“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
- Soren Kierkegaard
Wow, this is our last posting for the Interdisciplinary blog! We can’t believe it has flown by this fast and we have truly enjoyed this learning experience with all of you. This has been a great group of diverse people with wonderful experiences and knowledge to share. In this last topic, we will be covering Reflection and Personal Philosophy.
“Reflection occurs when students evaluate sources of information, demonstrate lines of reasoning from conflicting perspectives, evaluate complex problems or objects, discuss controversial issues, or justify an important decision” (Repko, 59). What does reflection mean to you and how does it differentiate from description? Please also describe how you will take your understanding of reflection and use this towards compiling you content pages for your e-Portfolio. Or are there any specific skills that you have learned in this class that you will now apply into your Interdisciplinary? Personally, I try to reflect daily on what happened throughout the day at work, how I handled certain situations and how I could have gone about them better. I feel like I am constantly growing from this reflection technique.
Personal Philosophy is a way of life, a frame of mind or an attitude of which sets your perspective on all things in life. I’m sure at some point you have all taken time to think about finding meaning and satisfaction in your life. When you take a look back at your accomplishments and where you are, does it make you happy? If not, what can you do to change that? You are the only one who controls your future and your happiness. Please also discuss your personal philosophy concerning your professional life. Do you feel that your personal philosophy is interdisciplinary? If not, how can you alter that? While finding this frame of mind in your professional life think about how this has altered your career goals and discuss. While sometimes an event or thought might seem silly or insignificant to one person, it might be life changing for the next. One of my personal philosophies is that “everything happens for a reason”. It is not necessarily the truth or helpful to you, but it something I believe about life. Personal philosophies can come from memories, past experiences, emotions, knowledge or reasoning on making judgments. Whatever it might be, it’s something that you personally believe about life. "An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight. The truly wise person is colorblind."-Albert Schweitzer
As always, be sure to sign your post with your full name to ensure credit. Thank you for everything that you have shared with us and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Now go enjoy life!
Leanne Sless Gardner
Reflection to me means taking time to look back on what you have accomplished, what is significant about that achievement, how I got there, and what is the next thing I should start to work towards. My description differs from the given explanation in that my definition focuses on personal things, inner-reflection. The given description places more of a broad focus on the definition of reflection along with working towards solving problems and towards the future, versus what has occurred in the past. Understanding the meaning of reflection will be useful towards compiling my portfolio because I can incorporate what I have achieved in the past to what I hope to accomplish in the future along with how I will do so.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking back so far I would say that I am very pleased with how I have acted, what I have accomplished, and how I reached my goals. I believe though that you are the only one who can make you happy, so you always have to be working towards keeping happiness in your life and everything else will just add to your happiness. One of the philosophies that I embrace is that nothing in life is free; those who accomplish their goals do so by working hard and obtaining initiative. I think that in some ways my philosophy is interdisciplinary because in order to achieve your desires you have to work very hard along with be confident and happy in your life, this all takes multiple avenues to achieve the common purpose. Personal philosophies can be developed through many different experiences and for many different reasons. Personally, I developed my philosophy as a form of motivation and a way to continuously to remind myself to work hard to attain everything I set my mind towards.
Angela Boyd
Anglea,
DeleteI couldn't agree with you more. Hard work will get you places in life. I don't ever recall a tiem when I worked really hard for soemthing and regretted working so hard. Even if we don't get the outcome we where hoping for people will note that you we are hard workers and that you will be recognized for. I think it is important to constantly motivation ourselves to work hard and achieve the goals that we are looking for. Good luck.
Patricia Alise Priest
hello ladies,
DeleteI too believe hard work will get you places in life. I am a very hard worker and I come from a long line of hard workers, however I have seen it work for some and not work for others. I have seen some of my family memebers still working to hard for there age and most of it is because they have to, but others in my family are working hard because they still want to and that it has done them well in life. It all depends on how they want to handle the opportunities that are layed out in from front of them for doing such hard work all the time. Im in a business that I get recognized for my hard work a lot and its great to have important people tell you that! It also opens the doors for me to do certain things or have different opportunities. It also helps that Im a interdisciplinarian and can do many different things so I am able to capitalize on these different opportunites so it seems to be working out for me as well
Justin Sikes
I agree with your philosophy as well. Hard work can earn us the best, and if it fails to, it will at least let others know that we deserve the best. Keeping in mind to work our hardest will always pay off because, as Justin said, it will provide us with new opportunities that wouldn't have arisen otherwise.
Delete-Amanda Brashear
Angela,
DeleteThat is a very good philosophy. It is so true that you have to work hard for what you want, and your hard work will pay off. We all have been through (and continue to go through) stressful situations, but we must have the will to push through each struggle knowing that something positive will come from even the worst situations. Even if the results are not immediate, it depends on how you look at the situation. If you keep telling yourself that nothing good is going to happen, then you will believe that.
Bri Darby
Wow, I can’t believe this is our last post either. This semester has gone by very quickly. Reflection to me is thinking about the past and what you did to get where you are now. Reflection is different from description specifically talks about an event or item, where reflection is more general. I believe that you can absolutely grow has an individual and from a business aspect if you know how to reflect upon your past experience. When I look back and reflect upon my decision and experiences I’m very happy with the choices I have made. My personal and professional philosophies are very similar because I believe that you should always be hones truthful and work to your full potential not matter the situation whether that is at an athletic event or at the office. I would also think it would be easier to be the same consistent person all the time, our lives are busy enough so why try to make things complicated and just be the same person everywhere. This class has given me a few pointers on how to look at a situation from a different light. I also have a new way to solve problems.
ReplyDeletePatricia Alise Priest
Is it just me or does it seem like every week this blog has been gettting smaller and smaller? Its the last week! yaya!! Anyways hello Patricia, I have to reflect everyday, I always feel like it does me good to do that. I lay in bed most of the time and go through the whole day and see if how i handled that or said this was the best way to do it? I agree that being the same consistent person is a good thing and people like that, knowing that when you come in that they dont have to guess at which one of you has come into work today. lol I have a employee that is that way but its becuase I think she has vioces in he head so it a little more difficult to control for her. But cutomers and people enjoy consistenty, even if they say they dont, most of my clientle that I have is because I have always remembered their names and what they drink or eat and that I am always the same when they come in.
DeleteJustin Sikes
Your insight on reflection is very good and a way to incorporate your past, present, and future. I agree that if you understand and know how to apply the action of reflection you will be able to grow as an individual and as a professional. It seems that your personal and professional philosophies center on motivation and determination, two qualities which are a necessity to be successful. Also, I like your thought process of consistency, this is something that you don’t always hear people talk about, but this is a great attribute to have because it instills a sense of trust and reliability. I’m glad that you also took from the class that it will give us a way to promote ourselves in a create way in our future careers.
DeleteAngela Boyd
Patricia,
DeleteI agree with your definition of reflection and how it differs from description. I am always reflecting on my actions, especially in places such as work or in class when there are many people around. Did I do what I was supposed to? Did I answer that question correctly? Even for little things such as cooking, you can reflect on how you prepared the food and what you could do to change it next time. The list is endless. I also agree that this class has given us new ways to solve problems and think critically, and it has shown me that everyone thinks differently, but we all have the same potential.
Bri Darby
I believe reflection is simply mentally reliving a moment and, in addition, trying to figure out whether different outcomes could have come about by different decisions within the experience, or what I have learned about it. Description is the act of explaining an event without any insight. In my e-portfolio I will use reflection to give an account of my experiences and what I have learned from them which can help me in my future.
ReplyDeleteThis class has given me an opportunity to think more outside the box than ever. There have been some very insightful questions that I have answered and I think that I may have actually learned new things about myself that I wouldn’t have otherwise, had I not taken this educational path.
My philosophy is also “everything happens for a reason.” Through certain experiences you gain a different insight that can be applied to other situations. I also believe that you have to work for what you want. Very rarely are opportunities placed in your hands without hard work and dedication.
-Amanda Brashear
I enjoyed your definition of reflection as being a way to relieve yourself in addition to assessing your different decisions. Also, I think the way you will be applying reflection towards your e-portfolio is appropriate and useful. Taking this course has truly forced us to think outside the box but has been very useful in helping us find creative ways to promote ourselves in our future career paths. Your philosophy is a very good one to have and one that I try to follow as well; it is a good way to keep yourself positive in any situation.
DeleteAngela Boyd
I think the whole interdisciplinary degree forces students to think outside of the box. When I was in the nursing program, I found it very useful to keep a journal to reflect on my clinical experiences. Clinical rotations are very stressful and can also be very emotional. Reflecting in a journal allowed me the space to not only describe my experiences but also to record my emotions and to reflect on what I did well and what I need to do differently next time. It really gave me a lot of focus and also helped me identify ways to improve.
DeleteMelissa Castorino
Hello Amanda,
DeleteI really like your view on reflection and mentioning that it is different from simply describing something. One of the great things about the interdisciplinary degree in my opinion is the fact that we learn how to think outside of the box and are encouraged to do so. It's something that I think is a great strength that can certainly be used later on in academic and professional careers.
Chanel Mosby
Hey Amanda!
DeleteI enjoyed reading your definition of a reflection. I also agree that this class has given all of us the opportunity to think out of the box. From the interdisciplinary approach to how we can benefit from it in our professional life, I think everyone now looks at their major from a diverse perspective.
-Tanya Hunt
Hello,
ReplyDeleteLast Week!
Oh how the time flys when your having fun! I have said already I think in some comments today that I reflect everyday, I have too or things get to backed up in my head and I overload. I always have a lot on my plate so this way I lay in bed everynight and review what I have done and said for the day or how I treated a situation and how I could better it next time. something that I have come to thinking or saying a lot is that "Hard work is never overlooked and good things come to good people". These saying are in my head a lot and I believe that it pays off and its paying off for me in life, other than my body hurting me every morning its working ;) I have ben promoted in my job and I am consistently getting opportunities laided down in front to better myself so Im happy with it. Im almost doen with school, this class espicially lol, I have learned quit a bit from this class this semester and I will be better off in the professional workforce because of it and I can take my interdisciplinarian knowledge and work hard and be happy. thank everyone for putting up with my bad typeing and spelling all semester and goodluck in life and I wish the best for you all!
Justin Sikes
Hello Everyone!
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe this is our last blog post and we are in the final weeks of the school year. I have to admit, I was not expecting Cornerstone to be a class that I would take much from, and I was completely wrong. In each little assignment we have done, it has made me reflect on my past experiences, and use those reflections to make plans and goals for my future. Reflection is something that I do countless times per day, even in little situations such as driving (could I have taken a faster route?). When you describe something you are only looking at the situation itself, not your actions. When you reflect you look at the whole picture; you look at the past, present, and future. What did I do in this situation to get me where I am today? What can I do about it now? How will this affect my future? Reflection takes patience, and like Leanne said, "everything happens for a reason." This is a quote that I live by, because sometimes I have trouble seeing how situations with a negative outcome are still benefiting me. This quote is always in the back of my mind and it helps me to stay positive.
Have a great rest of the semester, and good luck!
Bri Darby
I thought the exact same thing about this class but it has really made me think about where I have been and where I want to go in life. I also live by that philosophy. Even in a negative situation, thinking that everything happens for a reason can help keep us positive.
Delete-Amanda Brashear
Hello Bri,
DeleteI'm glad that you have been able to take away something meaningful from this class. I hope that the reflections of the past semester help you as you figure out what you want to do in the future.
Chanel Mosby
Hey Bri!
DeleteLike you, I did not envision cornerstone as a class that I would take such a great amount from. I agree with you that reflection is a part of everyday life, and this course made me personally recognize how many times a day I actually do reflect, and how it can hep me in several ways. I also enjoyed the analogy you highlighted between describing and reflection. Stay positive!!
-Tanya Hunt
I like the quote you posted. I do not believe in fate but I do believe in finding any positives in negative situations. If you do not, then you will have a lot of issues in life, because negatives will never get better.
Delete-Greg Eisenberg
Can I just say how awesome it is that you all have taken on the role of mentor and mentee. It is truly wonderful to see you all encouraging one another in your thoughts and perspectives!
ReplyDeleteI whole-heartedly believe that reflection is one of the greatest and most unique gifts afforded to humanity. Our ability to look back at our choices and decisions and to see how they have either positively or negatively impacted not just our own lives but also our society is so important. It is this ability, this gift that has allowed human society to flourish as it exists today.
It is important to acknowledge that reflection is not just about reliving our choices and actions, but honestly evaluating and seeking to know and understand the full IMPACT of those choices and actions. Some of you have mentioned that you reflect everyday, which is fantastic. I do as well as this is how I feel I live with the most intention in my life.
However, I would say that it is really important to strike a balance between daily reflection and reflecting on life from a larger point of view. At the end of each semester, I think back about my life, my education, my goals, and just spend some time refocusing on how I can be better as a student, a wife, and a person overall. I also use that time to consider the future and look to see that I am still on the path that will take me towards my dreams. Sometimes school can be so detailed and tedious that I get caught up in the minutia of life and forget to look at the larger picture of where I have come from and where I am going. Taking some time to decompress at the end of the semester to not only evaluate how to be better but to reward myself for my hard work and what I've accomplished is so crucial.
Reflection becomes even more important and necessary as we move towards the work place and living out our lives and careers. Having spent a portion of my youth just living and working, time passes you by and before you realize it, years have gone by. The song "Time" by Pink Floyd comes to mind and paints a perfect picture of time's fleeting nature (I'm listening to it as I type this post). Taking time to reflect on the bigger picture every three to six months or even just once a year really helps nail down the time that is passing us by. This way we really live with intention and make the most of our decisions and ultimately our lives. If you can make a habit of doing this now when you have the chance and the need to evaluate your education regularly, it will be such a benefit to you in the future when it isn't quite as easy. Just make the most of it all!
In the end, it has been such a pleasure to be a part of this experiene and journey with you all! You definitely are a bright bunch with great futures ahead of you. Knowing that you have a few more years left in school and remembering how I felt coming out of Cornerstone, keep your chin up and know that Capstone (and the end) will be here before you know it!
Wishing you all the best of luck with the rest of your education and the path of life you find yourselves on!
Julia Elrod!:)
Here are the lyrics to the song "Time" by Pink Floyd.
DeleteTicking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.
Home
Home again
I like to be here
When I can
When I come home
Cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones
Beside the fire
Far away
Across the field
Tolling on the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spell
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteTo me reflection means looking back on and analyzing a past event or experience in order to draw some type of conclusion for future reference. It differs from a description because simply describing means to give a summary of something, categorize it, or give an account of what it is like. A reflection may include a description but goes further by recapping for the purpose of gaining some new knowledge that can be used later. In compiling my content pages, I will use this definition of reflection to recap or look back on my past experiences, school work, and volunteer work in order to draw a conclusion about a certain skill I have that can be used in a future position. This differs from just describing work skills I believe I have by validating my claim.
I am very happy and grateful for my accomplishments and how far God has taken me. To add, often times I am the youngest among my peers; at work, in classes, on sports teams. I am usually one of the youngest but still have been able to experience success in many endeavors. This is one of the contributions behind my personal philosophy (which stems from the Bible) that because God has blessed me so much that it is only right that I take full advantage by going above and beyond; being different than the status quo or average by striving for excellence. On its own I would not say that this philosophy is interdisciplinary, however it can be applied in an interdisciplinary manner. For example, when at work it may be my philosophy that much is expected from me because I have been blessed with a job. Therefore, I use interdisciplinary methods to maintain a standard of work that is higher than the average or what is bare minimum. Such in case is when I was tasked with providing customer service in retail, I would rely on my past experiences to help the customers find what it was they were looking for as well as ask my coworkers about their techniques and experiences. In the end, my approach drew upon my perspective as well as others and created a more holistic customer service experience for the consumer. This frame of mind has altered my career goals greatly by being the road for which I choose to travel. After graduation I will be commissioning into the United States Air Force. This choice was greatly dependent upon the fact that I believe that merely graduating and working a 9 to 5 is not enough. I feel that I have been privileged in too many ways to just become an average Joe. I want to take the opportunities and skills that I have been given and use them to be part of something that affects more than just me or a company. Joining the military does this because it makes me part of an entity that our entire nation depends on.
- Nicholas Spivey
I think you have done a great job already by giving some reflection just in this post to show us your personal philosophy and where that has taken you. Reflective writing can also tell a story. So more than just recapping everything you've done as a list, use more of a narrative. This will draw in the attention of others as they are able to experience emotion and follow along with you as you tell of what led you to make the decisions you have toward your future career (and really anything). The idea of reflection goes farther than simply your career and I think you have captured that idea very well in your post here.
DeleteMichelle Puikis
I totally agree with Julie's comments about taking time out to step back and reflect on the big picture as well as on a regular day to day basis. I too have done this from time to time and doing so always reminds me of what one of the purposes of a higher education is; equipping ourselves with the knowledge that is needed in order to do a job in the future.
ReplyDeleteAs students, we often times fall into the habit of learning something for the semester or time being and then dumping it out and replacing that brain space with something else. However, I have to remind myself that everything I am learning now needs to not just be learned but ingested because after college it will be time to apply this knowledge in real world scenarios.
- Nicholas spivey
I am not sure about everyone else but I love sports and have played since I was 10. After reading Amanda's definition of reflection and how it means thinking of different outcomes that could have occurred due to doing something different, I couldnt help but relate this to sports. In the sports world, and espcially for atheltes, this is something that is pondered constantly.
ReplyDeleteAny time you are involved in a big play that does not go the way you want, or after a big game, you always sit down and reflect on the game. You think about different plays and ask yourself "well if I did this maybe it would have turned out this way". Had I passed the ball a second earlier than maybe it wouldn't have gotten stolen. This same concept should be applied to our professional and personal lives. We should always seek reflection for the purpose of improvement.
- Nicholas spivey
Hi Nick,
DeleteI have also played sports from a young age, I started playing soccer when I was 6, and i agree with you that reflection is a big part of a player mentality. It is how we improve our game and overcome those difficult plays.
Applying the same technique to the rest of our lives to help us improve them is a great point and the sports analogy is one many of us can connect to.
--Gabriella DiSpada
I agree with you Nick. Everyone should reflect on how that may succeed better in a later situation, but as stated in my post, I think we can learn from things other then failures. We can learn a lot from past successes and things we did right and apply them in a later situation.
Delete-Greg Eisenberg
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteTo me reflection is chance to see a situation from the outside, a way that is hard to look at when you are going through something. It is also a chance to let it go. I have found that holding on to things in this life can do you more harm than good. Developing the ability to let go of certain things has open up so many possibilities for me, let me see things I might have missed.
This philosophy has also been extremely useful in my professional life. At work, I think it is important to know when to take things personally and when to let it go. In your professional life, criticism of your work will always come from many angles - your boss, your co-workers, clients. Knowing which pieces to take and use and which ones to let go makes a big difference in your performance and motivation at work. Bottom line, most people are not the best at constructive criticism because as humans our emotions tend to take over. I use reflection at work to really analyze what the situation was truly about and then decide how I will handle it from there.
When I first learned about the e-portfolio at the beginning of class, I wasn't really too hot on the idea. I'm still not actually, although I see what a powerful tool it can be but I don't think it is right to require people to publish info about themselves the internet for a class.
--Gabriella DiSpada
Gabriella,
DeleteI like your definition of reflection. I think there should also be a raw, and emotional aspect to reflection that draws out things we've never seen before. I've found that in telling stories and writing journal entries these emotions and new perspectives come out and I'm able to look at things and get things out that I might have otherwise held in.
As far as your e-portfolio goes, I know our capstone class has been discussing security features to keep your portfolio private and doing private submissions to your teacher. So if that's something you're worried about or interested in changing, you might want to contact your professor and ask them what your options are. I'm sure they will be willing to work things out with you! : )
Michelle Puikis
Thank you Gabriella and Michelle.
ReplyDelete- Nicholas Spivey
Hey everyone!
ReplyDeleteThis being the last week for our reflections is somewhat bittersweet. Although I have never used a blog before, I have learned quite a few things from this one. I pretty much agree with Repko's definition of reflection. I believe, however, that there is more to it. A reflection can be about anything a person wants it to be. For example, I can reflect on my day or my life, or in this case the prompts provided. There is no exact definition of a reflection to me, as it is ambiguous to everyone. In terms of my e-portfolio, I will take this understanding of a reflection and put my personal spin on my e-portfolio. I believe this will help mine stand out from others, and be an attention-catching piece. From this reflection, I have learned skills such as that reflections can be a good way to vent frustrations, and figure out solutions. This can be an important problem-solving strategy in my interdisciplinary career.
In terms of my life thus far, I can honestly say that I am extremely proud and satisfied with my accomplishments and where I am today. With that in mind, there is always room for improvement. I am always striving to be better and to reach higher goals, which is my personal philosophy in my professional life.
Thank you to everyone who has commented and given input on my posts! It was great to read about everyone's goals and understanding, and I wish you all great success in the future!
-Tanya Hunt
When I reflect back I am happy with my life. I think that you can look at reflection in an interdisciplinary fashion because there are so many things that go in to happiness. A lot of aspects in your life have to work together in order to fully be happy. I am proud of my accomplishments and where I am at in my life, and do not regret anything. Reflection is very important so that you can learn from mistakes, but also learn from past successes.
ReplyDelete-Greg Eisenberg