Change in the 10th Week

Last Monday, I went to a diversity event lectured by Anne Clifford. The event was about Wangari Maathai and her role in the Green Belt Movement. Wangari was a Kenyan woman who was an environmentalist and won the Nobel Prize for her work in sustainable development and promoting democracy and peace. I didn’t stay for the whole event, but I did learn quite a bit about Wangari. I learned that she was one of the first scientists to identify the problem of climate change. I also learned that she sought to eliminate discrimination not just in Kenya but in Sub-Saharan Africa as well. She did this by having women help with her projects to show that they were important as well.

Overall, I thought that this event had too much of an emphasis on religion. However, considering that Wangari was a Catholic, and because the event was sponsored by the St. Thomas Aquinas Church, this was probably unavoidable. In addition, I thought that Wangari’s actions are something that we can all learn from. Finally, I felt that Wangari is an example of one person having a great impact on the world. She is proof that you do not need to be powerful to make changes.

One of the things I learned about and that I can apply to being a peer mentor is Wangari’s idea of the African Stool. She argued that the African Stool can be applied to life in that it has three important components: A need for democracy, sustainable management of resources, and formation of “cultures of peace.” I can apply democracy to being a peer mentor by allowing recitations and planning with co-leaders to be a place where everyone can have a voice. Sustainable management of resources is something that Chapter 10 in Students Helping Students mentioned as well. It is important because it promotes a better future. Finally, with the formation of “cultures of peace,” I, as a peer mentor, can make recitations be filled with compassion, tolerance, and justice.

One final thing I can apply as peer mentor is the idea of Catholic Social Thought (or common sense to the non-relgious). As a peer mentor, I can promote respect for the dignity of every person in my classes. In addition, my co-leader and I can work for solidarity and the common good in order to see development in the classroom. Finally, it is important to promote peacemaking not only to be a good role model but also to solve conflicts as well.

Going Digital in the 10th week

This week in class, Christina and Kaylene taught a session on resources. One activity that they did was having us talk to partners about resources that we have used on campus. I frequently talk to the Office of Financial Aid. I also use Debra, Allison, and Silas as resources, and I have them help me locate resources. Another resource I use is the library. Knowing about these resources and what they do will help next fall when I have students come to me with problems that I cannot solve on my own. In addition, Kaylene and Christina had us identify the various buildings and resources on campus and explain their functions. This will also help next fall.

In addition to the lesson, Allison and Silas took our group around the campus to see the various buildings and identify the resources within them. I learned a great deal including the English center in Carver, some knowledge about the Sloss House, and I learned about the biofeedback center in the Counseling service center which I plan to use now. Understanding the exact location of these resources will come in handy when I refer students to them next semester.

For this week, we are working on our digital storytelling project. Currently, we have two scenes out of the three total completed. I have enjoyed working with the rest of the group, and I believe that it has helped us bond. It has also introduced teamwork which will be an important trait for co-leaders to have. Another important thing that this experience has taught me is that your plans may need to be adjusted. I learned this from having to change around actors in scenes and by having to adjust the script. 

Resources: The 9th Wonder of the Worldet

Last week, Laura Wentworth and I taught a learning session on strategies for academic success. Overall, I feel the lesson went well. We were able to get our points across, and Laura and I worked well together. One of the issues that people felt we should work on was that our instructions needed to be clearer. This makes sense as I now realize that we might have been vague in what we were looking for. I hope to work on this so that when I teach a recitation next semester, I can help all the students understand what I am trying to say. I feel that this lesson has prepared me for next semester, but I also understand that I have a lot to learn before then.

For this week, we had to read Chapter 9 in Students Helping Students. This chapter was about resources and referring to resources which is what I think a big part of the peer mentor role is about. One important point from the chapter was that today’s world is changing, and our idea of age has to change as well. Instead of using years, we should use days. The book recommended the website http://www.peterrussell.com/odds/worldclock.php. There I found that I could expect to live to about the age of 78, and that I am 7171 days old. One other thing I learned from this chapter is that there are important factors that go into understanding when and how to refer to resources. For example, if you need to know when to refer to someone to a resource, you must first listen to them. You must also understand your own abilities, so that you can understand if you have the ability to help a student. You must also consider that you may not know the student’s needs and that they may need to seek a counselor. I like this point as it helps avoid mistakes. You wouldn’t want to recommend a resource if you cannot clearly define a student’s issue.

I consider providing resources the easiest and best part of being a peer mentor. It will require some work as I still am unacquainted with some parts of this college. A great example of how to fulfill this part of being a peer mentor was provided to me while I was a first year Hixson. My peer mentors did a great job of helping me find the right resources for some of my problems on campus. I hope I can do just as great a job of them when I get the opportunity to do this next fall.

Social Media and ISCORE in the 8th week

This week was the start of social media week. In class, we brought our computers and tweeted for little bit. Social media is something that I am quite familiar with. I have been on Facebook since freshman year of high school, and I started Twitter about two years ago. I wasn’t an avid Twitterer until last year when it was required for social media week. Now I am quite familiar with it. I understand the value of social media as well. Many employers look at it when evaluating potential employees. It is also a great method of getting your name out there, and I think I am doing a terrific job at that. When teaching the recitation sessions next semester, we will have to do a social media week with them as well, and I believe that my experience will help in convincing them as to how helpful it is.

In addition, the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE) was this week. I could only attend one session, and I found that the session I wanted to attend was cancelled. Instead, I went to a much more interesting sounding session called “But, That Isn’t What Was Shown to Me! Inaccurate Portrayals of Indigenous Peoples in Media and Literature.” This was a particularly interesting session as they showed clips from two movies that I watched when I was younger, and they pointed out how they misrepresented Native American groups. When I watched these movies at a younger age, I don’t remember noticing the portrayal of the groups, but I now realize how easy it was to misrepresent a group to children. One question that the group who was presenting asked was “Is it better to be underrepresented or misrepresented.” Everyone seemed to agree that being underrepresented was better as your group is not being seen in stereotypes. In addition, there were several people who said both types were bad. However, I feel it is better to be misrepresented because underrepresentation leads to people not being aware that your group exists. This can lead to conflict in the future. In addition, if your group is misrepresented, then that gives your group a chance to wow others by showing that you are nothing like the media portrays you. By the end of the session, I realized that there was a great deal of stereotypes and misrepresentation about indigenous peoples in the media. However, there are times when I feel that the presenters overanalyzed such as when they talked about the movie “The Indian and the Cupboard.” Still, I feel like I learned a great deal from this session, and I will utilize this information next semester and in life as well. 

Leading the Charge in to the 7th Week

This week in class, Thao and Darcy taught a spectacular lesson on groups. As a demonstration, they had all of us stand on a blanket and try to flip it over while still standing on it. I thought it was going to be difficult, but luckily, this was a group experiment, and we managed to pull it off due to Rachel and Amy’s experience and the directions of several group members. While this week’s lesson was about groups, I couldn’t help but notice that we peer mentors are working well as a group. I think this will lead to some great experiences in the future. In addition, Silas and Allie prepared two really great activities this week. One of them was an obstacle course that we had to perform blindfolded while a partner guided us. I was partnered with Megan, and I found it was rather difficult. Megan had an advantage because she saw the course layout before she was blindfolded. Still, it was a challenge for her as well. I think this is a handy lesson for next semester. Even with experience, if we do not know what our fellow peer mentor is doing, we will be confused. The other activity that Allie and Silas prepared was a fun game of (sort of) Pictionary. It was a fun icebreaker, and I hope to use it next semester if possible.

For this week, we had to read Chapter 7 in Students Helping Students. This chapter was all about leading groups. One thing I found interesting about the chapter was the term “Zeitgeist” which pointed out that leadership was dependent on circumstances. I believe this is true as I may become a leader at the right time in one situation, but I may refrain from taking on the leadership role in another situation. While this is a good idea, there are others, but the book reminds us that peer mentors must examine the characteristics of leadership in order to take on the leadership role.  Such characteristics are model behavior, getting members involved, and recognition and rewarding. In terms of model behavior, a leader tends to take on principles and values that they want the group to follow. In terms of getting members involved, a leader must make sure everyone is involved, but must also make sure the group can say that they were independent. A leader must also remember that some members may not want to be involved due to personality reasons or a lack of interest, and they must take steps to fix this. Whenever I am in a group, I make sure to encourage everyone to become involved, so they can do their fair share while making sure that they can feel like they accomplished something with the project. Finally, in terms of recognition and rewarding, leaders practice reinforcement and celebrate when the group has accomplished a goal. Next semester, I hope to take on a co-leader role with the other peer mentor that I am partnered with as we lead the recitation. I have acted as a leader before, but now that I know of these traits and steps I can take to reinforcing effectiveness as a leader, I feel that I will become an even better leader and help the new Hixson who enter in the fall.

Six Makes a Group

This week in class Carly and Michael went over problem solving. I found their lesson to be particularly interesting as I found out my conflict management style. My style is competing. I can see how this would as when I get into arguments or talk about solving a problem, I tend to only see my side of things and often refuse to compromise. I believe this shows that I am always dedicated to my solutions, but I can understand how it would be a problem as well. I tend to be too stubborn, and I often ignore important issues because of this. I hope I can keep this style while fixing my minor problems, so that I can employ it when I handle a class next semester. In addition to Carly and Michael’s lesson, Silas had us pair up and gave us different situations to go over together. I was paired up with Darcy Bohner, and we played twenty questions. It was pretty challenging figuring out what she was thinking of, but it gave me great insight into what goes on in her head. Also, it helped me figure out that in order to solve problems with another person, it would help if they came out and told you what they wanted you to know. However, this rarely happens, and you sometimes have to guess at what problem needs solving and hope you get close.

For this week, we also had to read Chapter 6 in Students Helping Students. This chapter was about groups and how they work. I was fairly familiar with some of the information in the chapter such communication being very important in groups and positive attitude improving group atmosphere, but I was happy to learn some of the ways that group communication and group atmosphere could be improved. For example, it is important to be clear on instructions and messages in a group, and it is important to ask questions and talk about feelings in the group. In addition, group atmosphere can be improved by giving recognition when cooperation and support is shown and by addressing negative energy before it can harm the group. I believe that understanding how to improve the overall function of groups can help me greatly. It can help the UST 311 class as we are group. Also, it can help me when I am working in project groups and when I teach the recitation class next semester. 

Sebastian Niles: Problem Solver

This week in class, Lauren and Dylan led a discussion on interpersonal communication skills. During the discussion, we were asked to identify our communication strengths and weaknesses. In addition, we had to do a role play about a situation in which we used interpersonal communication and advice giving. Overall, it seemed that advice giving is useful in some situations, but most of the time, us peer mentors should use interpersonal communication. As a whole, I think Dylan and Lauren did a great job teaching, and I believe they will do a great job next fall as well.

In addition, we had to read chapter four in Students Helping Students which was about problem solving. I especially liked how this flowed smoothly from the previous chapter. One of the first steps in solving a problem is to assess the situation to find out how to handle the problem. One of the ways to do this is to ask questions. The questions need to be open-ended and be structured in that they make the student elaborate. You also need to ask follow up questions and summarize what the student has said in order to let them know that you are following them. Finally, you have to formulate a hypothesis on what can be done about the problem. Another technique that can be used to figure out how to solve a problem is to use resources on a campus or in a professional setting to find a solution. For example, there is a test on campus that students can take that will allow them to better understand what majors they will like. Yet another technique is self-reporting. This technique requires students to take notes and analyze their progress with the help of a peer leader. I like this technique the most because it requires the individual to evaluate their behavior and come up with solutions that will be fitting for them.

In order to solve problems, you must come up with goals. Goals must be clear and define what the outcome must be, they must be within the realm of possibility, and they should be measurable. In addition to thinking about goals, one must also understand factors that allow for success and factors that prevent success and overcome them. I believe this information will be helpful next semester if and when students in my recitation section come to me for help. This will also be helpful in that I can employ this with myself as well in order to accomplish major goals in my life.

Finally, a person must take on a positive attitude when coming up with goals and putting them into action. They must understand that opposition is likely, but that they should continue with their goals. It is also important to show recognition when someone completes their goal. Looking back, I realize that I have received a lot of recognition for completing important activities in my life, and I realize that the awareness I received influenced me to do more.