14/03/2022
Parts 1) Which activities we have done today. To learn, reflect about what? Name, conditions to do it, which objectives, it is for children or adults or both, any other version (Can you imagine or do you know any other activity to do with same or similar purpose?
For today's class, we had to read a few pages of a document and then create a concept map with the key concepts of one topic. Mine was the space. In theory, we had to separate into groups, put together the concepts acquired during the reading, and from there create another concept map.
There were 5 of us in my initial group but today in class there were only two of us. As we could and went very fast, we created the concept map and put together what we understood.
As it turned out, we split into teams and I had to make the presentation first. I wasn't completely nervous, and this has been very strange to me because I usually panic talking in front of people, but I guess being in a small group has been different. I tend to go very, very fast, my voice shakes and I am unable to keep my eyes on the people in front of me. Although I am aware that I need to change my body posture, as I have been speaking diagonally today and was only addressing two of the three people I was talking to, I am proud that I normally would not have been able to. My voice did not tremble and I was able to hold their gaze. I think my posture is because the folio was hanging on the wall and I was turning to look at the contents all the time because when I get nervous I also tend to forget about everything. So in my performance, I'm happy because I know how I behave and I usually can't help it.
I was surprised by Marta's tone of voice, as she, outside of the class, is a person with a very loud voice, but inside she explained so slowly that I almost relaxed.
And one thing to note is that a few weeks ago I noticed something I do when someone is doing an oral presentation.
A few months ago, while I was doing an oral presentation and I was very nervous, a girl who was looking at me said "yes" with her head all the time like telling me “you’re doing well, keep it up” and she reassured me. Nowadays, consciously, I create eye contact with someone who is exposing and I do it with my head as if to tell them that he/she is doing well because it works for me and helps you gain confidence in yourself.
3) Connections with the concepts of the subject, articles, readings, videos, your own experience or learnings from other subjects, degrees…
I would relate today's session to a lecture I attended the other day at the Nursery 3-6 course. Marta has exemplified that personal space depends on many factors, one of them is culture, as ours is more intimate than, for example, an Asian person. This reminded me that one of the students we have in the classroom, from Japan, gave us a lecture on schooling in her country but also on modus vivendi in general, and it was one of those consultations that you don’t want to stop listening because the difference between one culture and another is so brutal and amazing, such a different way of understanding life, that it’s impossible not to be shocked. At least I was shocked.