Reaching Out

During the wagon wheel activity the different people I partnered up with affected my participation. I behaved differently with every partner depending on how well I knew each one. Even though I was more comfortable and open with the individuals I already knew I still made an effort with those I did not know as well because, I remembered last semester I was shy and didn’t really talk to anyone unless they said something to me first. 

 

So I tried to find things about the person, I partnered up with, that we can talk about to make the moment easier. To make my partners feel as if I were engaged in the conversation and to let them know I was invested in their answers, I listened to what they had to say and did not interrupt them with questions I had until we finished. By listening and not interrupting I felt I understood them more than if I asked them questions and because I did not stop them from talking, their point made more sense.   

 

After talking to the different people during the wagon wheel, I felt as if it was a door opener for future conversations that may have not happened if it weren’t for the activity. 

I feel that in situations where a person is familiar with the surrounding environment, it is up to them to reach out to those less comfortable and make them feel welcomed. Due to my experiences last semester I realized how it can be difficult for a shy or new person that doesn’t know anyone, come into a class and make friends or start conversations.      

Teamwork

The health of our learning community is very good and there is a good amount of learning going on. The group presentations have really help our community bond closer and get involved with one another because, meeting up outside of class and working together helps strengthen the health of our community.

I have never been the best partner but I try to work harder when doing group work because I do not want to anger or disappoint the team. Working in teams is an important part of our community because it makes us work harder and build confidence in one another.   

It also helps us learn the concept we are presenting and learn the concepts others are presenting to us because every presentation has a little bit of the teams personality in it that makes the presentation more appealing and interesting. For example, some are very comedic and others are very smart and informative.  

The films are also going to help the health of our community because the first one went very well, many showed up and contributed, they brought food to share with everyone and everyone was in a happy mood. A great amount of our learning has to do with the emphasis on community because most of the work and activities have to do with everyone getting involved and communicating.