RLJ 18/09/12

IRE Neil Wood

Today there was a LOT of information to take in. Firstly, Neil went through a Powerpoint presentation which discussed about what art is, which people contribute most in the world of art, the different varieties and priorities of art.

Just before we had a break in the lecture we had to quickly write down what we were most looking forward to before starting this course, and what we were most concerned about before starting this course. I found this particularly easy after thinking about it, as I do think about college a lot, and it is a big part of my life, and a lot of things also worry me about college too.

After break we were given a couple of sheets of paper which asked us some self reflecting questions. One of these sheets of paper discussed the Espoused theory - which we learned was things we think we are good at, but if you thoroughly think about it, might not be so good at whatever it is you think you're good at. At first I thought to myself, I kind of know what I am good at (games, making friends etc.) and what I'm not so good at (skiing, singing etc.) so I was thinking what I could write that I am good at but maybe need improving on, which is basically what I think this espoused theory is about. At the end I decided to write down "I think I am a good driver," because, despite not passing my driving test yet, I do feel I can drive well, however, my driving skills may still need improvement.

The other sheet was about how we're finding the course so far, is it what we have expected and why we chose the course we are doing.

We then looked at this Johari Window, which what I found out today is a self reflecting technique used by the Chinese, which involves a box being drawn and split into four equal sections;
The first section being what you know about yourself that others also know. This is known as the "Free Open Area." So really, people know that my name is Rob, I am blonde, I like Sonic the Hedgehog, those sorts of things.
The second section is what you know about yourself that others don't know. So really, your secrets and private thoughts and feelings. This is known as the Hidden Area. This could be things like my weight.
The third section is what you don't know about yourself that others have noticed about you. This is the Blind Area. So people could think that my voice sounds different to how I think it does.
the fourth and final section is what nobody knows about you, not even yourself. This is the Unknown area, but can have potential to be known facts. So for instance, I've never tried Archery before, so I'm not going to know how good I am at it, nor will anybody else know.

So really, I've had to learn a lot today, and take a on on board. Taking all this information in today has been exhausting, and coupled with the fact I was still recovering from the gym yesterday, I was SUPER TIRED!