Hello everybody,
I found both classes this week to be particularly helpful in terms of reflection on what we are doing in the Communication classes. The idea behind this week's classes was to get you to reflect on what you are doing well, where you can improve, what you like and what you don't like. You should always think critically, so I think some of you were being overly kind when it came to how I can improve your learning, what you don't like about the classes etc! That said, it was nice to hear so many positive comments from you all, it certainly makes me feel good that you are enjoying learning about Communication and more importantly, how these skills will help you when you make the move up the academic ladder and into the field of Nursing. I have paraphrased some of the themes coming out of the questionnaire I asked you to fill in. I was too modest to write down some of the very nice things you said about me!
Classroom activities - I can use the skills learned in the classes for other subjects, the explanations are clear and there's many ways to answer something if you can provide appropriate back-up, I find working in groups less pressurized than being on my own and learn well this way, I like the exemplar answers as this helped a lot when doing the reading assessments, I like listening to an entertaining lecturer who is willing to listen to his audience and learn from us too, I now know what TED is and can see how helpful that is for learning, everybody is encouraged to contribute to discussions whatever their view might be, I like studying on my own as I work better that way and am more of a listener than a contributor to class chats, I loved the moral dilemmas as we had different points of view which was encouraged, I like working away at my own pace, group working helps me to prepare for other areas of the course, the lecturer knows his stuff which helps me to learn, I like listening to classmates who may interpret things differently from me.
Areas where I feel I have progressed - writing and expanding on answers, I'm more confident even when I am remediating as it is done subtly and without any fuss, regained lost confidence, understanding reading and writing and how to evaluate them, talking in large groups, being able to relax and not thinking the worst all the time, realizing that I can do and I want to do! I can talk out in the class better now and don't feel embarrassed, thinking more about what I am reading, my writing ability has improved, passing assessments has helped me a lot.
Areas where I have done less well - summarizing skills, there's always room for improvement, make more time when writing and making sure my submission is of a good quality for the lecturer to read, read the blog more as I realize there are many interesting things on there to help us all, interpreting the words of others can be challenging, I still worry my answers aren't good enough but as Mark says "what's the worst than can happen?", spelling and punctuation, I could have prepared better for the discussion assessment, writing could still be better, I feel I could still expand on some answers I give.
I could improve my own learning by - studying more, not doubting myself, less procrastination, getting on with things and being more confident in my ability, managing my time better, by buying the suggested text Mark mentioned on writing skills, sticking to my study timetable, more reading, relax more and consider ways to achieve this, trying to be less distracted, more confidence, I need to allow myself more time to read things and not rush into things, buying more books as recommended and clicking the links on the class blog.
What I like most about the Communication classes - the energetic approach of the lecturer, I know I can ask him questions and he will help me, I don't feel rushed with the assessments as there is sufficient time to complete them, helpnotes were very helpful indeed, feedback is thorough and fair, Mark discusses lots of interesting topics and is passionate about his teaching, I am achieving in this class when I was sure I wouldn't, classes are always organized and well structured, great environment where everybody has a voice, I want to do well for me and for Mark too as he works so hard for us, explanations are always clear and Mark is open to different answers which are backed up with sufficient evidence which I like, the classes are engaging, fun and helpful to us, I love that it is challenging and to pass you have to really perform at a high level, the blog is really useful as Mark recaps the information from the classes and there's a lot of helpful links there too for us to look at in our own time, the experiences of the lecturer and his many stories from over the years, students don't feel pressured in the classes and are supported well, the fact that the lecturer insists on classes starting on time, I can put my Communication skills into practice on a daily basis, I really enjoyed the Randy Pausch presentation as I found it inspiring, I like applying Communication to the outside world, I like learning new and relevant things in this class, good variety of work and the lessons are broken down well, good learning environment and well managed.
What I like least about the Communication classes - the chairs in 4013, the coldness of the room, the no coffee policy, board too dark and too far away, sometimes the class can get a little noisy with lots of people keen to talk about a given topic, if I am late and the class has started, the door is closed for a while and I am left to stand in the corridor which makes me feel like a punished child, I would rather stay in this room on floor 3 in semester two rather than move to the 4th floor, having to talk in front of the class, the amount of writing we sometimes have to do, sometimes I have to use headphones when doing practice work in class.
