After Class Four

Hi there,
Many thanks to our first reader who shared an excellent piece on a trip to India that, amongst other things, explored culture shock and how to find personal meaning in a significant experience like this.  Well done.  Next week, I would like you to bring a narrative that you are working on to share with a partner.  We will be learning how to give peer feedback in order to improve our pieces. 
In our lecture we discussed the role of emotions as a means of exploring experiences, how being in a mentoring relationship is a two way street and how experiencing conflict in the workplace is a form of professional development.  Conflict can often signal a need to look deeper in order to understand more and move to the next level.
Our story this week was "The Heifer" by Melissa Hardy (photo of "brindle calf" above).  We talked about the influence of environment on moral behaviour.
Lastly, for those scheduled to read their narratives next week, Feb. 3rd, please e-mail me your piece sometime Tuesday evening.  I'm looking forward to hearing them.  Have a great weekend.

After Class Three

Hi everyone,
Last night we had some great discussions on a number of topics.  In our lecture we talked about how we develop professionally through change -- being open to new experiences and suggestions, being highly motivated and able to examine critically our steps along the way.  All of this leads to adaptive learning.  We started to look at a concept central to personal and professional development -- moral development.  It is important to understand moral principles in order to judge how to apply them in particular situations.
In groups we discussed "ethics and the workplace", and wrote some narratives on this topic.  Later we shared our thoughts on Faulkner's story, "Barn Burning", where we saw how as a young person begins to develop moral awareness, he can experience conflicts between his family's values and those of society.  Even under normal circumstances, a  generation gap will create some conflict, but each person will still have to decide what to do about it. 
Have a great weekend.

After Class Two

Hi everybody - great class last night.  I think everyone is getting the hang of the blog.  Just a reminder to save all your postings on your computer and then copy and paste into the blog comments box.  Last night we talked about what reflective practice is and how it can be a benefit to personal and professional development.  Anyone entering a profession needs to be able to acquire certain "habits of mind" that belong to the profession.  A period of apprenticeship is usually required where you learn about moral issues connected to the job, understand how to make professional judgements and work towards best practices.  All the while you are discovering how your own personality will mesh with the characteristics of the role you are expected to take on.  You will observe "experts" in the field and gradually define your own identity within the profession. 

Last night we also started our first narrative.  It was great to see everyone writing for a sustained period of time.  As I mentioned in class, taking notes on what interests you about the readings or discussions might be a good way to discover topics for narratives. 

Lastly, we got into groups and discussed Alice Munro's short story, "The Beggar Maid".  (The image above is from the cover of her short story collection, Who Do You Thnk You Are?) 

For this week's blog, please choose two ideas to write about.  You should end up with about two paragraphs.  Don't summarize what we've read or discussed but expand on what was said so we continue to learn new things and hear different points of view and interpretations.  Linking ideas to your own experiences is also great; just avoid using people's names or identifying specific places.  I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts! 

Class One: Introduction to Reflective Practice

Welcome to our class blog!  Today I will enroll you in the system and send out an invitation to join the blog.  Remember when you choose a posting name not to use your last name.  Please click on the icon "comments" and post a short introduction about yourself.  See you next week.