Weekly #10
After reviewing my previous posts, I would say that I have made myself more socially aware of what I need to do and how to accomplish my goals. When I first started this course, I never felt that I really paid attention to how society works in its presence of racial behaviors and cultural cues. The way that certain values and standards matter to various cultural groups was interesting. I would ask my friends of different backgrounds how they felt about some of the topics. They would tell me about their families’ stories about coming to live in the United States. It was nice to collaborate with others about personal experiences and find connections in each other. This made my learning in this class and each other a great opportunity. It makes me realize minority groups are growing but seem to still receive inadequate opportunities. This course gave me a headstart to want to change that. In my Speech-Language Pathology major, children with a cultural background introduction or language barrier are my main interest to have an opportunity to help.
I chose this image because I have had a wild ride this semester. I was put in a lot of situations that were presented to me as a challenge that I needed to overcome. The rollercoaster is a representation that the work is going to be hard and stress can be overwhelming, but once I am over the hill, things seem clearer. I was put in one situation and learned to take time to adjust and continue working.
Weekly Blog #9
While I look over this website, I noticed that the discussion last week on cultural awareness and assignment takeaway were very similar. They both talk exclusively about the stereotypical attitudes that are applied to various groups of people. In the takeaway, the talk is exclusively about how values are different among cultures. This can be from the perspective of time and how this can be a valuable concept or something that is taken for granted. The cultural awareness was similar in the way one perceives someone when they first meet them. One concept from this course that I connected to my daily life is the idea of intercultural sensitivity. I found that knowing what I want, and furthering my idea about different cultures was something that I could benefit from. The talk on Acceptance of Difference was something that I liked a lot because I had a sense of what was important to interact with another culture to fully understand that individual.
I used this picture because it was a quick thought to talk about. I enjoyed this section of the blog I thought about which assignment resonated with me the most.
Weekly Blog #8
When I think about other cultures, I feel that it depends on the environment. When I was in high school, there was not a huge cultural presence. I felt that most of my peers did not represent their cultures until I graduated from high school. I remember that when I was a sophomore, they changed culture day to American day to be more ‘ inclusive.’ This was one moment in my life where I felt restricted. This was not just me, but my friends and peers as well. The day went from a plethora of colorful garments to American flag shorts just to feel included. When people did represent their culture, I never had an expectation because I have been judged based on the color of my skin. When I talked with certain cultures, I do notice that western values are important to older generations than younger generations. Older people are more traditional than younger individuals. This also is dependent on a person’s upbringing as well. I think universality and cultural displays help explain because when I look at my own race/ culture as an African American, I can understand subtle understanding that are more known through ‘street smarts,’ accents, and displays were presented throughout my entire childhood. This would be a good sport or not saying certain statements, based on race.
(https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.psychologytoday.com%2Fus%2Farticles%2F202008%2Fworld-emotions&psig=AOvVaw01ZxgTQX4vBROBo-O2vi9K&ust=1637034342821000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCJj_96y6mfQCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI)
I chose this picture because it depicts a lot of cultures and various facial expressions. I think that expression is not the only indicator to depict their feelings and culture. When you are a part of your own, culture it is easier to understand subtle notions. This can be from the way someone says ‘hello’ to eye contact.
Weekly Blog #7
When I think of fairy tales, I think of the lessons that they portray. Beauty and the Beast show that it is okay to be different and Princess and the Frog teaches us to not judge a book by its cover. But even with these lessons, the representation of femininity is a questionable topic when speaking about fairy tales. In fairy tales, there is always a damsel in distress that needs help without trying to solve the problem herself. She wants to be saved by a prince to make her happy. This is a prominent ideal for Disney princesses such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. This is based on the year that these films were made. During the early 1900s, women were viewed as taking care of the family and not the main figures in the household. The husband was the money maker and was expected to take care of that portion of the family. This was not a healthy expectation to live by because it made women need to not be more than they could be. This impacts younger audiences because of the visual messages that they are gaining.
The story of Cinderella and Tangled are good examples of this. You have two women who long to be different and have more in their lives, but then have other women knocking them down. This is making the idea of bashing among women seem like a common motive that is wrong in its own way. But you would always have the ‘hero’ who gains their trust and becomes a love interest. This gives younger audiences the illusion that you must have a man to necessary find happiness. This is slightly different from Mulan. Mulan was a fighter. She was a Disney princess who did not wait for a man to make her decisions. She fought to protect her father and found her own sense of happiness in the end. This shift in dialogue makes her a more relatable character to take an impression from. This makes younger individuals see that a man is not a necessity.
When I was younger, this was my mindset. I believed that I needed a man to be happy and find success in my life. I wanted to have an ideal relationship that would last but that was not the case. I learned that not all guys think the same and I had a want to be accepted. While it was hard, I ended up learning to take care of myself and not become blinded by simplistic motivations. A movie that taught me this was Mulan because it changed my view of what I could do for myself. I wanted to be a fighter and I wanted to make my own decisions no matter the consequences because at least I attempted. I thought that cutting her hair was powerful because this was a turning point for the person that she was. A girl to a woman. I found this impactful at a young age and the fact she proved herself through any task and excelled was inspiring for a younger me.
I chose this image because this is how I view inclusiveness. I think that coming together and representing oneself in their unique way without any limitations on themselves and others. I hope that television shows and movies continue to show this inclusive nature in any way they can, and spread the message that differences are not tragedies.
Weekly Blog 6
After reviewing the Self-Determination Theory, I discovered my ideals when it references autonomy, competence, and relatedness. When it came to my social and academic standards, I have an abundance of perspectives on what my expectations are for myself and the ways to satisfy those concerns. When it came to autonomy, this is when we want control over the experiences in our lives. I feel that I have a good understanding of my life, but tend to let others incorporate their perspectives. I think that I could satisfy these concerns by being more self-responsive to my own ideals. I have control over my own feelings and perspective, but not quite to my maximum potential. I do feel I have a grasp on my wishes and self intensions.
The competence of my needs, I do feel have been met socially and academically. I work well when I feel I have done a good job on a task. I satisfy my needs of competence, simply by complimenting my own work personally. I like that I compliment myself often because it makes me feel as if I not only completed an assignment but did it well. I think this is my best trait about myself and it can be as simple as seeing I got a good grade on a difficult assignment. Relatedness is another need that helps me grow as a person. The relationships that I have made are very important to me. I like to interact with my friends and meeting new people makes me feel more involved in my social life.
I used this picture because I think that my life is not planned out. I have so many opportunities that have been offered to me, and I know I will accomplish anything I put my mind to. The image being doubled is meant to be a reflection of one’s self and that’s what I notice about myself. I see a woman who wants more and dreams big, while also insecure in some of my actions. But using the Self- Determination Theory, I have helped benefit myself.
Weekly Blog #4
I used this picture because I think that my life is not planned out. I have so many opportunities that have been offered to me, and I know I will accomplish anything I put my mind to. The image being doubled is meant to be a reflection of one’s self and that’s what I notice about myself. I see a woman who wants more and dreams big, while also insecure in some of my actions. But using the Self- Determination Theory, I have helped benefit myself.
This week I reviewed an old exam that I had taken for the Psyc 420 course. After going over my test, I found that this small study tip made a huge difference in the way that I understood the content. I reviewed by going over what I missed first and analyzed where I misinterpreted the question. It was a good moment to reflect on my learning styles because I am a visual learner, so flashcards are my best friend in most cases. I tried doing note-taking and reading in a list format this exam and I believe it programmed my brain to find the answer in chronological order. I believe that this constructive feedback for myself helped to distinguish what my study pattern is and ways that I can improve through mini-games and memorization tools.
(https://en.bigbyteedu.com/news/blog/learner-kinds-and-the-best-learning-strategies)
I found that this picture is a great example of my strengths, and ways that I plan to use the resources for aid on my next exam. I tend to forget information but interactively applying my learning, makes the studying a bit more academically stimulating.
Weekly Blog #3
I like my personality. I see myself as a caring and outgoing individual. I like to try new things and can be a little stubborn when I want to be. After I did the personality test, I found that I was exactly the person I thought I was based on the five major dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. When I broke up each dimension and thought about how they worked together to create my personality.
Neuroticism: This was a concept that I truly felt was a trait that I recognized a lot within myself. While I scored average, this meant that I was calm but able to deal with stress to a degree. I know how to control my emotions but at times can be overwhelmed. When I solve a dilemma, I can overcome any reactions in a public setting. I noticed that I do not react to a situation until a few hours later. This went in hand with my Openness as well. My openness makes me more practical and tries to find a balance in my life. I need to have an equilibrium within my inner peace because that is the only way I know how to settle my emotions.
My agreeable nature and Extraversion were viewed as an outgoing and adventurous person. I am a people person and being around others gives me a courageous push to be better. I like to see my efforts unfold slowly and it makes me happy to work harder for what I want. Lastly, I have conscientiousness and I scored lower than the other dimensions. I can be unorganized at times, but only when I have a lot going on in my life at a time.
I used these words because these are some words that described me. I think that while they are used, I reflect more than these words. The only thing that is missing is the active component of each word. I can be anything that is not listed, but still myself because my personality is everchanging. This is especially true as I get older because certain situations begin to matter more and I mature into a better person.
Weekly Blog #2
I think of my values as relatable to my goals. I also view my success as equal to my experiences. As a University student, it can be difficult at times. The moments when one thinks it is the end of the word because they failed a test or overslept their meeting on Zoom. The values I hold are simple: Energy, happiness, and Consistency. These simplistic three words mean everything to me. Happiness is explanatory because I want to remember in everything that I do, has a purpose. It has an ending that I will be proud of later. This is why I try to not worry about scoring low one time on a test because I am not defined by my grades. I am defined by the person that I am. My happiness will always be present no matter how down I may feel and I carry this with me to make myself stronger through my scholastic career.
Now Energy. People do not think of Energy as an important trait but to me it is essential. Energy is flow and rhythm. It is surrounding oneself by individuals who do not waste opportunities or crave negative vibrations. When thinking about all the people I have met at my university and the relationships I have made, I think about how I never let negative people enter my Energy. It was one thing to be an acquaintance, but never a welcomed guest. This is because I emphasize that drained Energy comes in many forms and when it is recognized, I make my next moves to ensure my Happiness.
With these two values in mind, I lead to Consistency. Consistency is a value that my parents instilled in me at a young age. They put heavy pressure on the idea that working hard and playing smarter are the best benefits that one can have. I have used this throughout my life especially when entering university. I remember studying for the SOLs to SATs and thinking this is it, “This is what my life is viewed as a score out of 1600.” But, I also thought, “Wow, this is my chance to make my future a reality.” I thank myself every day that I was able to make a version of myself that mattered. That could contribute to an unleveled society. This is why I capitalized each word: Happiness, Energy, and Consistency. They are a part of me and every decision that I make.
This picture represents what I meant specifically when I say Happiness. In this picture, it may seem as if I am just smiling. In reality, I had been up all night finishing two essays and a presentation that was due the next day. I remember feeling so tired but once I typed my last sentence, my Energy levels surged through my body. I was instantly happy and decided that I wanted to also have this feeling, so I documented the moment.
Weekly Blog #1
When I Iook at my life, I think about who I am. I am a black woman. I am a sister and daughter. I am an optimist. I am driven to do what I think is right. When I started my first assignment, I did not know much about what this class had to offer. I thought, “ Here we go again,” as if this was just gonna be another requirement. But after my first few weeks, I realized that this Psych 420 was gonna be a gamechanger. I felt that reading over the objectives was going to put my mindset and put an emphasis on my values as a person.
In my career field of Speech- Langage Pathology, I would be working with a lot of people of different backgrounds and cultures. I want to be able to connect with them by understanding how they construct their lives. I believe that this is important because cultural diversity is something that many people do not think about. In some cultures, the male is head of the family, while for some the matriarch is the prominent decision-maker. Just recognizing the differences can make a huge change because it makes doing my job not just easier, but interactive as well.
I hope to gain more knowledge on the idea of cultural incompetence than I already have because I view life through many lenses. I understand that everyone acts and portrays life in many ways through cultural traditions and expectations. I want to work with children and having this consideration helps to not take that cultural upbringing away from the child but only emphasize what my job entails. Especially when interacting with the child’s parent and or guardian.
I choose to keep an open mind through this course to allow myself to evolve my perception of culture and recognize the normalities. I read each assignment with the intention that it will teach me more about how to interact with others rather than exhibiting my ideals on others.
(http://mrshudsonmath.weebly.com/culturally-responsive-classroom.html)
Who You Are
This image is to reflect what makes everyone who they are. As people of many backgrounds, we are morphed by the experiences we have, the culture we represent, and the language we speak. This is what I will be recognizing going through this course and my life. When meeting someone new, judgment should never be present just because a person is of a different race or sexual orientation because a person’s actions should be perceived not their skin and culture.