“ One of the interesting aspects of this particular interaction among all of us (teacher, students, community activist) is how we might identify and address feedback. It is possible to get stuck in a narrow definition that says “feedback” is a particular kind of commentary that offers either criticism or praise. But feedback is any kind of communication that is delivered in the present, about something that happened in the past, with potential to affect the future (Seashore, Seashore, and Weinberg). By identifying what you think Rafael meant, you give him information (feedback) about how other people read his words, but even more than that (!) you give information about yourself: in other words, given the question of identifying the gist (!) of Thump’s post you inform me (and anyone else who is reading) what you find important – either to yourself personally, or that fits some criteria you’ve learned that supposedly defines the category. By noticing what you do and don’t “find” – or at least, what you do and don’t say that you’ve found – I gather feedback (!) that helps me decide on the next activities.”
http://aplaceinspace.wordpress.com/group-dynamics-spring-2008-com/
“ Now, you have to wonder about my stance regarding office hours: are they “good” or “bad”? Do I like or dislike them? Is that response representative of my overall orientation to office hours or a reflection of my attitude in the moment? You cannot decide the “meaning” of the answer without making inferences. Do you decide the “meaning” based on what you know of me, or do you decide the “meaning” based on a projection of your own attitudes? Depending upon the co-created meaningfulness – whether we accomplish “understanding” smoothly or with difficulty – we begin to craft the parameters of possibility for relatedness and communication. If we get into a groove (by repeating any particular dynamic), we set in motion a trajectory for our communication and hence, actually pattern the potentials of social accomplishment.”
http://aplaceinspace.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/what-are-youwe-going-to-produce-com352/
“ HOW WORDS CREATE REALITY
Note: This is an exercise in deconstruction. Your job here is to unpack, so to speak, a “cultural” label – that is, a word which, for some reason or another, encapsulates something that you think is very representative of the “culture” in which you have lived for a while. You have a lot of freedom in terms of how you unpack your chosen label. The point here is to show that there’s a lot hiding behind “a simple word,” that choosing a label over another has real consequences in terms of the behaviors made possible (or impossible) by that label. The first part of this handout explains why this exercise is important and offers a few suggestions about how you might go about completing it.”
http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:Honors_491G_-_Fall_2007/Graded_Exercise#4:_The_Power_of_Words
