Swimming with Friends

This weekend when my family asked about how things are going at CSU Chico, I had to say that swimming with the children on Thursday was the best experience so far. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous at first. I didn't know what to do or how I could help. I took a few minutes to observe what was going on and was drawn to the preschoolers who are deaf and hard of hearing. I watched the teacher work with the students and was impressed with how patient, caring and cautious she was with them. She kept reminding our group to be careful to always make sure their mouths and noses were not too close to the water. Unfortunately, I could not get in the water with them since I am not a strong swimmer but, I did learn how to let them know they were doing a good job with sign language. I noticed a group walking in the pool with a girl who had been transferred from a wheelchair. I wanted to learn how to help someone with limited mobility. I joined this group in the pool. I learned a lot through this experience. What I learned was not so much about physical activity for her in the pool but about treating her as a person. The teacher was having a conversation with her just as she would with any teenager. This made me feel comfortable enough to talk to her also. I wondered if I had not had the modeling from the teacher, would I have allowed her outward appearance to affect my interaction with her. What comes to mind is what we often see on TV comedy skits where a character speaks in slow, loud, enunciated speech to another character who may speak another language or come from another country. The fact that they are foreigners has nothing to do with their mental capacity. In all honesty, I may have acted in a similar way had I not had the teacher as a model. I may have talked to her like a little girl and not a teenager. Fortunately I did have the model and was able to talk to her about boyfriends and nail polish. I was very pleased that she allowed me to hold her and help her walk around the pool. When I asked her to walk the wall toward me. She did! I was so happy that I had gained her trust. 
These experiences can definitely be viewed as collaborative experiences because everyone involved was communicating with each other either through direct instruction or through modeling and even nonverbal cues. The communication that took place was all positive and constructive. Collaboration in this setting is extremely valuable because it ensures the safety and well-being of all the students. It was an awesome learning experience.  

Communication is an important tool in collaboration because...

Communication is a key component to collaborative practice because it is the means by which we transfer ideas, build relationships and obtain information. Communication and collaboration go hand in hand. Without communication, collaboration would be impossible. Communication encompasses many things: verbal communication forms, nonverbal communication and perceptions, among others. Even the most linear forms of communication, although they are one sided, can offer a greater benefit to the collaborative process than no communication at all. For example, in an IEP meeting, if for some reason one member could not attend the meeting but submitted documentation which included their observations, evaluations, and/or recommendations, this would be much better than having no input whatsoever from them. Another important aspect of communication that can impact the collaborative practice is understanding nonverbal cues. If you are planning a meeting and ask a co-worker to make copies of the paper work that will be needed and he rolls his eyes, this is his way of sending you a message. It should be addressed. By doing so, you might find out that this person does not feel valued because they are being asked to do something that the office aides can handle while the rest of the planning team gets started on planning the agenda. The next time he may not show up at all and the group may lose out on valuable insight. Misunderstandings can also occur when the communicator does not consider their audience and match their communication accordingly. This happened to me my first year of teaching. I was teaching a room full of 2nd grade ELL students. We were discussing a topic and I wanted to relay that everyone would get a chance to contribute. I said to my students, "We are going to go around the room and everyone will get a chance to tell what they think." Suddenly, my students started getting up from their seats and walking around the classroom. They took my words literally. All aspects of communication play a big role in the success of the collaboration process.  

My frame of reference is important because...

larreola1 about 12 hours ago

My frame of reference is important because it shapes my attitudes, my perspective, my responses, reactions and ability to interpret certain situations, interactions and relationships. A person's frame of reference is not necessarily bad or good. But, it has the potential for creating a bad or good situation. Being conscious of our frame of reference will help us to control whether we use it in a positive way instead of allowing it to affect a situation negatively.  

My first day at CSUChico

Today was my first day at CSUChico.  It is a gorgeous campus.  I met alot of awesome, friendly people in KINE 515.  Looking forward to the work we'll be doing together.