EDUC-6165 Week 6

          I have had many positive as well as some negative experiences when working in group projects at school and also in the work place. I think that many of the negative experiences that I had were because of a lack of communication or a misunderstanding that happened between members of the group.

I do believe that high-performing groups have been the hardest to leave for me. When we all work hard and in unity, we get to appreciate each individual and we get to appreciate them for their effort and dedication to the activity and to the group. But, I Also think that even though low-performing groups are a relief to leave, they always leave a sad feeling inside of me. I feel bad because things didn't go smoothly like I would have liked, especially if I was the main one involved in the conflict or disagreement. I don't like to feel that I failed myself or that I failed others.

What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced?

          During one summer, I had the opportunity to work on a project with an amazing group of individuals. After we turned in our group project, we went to the campus pub and ordered food and fine spirits and had a great time reminiscing about the weeks that we had spent together working with the children (practicum) and completing our final project. 

       
       
   I don't even want to think about adjourning with this great group of colleagues that I have met while working on my master's degree. Just thinking about it is making me emotional. I have learned so much from many of my collgueages. Their ideas, thoughts, and constructive advice and feedback has opened up my eyes to see things from a different perspective. Even though, I cannot literally hear them, I have learned to be a better listener and to be more aware of the messages that they were conveying when I read their posts. 

I do think that adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it brings closure. Like in any situation, It helps us to close that chapter and move. 

  

EDUC-6165 Week 5

• Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict?

• Also, if appropriate, ask your colleagues for their input and advice regarding, if not specific problems, how they have learned to be more effective communicators as it relates to conflict resolution skills.

       
The one disagreement that I recently experienced was with my teenage daughter (14). The conflict that we had was because she wanted to stay out later than her curfew. Her curfew is 9 or 10pm depending on the activity that she's's engaging in. Her dad and I gave her permission to go out last weekend and she called me asking if she could stay out longer and catch a ride with one of her friend's parents. She was not understanding that we love her and are just watching out for her safety. All she sees is a lot of children her age hanging out late and she wants to hang out too, but I do not feel comfortable having her hang out too late. 


Strategies that might help me to manage or resolve this conflict:

• We have and will continue to discuss (every time before she goes out) that either her dad or I will pick her up. That way she will be home on time and that will help avoid conflict/arguments about why she's home late. We explained to her the reasons why we do not want her to be out too late and why we do not want her catching rides with other people. 

• One of the 3 R's which is Respect. I will continue to talk, treat, and approach her with respect because positive relationships/interactions is the foundation for future learning and relationships (Cheshire, 2007).

When I asked her about our discussion, she said that she appreciates that I always talk to her with respect and that she appreciates that I care for her well being and that I give her a chance to share her feelings and thoughts. 

She also said that she understands that even though she's a teenager now, she is still our little girl and that she needs to follow the rules that we set for her because they are for her own well-being.

Reference:

Cheshire, N. 2007. The 3 R's: Gateway to Infant and Toddler Learning. Retrieved

from:https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/USW1.47423.201760/Cheshire_3Rs_2007.   pdf

EDUC-6165 Week 4

My scores for the assessments are as follows:

Listening Style: 38-(group 1: people oriented) “You are empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others. This style helps you to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgement because you tend to be very trusting of others.

Verbal Aggressiveness Scale: 61-(moderate)“You maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person attacking that position.

Communication Anxiety Inventory: 30-(Low) “You reported that you feel comfortable communicating in most situations and feel confident in anticipating such encounters. 

There were more similarities than differences between how I evaluated myself as a communicator and how my husband and my co-worker evaluated me. The scores for Listening Style and Communication Anxiety had similar scores and Verbal Aggressiveness Scale was the one that was a little bit different. On the Verbal Aggressiveness scale I evaluated myself as moderate and they evaluated me as LOW. Even though moderate and low are very similar, they did mention that even though I am very respectful, I try very hard to change people's minds, ideas, and/thoughts, especially when we are discussing a topic that I feel passionate about. 

Being able to hear how others perceive me as a communicator, helps me to evaluate myself and improve on what needs improvement. I did not know that I may come across as trying to change people's thoughts and ideas by being persistent or by pushing my own ideas on them so even though I will stay true to my ideas and beliefs and who I am, I am going to try to be more conscious when I communicate with others. I don't want people to feel that I don't value their thoughts, opinions, and/or ideas. I want to be able to have open communication with everyone and encourage them to share their own ideas with me. I will try to find other techniques and learn how to  recognize cultural differences, learn about people's backgrounds, beliefs, and ask as many questions as I need to so I can get to know that person better (O'Hair et al., 2015). 

Reference:

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J.  (2015). Real communication (3rd. 

             ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's. 

EDUC-6165 Week 3

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

          When I worked as a parent facilitator and as I home base teacher, I observed myself changing gears a lot when it came to the way that I communicated with each individual family/person. I worked with families from different cultural backgrounds as well as from different age groups so I had to communicate with them in a way that they understood what I was saying. I also had to use different terminology, especially with my Latino families since some words have different meanings in the Spanish language. I remember that one time I used the word "fresco" which to me means fresh, but to my Colombian family it meant "calm down/chill out."  To my Guatemalan family it meant "juice" and to one of my Mexican families from the state of Guerrero, it meant "gay". This is just one example of the many things that I have experienced through out my career in the early childhood field. 

          I also see this happening in my personal life as well because I have been living in a cul de sac for the past 7 years and I have Vietnamese, Filipino, Mexican, Caucasian, and Cambodian neighbors. 

If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

I use different communication styles with each neighbor, especially with the ones that I do not know very well. 

• My neighbor from Vietnam is very friendly. She greets me with a hug and we laugh a lot together. When we talk, I make a lot of eye contact and I sometimes even place my hand on her shoulder depending on the topic. With her, I also use a louder tone of voice because her tone is loud and I feel comfortable. I also reinforce with body language with what I am saying since her English is limited and sometimes she does not fully understand what I mean. 

• With my neighbor from the Philippines, I use a soft tone of voice, make eye contact, and I mostly just ask how his children are doing and nothing more. 

• My neighbors from Mexico are a young family of four and we just smile and wave at each other because they are very private and keep to themselves.

• My caucasian neighbor is an older lady and we do not see each other a lot, but when we do, we greet each other. I use a soft tone of voice, make eye contact, nod, ask questions, I have good posture so she can know that I am listening to her, and I wait until she's completely done speaking before I speak. 

• I have two neighbors from Cambodia. We don't really communicate with each other and what I have noticed is that they also do not communicate with any of the other neighbors besides with each other. I have seen that they greet each other and say a few words in their language, but they do not even look my way. I also turn my face and try not to make eye contact because I really do not know how to even begin a conversation with them. They are also older people and they keep to themselves. One day the mailman left their mail in my mailbox and I went over, rang the door bell, and I could see that they were in the living room watching television, but they did not come to the door so I left their mail in their mailbox and left. 

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

The three strategies that I am going to use to help me communicate more effectively are:

1. I will definitely try to learn more about the different cultures, especially the Cambodian culture so I can begin to build a relationship with my neighbors or so I can at least understand where they are coming from. I think that if I at least greet them it would be a win for me because we have been neighbors for 7 years and I don't even know their names.

2. Identifying something that I may have in common instead of the differences. Identifying something that people have in common helps build bridges (Beebe et al, 2011). 

3. Another strategy that I would use is to have an open mind and not stereotype or make assumption because not every person from the same culture shares the same values, beliefs, or point of views. We have learned that their own personal experiences shapes the way that they see the world. 

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

EDUC 6165-Week 2

Blog Assignment-Week 2

As you have been learning, communication is not always straightforward. Everyone, at some time or another, makes assumptions based on messages communicated through body language and facial expressions.

For this assignment, again consider what you have been learning about communication skills and styles. Then record an episode of a television show you do not normally watch. Watch the show with the sound turned off.

The television show that I watched is FRIENDS. The episode title is: "THE ONE WITH MRS. BING."

• What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

The characters are obviously all friends and very good friends I would say. They seem to be very comfortable with each other. They speak to each other in a friendly manner as well as get in each others face. At times, they smiled and seemed to be joking with each other and at other times, it seemed like if they yelled and got upset and even walked away slamming the door on their way out, but by the next minute, they were together again and smiling with each other.

What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

Some of the feelings that I observed were of content because they seemed to be smiling a lot with each other. They also seemed to be upset with each other because they waved their arms,  frowned their faces and seemed to be raising their voices at each other. They also seemed to be very comfortable with each other because they smacked each others arms and shushed each other at times. I also saw sadness in one of the character's face (Ross) because his eyes were droopy and he slouched and dragged his feet when he walked. 

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

One of the assumptions that I made was that Chandler was upset and jealous of Ross because the older blond lady kissed him. I thought that Chandler had a crush on the lady, but it happens that the lady (Mrs. Bing) was his mother. I also thought that the lady wanted Ross because she kissed him, but in reality, she was trying to make him feel better because he was sad and depressed due to the fact that Rachel (his crush) was lovey dovey with her new boyfriend. 


The other assumption that I made was that Phoebe and Monica were tending to the guy that got ran over by the ambulance because it was their fault that he did and they felt bad. They both spent many days at the hospital caring for him. They shaved him, sang to him, and even dressed him. I found out that they were both interested in him romantically and did not really care that he was hurt. They both wanted him to see that they cared for him while he was in a coma and to get chosen to date. They had ulterior motives and were upset when he did not choose either one of them. 

• Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

Yes, I do think that my assumptions would have been more correct if I would have been watching a show that I knew well because you get to know each character and how they act. I think that I am even able to picture the characters of the shows that I do watch in my head and can kind of predict how they are going to act or what they are going to say just by the fact that I do pay attention if something is interesting to me. 




Wow! Before watching this episode without sound, I did not know that I made so many assumptions. I basically changed the entire story. Now I know how important it is to not only listen, but to really understand what is being said and not assume because when we do not, misunderstanding happen and it is unfortunate when misunderstanding happen with the people that we work with, especially the children's families. Relationships are built on trust and a way to gain trust is through effective communicating with each other. 

EDUC-6165 Blog Assignment Week 1

• Think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

                                                                                                                                                                                     

I can think of many people that I know that demonstrate competent communication skills, but the one person that stands out to me is my best friend Gisela. Gisela is a good listener and she displays good body language. When I communicate with her, she uses eye contact, engages in back and forth communication when needed, shows respect, empathy, asks questions, is open minded, and her tone of voice is friendly. I never have to worry about her being on her phone or getting 
distracted with other things.

          

I definitely want to model all communication behaviors after Gisela because she has great communication behaviors and makes everyone feel respected and important when talking with her. She gives her full attention and is very wise when giving back feedback. She observes and analyses things before making any comments. 

Professional Hopes and Goals

 Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse background

I do work with children and families from diverse backgrounds and the hope that I have is for me to be able to make them feel comfortable, welcomed, and part of our community. I want them to feel that they belong and that they can share their ideas, customs, and any information that is important to them. 

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice 

The goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is for all early educators to be required to take courses on issues of diversity, equity, and social justice early on so they can learn the important information. The sooner we learn, the better it is for everyone. 

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

I would like to take this time to thank all of you for the positive comments and the support that you have provided me with. I have enjoyed reading your blogs and discussions and I have learned so much from your point of view and from your ideas. Thank you so much and I wish everyone much success in your future courses.

Reyna