through the specific needs of individuals and how best to teach them. I am regularly told "keep it visual, they are a visual learner" or "make sure they have lots of interactive activities, they definitely need to DO something for it to go in". Obviously I know what it means, however I have never really thought about it in depth before this point, I have just got on with my work! The seconder reader, however, certainly made me think about this. The learning cycle clicked for me, where do people 'jump' into the cycle and what follows on from the initial learning stage. I know I personally like to watch things first, whether that's watching how others go about a situation or watching my husband show me how to work my new laptop!! I think it is linked to a confidence thing as well. I am not good when it comes to setting up new technology, for example, so I will happily let somebody learn how to work something by getting stuck in and trying it out and then letting them show me how it is done. Does that mean I start the cycle at the "Reflective Observation" stage? I think it does, although I am open to suggestions!
Having said all this, when I carried on reading I realised I must be an "online" reflection in action thinker. Now I am confused by this as surely that does not sit well with the premise of "Reflective Observation". The whole section about dancers thinking on their feet really struck a chord with me. When performing I was always good at being able to make quick decisions to keep a scene or dance moving. The same applies to my teaching, being a dance teacher I have learnt to be able to think on my feet. Maybe my planned lesson was way to hard/easy so I would have to quickly rethink the lesson objectives, maybe the children had been on a school trip the day before and simply didn't have energy for the lesson I had planned, maybe there was a visitor coming in school for an assembly so my lesson would be only half as long. Believe me all these things have happened on many occasions! It certainly makes you able to just get on with things and be "on-line". Is this anything to do with reflective thinking or is this simply connected to being experienced in your job? Does this mean I am a reflection-in-action thinker or just able to get on with things? I guess it certainly mean I have converted my experiences into knowledge, whether I have realised it or not, and been able to pull from them in an hour of need!

Whether any of this makes any sense or not, I am certainly enjoying thinking it through and I am sure I will go away now and think further. I will report back with any developments.....

New look...

I thought I would give my blog a mini makeover. I like to keep things looking fresh, I think that not only do others look things differently, so do I. It sounds silly but i feel ready to attack the next task having sat down, had another good read of the Reader, made another installment in my journal and given my blog a new look! I have had a look through all my blogs and had a think about them all, I guess the Reader has worked as I didn't intend to have a look and think again but found myself thinking about my approach to previous blogs. I know we have barely started the course but I do feel I have changed so much already in my approach to work tasks, particularly blogging. My first blog took me ages, thinking carefully about every word: What should I say? How should I put that? Does it sound right? And now I find it a lot easier to get my thoughts down and progress... I guess I have accidentally stumbled upon reflection!

Task 1c: My YouTube clip

Here is my YouTube clip for task 1c. I hope it works!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yk61JgBn58&feature=youtu.be

A Journal...

Is anyone else as hesitant as me about starting a journal? I really don't know why I seem to have a mental block on writing a journal! It's not like I'm not a 'good thinker' I think I'm better described as an overthinker so that isn't the problem, I have many thoughts a variety of things connected to my job, the course and performing arts in general, it's just the getting it down on paper that is the problem. I haven't had a problem approaching tasks on the course so far but this has made me wobble! Has anyone got any suggestions about where to start? I'd love to be writing a little blog on how much I am enjoying getting into getting my thoughts out on a daily basis but I thought I was better being honest and getting my thoughts out there.......

Task 1d: Flickr

I have created a Flickr account and uploaded a few pictures. The photos I chose to upload are all quite old - portfolio pictures and performances from when I was at college. Due to my job working with children, the majority of photos of me working and dancing include children and so I didn't want to post them online. It was good to look back through my old photos and remember a lot of good times at Laines.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannah_shepherd/