71 Learning Reflections
How I Learn (September 11, 2024)
When I really want to learn about something, my main strategy is always to refer to those with expertise. An example of this is dance, something I have picked up in the past two years ago after quitting my studio at age eight. My roommate has danced her entire life, and started bringing me along to the weekly classes she teaches. Here, I was able to ask questions of her and my other friends who also have several years of dance experience. It is never a comfortable experience being the least skilled person in a room, but I pushed myself to walk into those rooms and always strive to be better.
Another thing I think is important for my personal learning process is understanding the mental side of it; in the example of dance, not only how to physically execute different movements, but how professional dancers think about their craft and approach performances. I watched multiple videos on the topics, and on the other end of the spectrum, I would also watch videos about beginners in the same stage as me. As someone who gets easily frustrated and disappointed when learning new things, it is always important for me to find ways to give myself grace, and to remind myself why I wanted to start in the first place. For dance, this meant looking for songs I wanted to dance to, and looking for performances that I really enjoyed or wanted to be able to emulate.
Active Listening (September 19, 2024)
Active listening differentiates itself by making the other person the center of the interaction, rather than the usual expectations of back and forth conversations. One person (the speaker) is given full focus, with the other person (the listener) giving their full attention to absorbing what they are being told and aiming to understand it as the other person is telling it. Throughout my experiences with active listening both in the classroom and the thirty-six hours in the wild, I experienced improved comprehension and retention of the things I was hearing. These improvements surprised me and others, but also gave me a greater perspective on my tendencies as a listener in usual interactions. Active listening and the discipline it requires made me much more aware of where in conversations that I am most tempted to interrupt, or relate back to something I want to say, and how those impact my ability to listen as best as I can. I also know that because of how demanding it is, I do not think it is realistic to expect myself to be actively listening in every one of my daily interactions. As someone who struggles a lot with sustaining attention, it would be very difficult for me to apply these expectations at all times, but being aware of the benefits, I think that active listening is definitely a skill I can improve at and continue to develop throughout my life.
Visual Thinking Strategies (October 11th, 2024)
I have heard of visual thinking strategies (VTS) in the past, but never engaged with it directly before. Currently, I understand VTS as specific ways of interpreting visuals to comprehend and interpret their meanings. I would say the purpose behind VHS is to develop greater visual literacy skills, or being able to better engage with what is in front of us and draw meaning from it, whether that is art, architecture, or a face to face patient interaction.
For example, while touring the MERF, I was interested in the fact that most areas on the first floor had at least one wall made up entirely of glass; even several rooms on the second floor utilized frosted/tinted glass instead of something more solid, like plaster or brick. It made me think about the purposes for using these kinds of designs/materials. Using glass allows a lot of natural lighting to come in, avoiding cluttered appearances that might result from the numerous light fixtures that would otherwise be needed in the building’s large, open spaces. It also, by nature, is transparent, you can see (at least in part) what is going on behind it, making what should be a barrier into a window. Aside from giving a high-tech, modern appearance, the use of glass for a medical research building seemed particularly significant to me as a symbol and expression of literal transparency in two fields that have historically been riddled with distrust for lacking those two qualities.
With both the painting in class and while observing the MERF, the biggest thing that stood out to me and my biggest takeaway was a better understanding of how I think and process information. It was easy for me to look at something and say what I saw (i.e., that man in the room is the one who is in charge), but the difficulty was identifying what made me draw that conclusion with nothing but visuals to go off of.
What did I learn in this class, and how did I learn it? (December 13th, 2024)
asked to do so using something objective like a film, art, or music. It demanded a shift in
thinking, particularly in what I viewed as sources of knowledge. By integrating these experiences
with art, music, or film, it allowed a more direct, humanistic connection to the subject at an
individual level, and with every aspect of them, rather than only their illness. This class also
challenged me to reflect back on my work and overall learning. It made me better understand the
process of everything, and look beyond a final assignment. I would think about how I would get
to that finished product, but also look back and wonder if there are ways I might challenge
myself even further. Additionally, it let me value my own work for more reasons than the grade it
received.
