Hixson Blog #7 - 

    The first part of class this week was devoted to partner communication. To do this one partner had to guide the other partner, who was blindfolded, through an obstacle course. This event was symbolic of the need to have beneficial and purposeful communication when working together. Without adequate communication, a Hixson Peer Mentor group could be blind. In the sense of the obstacle course, this was expressed both figuratively and literally. Dylan and I worked well together. We would have been the first ones down with the obstacle course, but no amount of communication can overcome my disability of clumsiness caused by my height. 

     For the second part of the class we did a brief activity that involved flipping a blanket over but the blanket had 14 people on it. To do this, we had to further practice our communication skills and it involved a lot of group game planning and probably a little bit of rule-bending. Everyone got to know each other a little bit more up close and personal before the game was up.

    And for some reason, we finished off the night with a game of telephone pictionary. This game maybe illustrates how our messages can be misconstrued when they are passed from person-to-person. Another hypothesis - maybe we're not that great at drawing as a class. Regardless, I got a good laugh at my duck evolving into an alien autopsy(?) somehow. Class was cut a bit short at the end but I'm sure we'll go over it all this next Wednesday. I'm once again looking forward to another interesting Hixson class  this week.

Hixson Blog #6 - 

    In class this week, we had activities focusing on problem solving as a unit and a separate survey about leadership personalities. For the first half of class, we focused on Chapter 5 in our book which entails, "Problem Solving with Individuals." The class was split into groups of twos and every group was given a different task in which they had to work together to achieve a goal. One group had to build with play-doh, another (very lucky group) got to play super Mario, and in my group we had to create a story by alternating words. It was difficult in that it took a lot of effort to create a simple story. Michael and I did a good job and appeared to work well as a unit. This task was important because as peer mentors next semester, we will be called upon to problem solve with others and not just handle everything 'lone-wolf' style ourselves. 

     The second part of class was devoted to understanding different conflict management styles. I took a brief survey and after tallying my results, I was determined to be a collaborating conflict manager. This type of individual seeks win-win solutions where both parties are satisfied. This style works well in long-term relationships and when varying concerns are too important to be compromised. I feel this may be the best fitting conflict management style heading into next fall. My second highest score was accommodating. This means I have a tendency to shy away from conflict if I have no strong interests in the decision and mainly want to promote group harmony. I believe an accommodating conflict management style works well when trying to solve a lot of life's little problems. I feel it is best not to get too worked up or something if it isn't important to me.

Hixson Peer Mentor Blog #5 - 

    First off, sorry about being a little slow on the blog post. I had a death in the family this week that kept me away from home for a few days. Moving on, this week we had a discussion over chapter 4 in our "Students Helping Students" book. The topic this week was over interpersonal communication skills. 

    The chapter was mainly about distinguishing when it is appropriate to give advice and when it is necessary to engage in an interpersonal dialogue. This chapter is important because we, as peer mentors, will have to be able to realize whether advice or interpersonal communication is needed. As mentioned by the book, advice giving is easy. As upperclassmen, a lot of the things the 2012 Hixsons may ask us about  in class next year may be simple things or simple questions which we can readily answer off of our own prior experiences. These types of questions will allow us to provide our insights and past dealings and translate them into advice. What to do for a certain class or where to go for this or that service will be things we can easily offer sound advice for. I'm not expecting any difficulties with advice giving.

    What needs to be focused on, and to be prepared for, is more difficult. Not every aspect of our interactions next semester will be advice giving. To truly connect with our classes next fall we will be necessitated to engage in something more difficult - interpersonal dialogue. Past mentors can articulate the need to actually listen and talk and interact in a more meaningful way. Problems will arise and as peer mentors, we should expect our students to want to talk to us about difficulties they are going through - difficulties which do not need advice but something more. We can be considered successful peer mentor educators if we can offer an outlet or a vent or some semblance of trustworthy figure who can be utilized to solve the unforeseen challenges the transition to college will assuredly create.

Weekly Blog #4 - 

     In class this week, we talked about identifying with other cultures and dealing with cultural diversity in class.  It's a topic that should be readily addressed. Sometimes the topic of cultural diversity is avoided - at least it seems that way in Iowa where exposure to other cultures can be limited at times. Nonetheless, from the book we learned a few of the obstacles to cultural proficiency as well as a few strategies to move past these boundaries. 

     Lack of knowledge about other cultures is often the predominant factor or instigator to culture-based problems. Our Hixson book recommends establishing common grounds when dealing with these situations. The second obstacle involves being unaware of majority privileges. I know at Iowa State, where most students are of European ancestry and from middle to upper class families, we can become oblivious to some advantages we may have simply by being the majority. It is only when we try to empathize with those who may seem different from us, that we can truly begin to understand the many different cultures represented at Iowa State. Lastly, the book identified believing things should remain as they are as an obstacle to cultural proficiency. Unfortunately, many people in this world are intolerant to other cultures and diversity being presented into areas with strongly defined norms and procedures. This can't be an excuse. We all have to be open to new experiences with others who may not see the world in the same light we do. 

    I have been fortunate enough to travel to a few different continents and even live abroad for a while. I feel like I have had a good amount of life experiences with other cultures; but, this has only made me realize how truly little I know of the rest of the world. We all need to be willing to explore the similarities and differences amongst cultures and to be careful and hospitable when someone new may come into our lives.