Comments on: If a Rose is a Rose*…, when is a Reflection a Reflection? http://www.otherlobe.com/2012/04/if-a-rose-is-a-rose%e2%80%a6-when-is-a-reflection-a-reflection/ A Blog About Experiential Education, Social Media, and the Brain... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:40:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Swapna Rao Patel http://www.otherlobe.com/2012/04/if-a-rose-is-a-rose%e2%80%a6-when-is-a-reflection-a-reflection/comment-page-1/#comment-2187 Swapna Rao Patel Sun, 22 Apr 2012 04:30:23 +0000 http://www.otherlobe.com/?p=496#comment-2187 Hi Jim and Sarah, I love the description of the brain's executive system! It makes me imagine a giant switchboard filled with colored lights and levers. Great description! I wonder if this sort of immersion in an experience could work in groups if, in the example of a study abroad, the traveling group could be connected with a local group and have structured interactions with the local group, at least at first, as relationships organically develop over time. Sarah, I graduated in 2002, what about you? -Swapna Hi Jim and Sarah,

I love the description of the brain’s executive system! It makes me imagine a giant switchboard filled with colored lights and levers. Great description!

I wonder if this sort of immersion in an experience could work in groups if, in the example of a study abroad, the traveling group could be connected with a local group and have structured interactions with the local group, at least at first, as relationships organically develop over time.

Sarah, I graduated in 2002, what about you?

-Swapna

]]> By: jim http://www.otherlobe.com/2012/04/if-a-rose-is-a-rose%e2%80%a6-when-is-a-reflection-a-reflection/comment-page-1/#comment-2155 jim Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:02:54 +0000 http://www.otherlobe.com/?p=496#comment-2155 Swapna, Great comment. The easiest path is not often the best. Gladwell's discussion of the 10,000 hours required for mastery is not easy. Maybe that relates to the "executive function" Sarah mentions. So how do we make this work in groups? -Jim PS. I think you and Sarah might have been contemporaries at Northeastern. Swapna,
Great comment. The easiest path is not often the best. Gladwell’s discussion of the 10,000 hours required for mastery is not easy. Maybe that relates to the “executive function” Sarah mentions. So how do we make this work in groups?
-Jim
PS. I think you and Sarah might have been contemporaries at Northeastern.

]]> By: Swapna Rao Patel http://www.otherlobe.com/2012/04/if-a-rose-is-a-rose%e2%80%a6-when-is-a-reflection-a-reflection/comment-page-1/#comment-2108 Swapna Rao Patel Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:13:42 +0000 http://www.otherlobe.com/?p=496#comment-2108 Sarah, as I was reading your response I automatically thought about how I often feel frustrated by the emphasis on group work at the expense of individual learning, it often seems. The trendy opinion is that group work enriches the experience, but often, only one or two people are actively engaged while the others are simply waiting for that segment of the lesson to be over. It connects to the notion of being reflective and being able to immerse yourself in the experience - whether it be learning a particular concept, reinforcing a skill, or engaging with the local culture of a new place. It's often seems to be human nature to resort to the easiest form of communication whenever possible, and being with a group of compatriots in a new location would likely serve as a barrier to immersion. Sarah, as I was reading your response I automatically thought about how I often feel frustrated by the emphasis on group work at the expense of individual learning, it often seems. The trendy opinion is that group work enriches the experience, but often, only one or two people are actively engaged while the others are simply waiting for that segment of the lesson to be over. It connects to the notion of being reflective and being able to immerse yourself in the experience - whether it be learning a particular concept, reinforcing a skill, or engaging with the local culture of a new place. It’s often seems to be human nature to resort to the easiest form of communication whenever possible, and being with a group of compatriots in a new location would likely serve as a barrier to immersion.

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