Week 1: Mentor Communicator I think the person I have seen demonstrate effective communication with others is my supervisor. She’s our director of Early Learning has been in the field for over 15 years in various roles. She’s a strong and confident Latina woman with strong ethical and professional morals. She’s a great listener, problem solver, and remains neutral to political issues. I’m fortunate to have someone within the field that I can learn from and seek guidance and support from when needed.
For this assignment I chose watching a Spanish novela (soap opera). This is something I very rarely do!
With the volume muted, I observed the communication and relationships between the characters to be very physical and non-verbal. I could tell from the scene I was watching that there was a very strong relationship between the man and woman. They were definitely in an intimate relationship with one another. Their feelings expressed intimacy, trust, love, and affection based on the non-verbal behaviors I observed. They looked very happy with one another and seemed like they had known each other for a very long time.
With the volume now on, I observed pretty much the same behaviors as I did with the volume off. However, it was disclosed that the couple was having an affair with one another and my assumption about them knowing each other for a long time was incorrect. This was something I would not have been able to know without the volume on. Although, I’m sure if I continue watching a few more episodes this behavior would be observable in a non-verbal way!
From this activity, I learned that verbal and non-verbal communication is equally as important and we can observe differently by having preconceived assumptions and/or feelings about the situation. I think it would be helpful to know that communication is not one-sided and comes from a person’s emotions, experiences, culture, and any previous situations that have impacted their opinions and/or feelings. Although we might not always know this information, we still need to remain mindful and aware of the various dispositions and personalities of the people we’re communicating with.
Week 5: Last week I had a meeting with one of our community partner agencies to discuss our current contract with them. We needed to meet to discuss budgeting, reporting, and accountability. This conversation was definitely a serious one and I felt really apprehensive about it. Luckily, our early learning department director facilitated and led the discussion. It ended up going quit well and we were able to clarify some lingering questions we had. I don’t think this meeting would’ve gone well if we had not had a great working relationship with them. The professional relationship and history we have with them allowed us to successfully negotiate, discuss, and collaborate with each other. Relationships are key in any field and build the foundation for progress and success. I was glad my boss was able to lead this difficult topic and I was able to observe her communication skills and learn from the effectiveness she asserts. It’s great having a boss you can learn from, seek advice or assistance from, and have as a mentor.
I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for contributing to my learning this semester. I enjoyed your blog as well as our discussions, and hope to see you in class again. I hope that you maintain the passion and dedication you have for the field of early childhood education, and that you are able to successfully apply all that we have learned. All the best to you in your career and studies. If you would like to keep in touch my email is LisaMartin310@aol.com. Perhaps we can meet up at graduation, or if you are ever in the Garden State we can get together.
I would like to take a moment and thank everyone who read my blogs for this course. It has been a great learning experience this semester and I have learned from each and everyone of you who participated in the discussions and blog responses. I wish you all well in your coursework and thank you for being a supportive group of classmates. I will definitely be able to use the strategies and tools I learned this semester around communication with families, colleagues, children, and other professionals.
Week 1: Mentor Communicator
ReplyDeleteI think the person I have seen demonstrate effective communication with others is my supervisor. She’s our director of Early Learning has been in the field for over 15 years in various roles. She’s a strong and confident Latina woman with strong ethical and professional morals. She’s a great listener, problem solver, and remains neutral to political issues.
I’m fortunate to have someone within the field that I can learn from and seek guidance and support from when needed.
Week 2:
ReplyDeleteFor this assignment I chose watching a Spanish novela (soap opera). This is something I very rarely do!
With the volume muted, I observed the communication and relationships between the characters to be very physical and non-verbal. I could tell from the scene I was watching that there was a very strong relationship between the man and woman. They were definitely in an intimate relationship with one another. Their feelings expressed intimacy, trust, love, and affection based on the non-verbal behaviors I observed. They looked very happy with one another and seemed like they had known each other for a very long time.
With the volume now on, I observed pretty much the same behaviors as I did with the volume off. However, it was disclosed that the couple was having an affair with one another and my assumption about them knowing each other for a long time was incorrect. This was something I would not have been able to know without the volume on. Although, I’m sure if I continue watching a few more episodes this behavior would be observable in a non-verbal way!
From this activity, I learned that verbal and non-verbal communication is equally as important and we can observe differently by having preconceived assumptions and/or feelings about the situation. I think it would be helpful to know that communication is not one-sided and comes from a person’s emotions, experiences, culture, and any previous situations that have impacted their opinions and/or feelings. Although we might not always know this information, we still need to remain mindful and aware of the various dispositions and personalities of the people we’re communicating with.
Week 5:
ReplyDeleteLast week I had a meeting with one of our community partner agencies to discuss our current contract with them. We needed to meet to discuss budgeting, reporting, and accountability. This conversation was definitely a serious one and I felt really apprehensive about it. Luckily, our early learning department director facilitated and led the discussion. It ended up going quit well and we were able to clarify some lingering questions we had.
I don’t think this meeting would’ve gone well if we had not had a great working relationship with them. The professional relationship and history we have with them allowed us to successfully negotiate, discuss, and collaborate with each other. Relationships are key in any field and build the foundation for progress and success.
I was glad my boss was able to lead this difficult topic and I was able to observe her communication skills and learn from the effectiveness she asserts. It’s great having a boss you can learn from, seek advice or assistance from, and have as a mentor.
Maggie,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to take a minute to thank you for contributing to my learning this semester. I enjoyed your blog as well as our discussions, and hope to see you in class again. I hope that you maintain the passion and dedication you have for the field of early childhood education, and that you are able to successfully apply all that we have learned. All the best to you in your career and studies. If you would like to keep in touch my email is LisaMartin310@aol.com. Perhaps we can meet up at graduation, or if you are ever in the Garden State we can get together.
Week 8
ReplyDeleteI would like to take a moment and thank everyone who read my blogs for this course. It has been a great learning experience this semester and I have learned from each and everyone of you who participated in the discussions and blog responses. I wish you all well in your coursework and thank you for being a supportive group of classmates. I will definitely be able to use the strategies and tools I learned this semester around communication with families, colleagues, children, and other professionals.