Empowerment

Well as we have all started our placements we were informed it was time to start blogging again!
The sigh filled the classroom, but as all my housemates have gone out without me I feel it is the perfect opportunity to blog away.

Forgetting, as usual, what I was suppose to blog about, I decided to ask someone. EMPOWERMENT they told me, so hmm, empowerment on my placement, interesting!

As my placement consists of lots of different sessions run by a lot of different people at different locations, i guess i will pick one area to look at otherwise things could start to get complicated!

Hmm...
...
...
Empowerment...

Right, well. I have only met with them once, but i guess we are empowering them, how about this... We go into school on a Friday lunch time to work with some year 8 girls. The time we spend with them is their time, to which they can do what they want and we are there to help, encourage or just be. What ever they want us to do. Its their time to use us in the way they want and give us suggestions of what they want to do, so we can put things into place and make it possible for them.

Empowerment anyone?!?

Egg Game

You could feel the tension rise as the lesson went on, you could literally cut it with a knife (would have to be a very sharp one though!)

Right, today's lesson was, yes you guessed it, THE EGG GAME. We had all been waiting for this moment from day one; as when the second years came in they told us 'In the egg game whatever you do, just drop it!' Advice I feel we didn't really take.

The lesson started with excitement, the anticipation of the game had been building up and we couldn't wait to see what it was all about. And simply, all we had to do was make a container that could hold an egg and drop it from about 6 feet without it breaking. Sound simple enough for you?
Well it wasn't! We had to right out allllllll the criteria for doing it. If we would mark creativity, effectiveness, if we would make group participation etc and how we would assess these things and who would assess them.
Over 2 hours it took us to sort out the criteria, we hadn't even started on our groups container. (Some people were not happy about this, they just couldn't wait to get their idea into construction *coughLukecough*)

Anyway, it was a group task, and I think we learnt that none of us have the same ideas, and some of us loose concentration quicker, and some like to be in control, heard, listened to. And some just sit back and observe the rest get annoyed. Haha.

Group work is always going to be a challenge, lets just hope by next years Big Event we can all agree a bit more! (or a least try to get along!)

Presentations

Isn't if strange that the day before our presentation is due we have a lesson on how to do presentations.
It made me realize that I need to start my presentation way before I have and I need to finish before I have to (even more so that I am not really into it yet... I have information but not 10min worth and I know roughly what I'm talking about.)

AHH, seriously though, I know the lesson tomorrow is different from today's but if we are going to learn about doing them and how to prepare I feel that it should be done before any presentation is due in any subject!!!!

Well anyway, anyone got any suggestions on how I should present my work as I do not have powerpoint on my computer, very annoying!

(Saying all this, I REALLY did ENJOY today's lesson!!)

Chinese Whispers

Why is Chinese whispers so much fun?
Dot started off the sentence at either end of the semi circle........I, through no fault of my own (well is my fault really) didn't hear what she said to me (I was on one of the ends). So I kinda made up the end bit of the sentence, it made sense, just wasn't totally correct. Now the bit that didn't make sense, was the end sentences, they were completely different to what it started with and didn't even fit into a sentence properly; I would at this point tell you what the sentences were, but, I cant remember, either the end or the beginning (maybe I should have put beginning then end....hmm)
Anyway, this really showed me that when you hear something, where someone starts the sentence.....'Guess what, my friend said that her friend...' and so on; is not going to be totally accurate.
Dot ended by relating this to the bible, but being me, and my brain is seriously not good at remembering things today, I have forgotten how so I will get back to you on that one. (seriously, I asked someone the same question twice in the matter of 10mins!)

The other great thing of today, is Aimee's wonderful helicopter she drew (even though she couldn't remember what they look like, may print of a picture to remind her!)

Groups!

I think I'm getting into this blogging thing, I seem to be always on here blogging about one thing or another!

Anyway, today's lesson was on groups and as individuals the roles and parts we play in groups.

(Just a quick note, I felt more myself in lesson, for the first time I was me, and I actually interacted instead of keeping quiet, lets hope in continues!)

We discussed the possible groups we could be in....family, friends, darts (? There seemed to be a big thing about that, but I think I missed the point!) And then the roles we played within these groups.
Then onto a task about some Duck Pond, ha ha, where a few of us had cards telling us our 'roles' and we had to discuss the messy Duck Pond acting like what was on the card. I had to try and get someone elected as Chairman, but Jane kept talking that I couldn't get a word in edge ways and if I did she would talk over me! Tut tut her, Love her really, she is great!!! :-D

The we pretended we crashed landed on the moon, and what, out of a list would be the 5 things that we would take with us to the other ship thing, whom couldn't come and rescue us. Was a good laugh discussing it. After that we filled out a form and had to put who we thought each statement fitted. I never I could disagree so much, all I wanted to do was take a portable heating unit with me, and no-one would let me :-(

Anyway, this blog was a bit of a muddle, not sure your understand, but at least I'm writing them ay Dot?

Now, Lets go through things slowly!!!!

Really good lesson today........We went through everything that we were previously confused about, and even though, yes, I am still a little bit confused, I feel it really helped!
I think the confusion is going to stick with me for a while, well until I'm really stuck into things and got into the swing of all these assignments and referencing............But my mind is a lot clearer on what I'm suppose to be doing and how things work. I'm certainly getting there.

Quick note on theology...........Today's lecture on creation and the Fall was awesome, really felt I understood more than I have in any other lecture (still not everything and not sure I remember a lot!) but I found it highly interesting and it kept me awake rather than sending me to sleep like normal.

Confusing

University certainly isn't easy and if you thought you could go to relax and have fun and it was all a big laugh, man are you wrong! I don't believe I came to university with this attitude, I knew it would be an amazingly big challenge, but how big, I wasn't quite sure!

I know I'm meant to be here as in the last year of college a lot happened and my exams didn't go very well at all, so all through the summer I left my results and my future in God's hands, even more so as Chester was the only uni I had applied for! Results came and woo, I'm here, been here for a little while now but gosh doesn't it feel like a life time? Well not really that long, but long!

Anyway, it's not really anything I'm use to, I am not an academic sort of person and having gone through school and into A levels this became more apparent as I struggled a lot with all the work. And today we had our assignments explained to us and which forms we needed to fill in before and after and for when we finally hand them in. AAAAHHHHH!!!!! This is all soooo confusing, I think it is probably just me, but seriously my head is in such a muddle, when things have to be in, how long its suppose to be, what is expected from me for it, what's suppose to be in it, what forms have to be filled out for it.

I'm sure all this will become a lot easier, well I do hope so and I guess I will get use to the whole process. I think I just need to sort myself out and get motivated and stuck into it! Positive thinking, woo!

Anyway........That's today's experience, well so far, its only 12.50 anything can happen.