Blog Post 2: Observations

Blog Post 2: Mall Observations

In this observation assignment, Katie Cavasinni and I, went to the mall and sat down at the food court and observed the people around us. We noted different things we saw and how we interpreted them. Here is a list of things I saw and how I interpreted them.

Description 1:

There seems to be a gathering of people of all kinds of races, cultures, and backgrounds.

Interpretation 1:

It does not seem to be a normal or planned gathering of people. All these people are here for the same reason either to eat or to socialize.

Description 2:

There isn't too many people sitting alone, but there is a few. The elderly seem to sit alone.

Interpretation 2:

It seems that people that sat alone either because they were lonely, didn't have someone to ask to come with them to the mall, or just prefer to be alone when they are at the food court.

Description 3:

There is a decent amount of families here, some big and some small. Also, there seemed to be good amount of young girls with their mothers.

Interpretation 3:

The mall is a great place where families can bond, socialize, and interact with each other. Especially, the bond between a mother and her daughter is very special that they share with each other on a personal level.

Description 4:

There is a sense of happiness and relaxation when being in a mall or at the food court. Everyone seems to smile or be happy when eating their food.

Interpretation 4:

People come to the mall or food court to shop and have a great meal with their family, friends, or acquaintance. They must be happy to eat their food either because they were really hungry or the food is really good.

Description 5:

Katie and I were both approached by two young African American girls (about 10 or eleven years old) and they asked us if we wanted to buy some candy for their fundraiser for their swim team. I bought some candy off them

Interpretation 5:

I saw this as a need for the girls and they really were determined to help their team raise money.

Description 6:

Lots of people consistently tended to look at their phones quite a bit whether it was probably to call, check a text message, read an email, or use another app.

Interpretation 6:

Technology has had a big impact on human lives over the past decade or so and that has made people over time become more accustomed to checking their things over the phone, laptop, or some kind of computer in public places.

Reflections

 

In these observations that Katie and I did duly noted, we saw numerous differences between our observations. We discussed what we had in common first to establish that there was a connection between our two separate sightings. I discovered many things while observing in the mall at the food court that there seems to be an overall sense of happiness and relaxation; no stress or anxiety. Maybe, because it was a Sunday, but it seemed to be a very calm day.

The difference between Katie's observations and mine was that I saw things in the more general sense for what they were and Katie saw meaning and descriptive side of her observations. she noticed more of the environment around us. For example, she noted the uses of sound, light, and color used all around the food court. She has a more descriptive background when it comes to seeing the world around us. Plus, taking a consumer politics class, she loves writing and poetry, but isn't too culturally diverse because of the school she attended. As opposed to me, I saw my observations and based them on the cultural relationships because of the school and lifestyle I have been used to. Also, seeing the world in a general sense, more reality based, help me see the observations and interpretations Katie had more easy to understand. Overall, this was a good exercise that we were able to go out into the public, make observations and assumptions, turn them into interpretations of how we saw it and see the differences that two people see the world and people in it.

Blog Post 1: Class Survey

Personal Information
1. Josh
2. Reynoldsburg, Ohio
3. High School/College - Government, Psychology, Sociology & possibly Greek mythology
4. What makes me special is my ability to absorb and analyze information and interpret it. A few unique aspects about me that would help our classroom is I am open minded, skeptical, and a great listener.

Learning Style and more:
5. Having the level of openness with my classmates and professor, so we can talk about any topic or issue without being too criticized or judged.
6. I am that type of student in class that might start off quite and might not participate as much as the other students, but as the class starts to get rolling, I become more of an active participant in the class. I like to describe myself as always prepared, reliable/trustworthy, and open minded. Also, I am pretty food at taking directions and performing the task to the best of my ability.

Education Past and Present
7. One of my fondest memories as student was my government teacher brought me aside after class to tell me how much I was improving in the class. I started out the class struggling in the class and I told him history (government) is one of my favorite subjects. He told me keep up the good work and I ended up having a really good grade in the class.
8. Some significant issues or problems being faced now in the field of education is if the big state assessment test for high schools like the ACT able to prove the actual intelligence of a student.

About Dr. Shutkin:
9. What was your inspiration or motivation to get you into the field of education? What have you learned over the years in your classrooms, your methods of getting the students to be more open minded, skeptical, and optimistic about different topics and issues in the field of education?