16 Learning Reflections

I am mostly an auditory learner; I digest material best when I hear other people explain things to me and I can ask questions along the way. To give an example, last semester when I really needed to pass my exam and there were a few concepts I just couldn’t manage to grasp, I sat with a friend and we took turns explaining it to each other until we were able to teach it to someone else. Adding a visual element typically helps as long as there is a spoken explanation to go along with it. When I really want to learn about something, I tend to look for videos and films to help give me a better understanding of the topic.

Active Listening

I listened to my roommate Julia. She started out by asking if I remembered a guy who had expressed romantic interest in her in the past. She went on to tell me that she had invited him over to our apartment to play board games and hang out. She said that it wasn’t a date, but she wasn’t really sure exactly what it was and that she was worried about how he might feel about her. I asked a question to clarify if she had a reason why she was worried about how he felt. I imagined she felt he might not reciprocate her newfound feelings for him since she turned him down in the past, but instead of asking that, I let her express it to me herself and it allowed her to feel better because she was able to voice it. I wanted to give her advice and tell her that he probably would reciprocate since he has in the past, but I chose to keep my listening standpoint and validated her concerns. She seemed content with being able to talk about it and have me listening.

I also listened to my roommate Izzy. Since she knows I have played Animal Crossing in the past, she came to me to ask my opinion about her plans for her new island. She told me her ideas for a theme and buildings, and she asked for guidance on how to make some of her ideas work. I got out my own switch and showed her some of my work and how to build some of her ideas. Izzy tends to have a short conversational attention span, but I could tell she was really enjoying my receptiveness and listening to her on something she was passionate about. She now comes to me with questions and more news about her island since I also love Animal Crossing and she knows I will listen to her and be engaged with our conversation.

Lastly, I listened to my roommate Emma. We tend to have late-night conversations that touch on more personal topics. She opened up to me about an experience she had in late elementary school when she felt pressured to engage in romantic relationships with boys. Her ‘boyfriend’ at the time cheated on her, and her friends told her at school and she was very hurt. She had a talk with her mom after, and her mom decided to start a conversation about sexual intercourse. She felt like her mom started the conversation at too early of an age but that it was likely because she was trying to protect her and scare her away from talking to boys in a romantic capacity, but that it also weighed on her growing up and had a negative impact on her ability to socialize with men. I paraphrased the message I felt I got out of her story and she appreciated my listening and understanding on such a personal subject. She seemed to have felt more comfortable opening up on the topic since I was there to validate and listen with intent.

I realized after this that I tend to struggle with being patient and not waiting my turn to speak. I made an effort to listen intently without coming up with something to say in return and it worked out very well.

Visual Thinking Strategies

Using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is new to me. I usually think about the things I see and can be pretty observant, but I realized after learning about VTS that I don’t normally take the time to ask myself why things are the way they are. I feel that learning VTS has helped me improve my reasoning and analysis skills through the practice of drawing connections between visuals and meanings.

With the painting of Anarcha, I figured out how to look at something and discern valuable meanings behind specific choices. Since it was a still painting of something a situation I have never seen before, it was great for figuring out what exactly was taking place by using contextual visual clues. I also appreciated the addition of the podcast to show that while VTS is important and extremely helpful, some parts of a story may go untold if we only rely on what we see, especially with art, since Anarcha actually underwent unanesthetized experimental surgery that was not depicted in her office visit in the painting.

At the MERF, there were many aspects to think about using VTS. The structure of the building was the first thing that caught my eye; on the outside it was designed with many different textures and a nice blue color to draw the eye, and on the inside the spaces were split up in a way that student spaces felt like small communities and the rest of the building was open concept to be inviting for others. I have never gone into a building with the intent of thinking about why it is set up a certain way, so it was very interesting. There was a big open green space for students, student-made artwork to inspire, and mostly neutral but inviting tones to give a sense of calm. After looking for quite some time, it was obvious that the building was for medical students to study, lounge, and research. But, after spending a bit more time thinking of what I saw through the lens of VTS, it became more apparent that all of these things I noticed were connected to the real purpose of the building- to foster a sense of community and build bonds between med students and provide them a welcoming space during a time of intense stress.