I've recently been thinking about a group session that stood out to me. In tis session we spoke to Abisola via webcam and she introduced us to an exercise all to do with engaging. We held polystyrene rods together and had to move around the room with them in groups of three. We were only allowed to hold them up with our fingers which was a challenge as they were big and long. As we moved around the room we found that usually someone would slip and a rod would fall, and we would start again until we were able to travel round with no complications and even alter the levels we were travelling in and add meanders! I didn’t really understand the purpose of this exercise until the end when looking at what we observed from this exercise and how it relates to us.
What we observed:
· When a rod slipped we recorded what finger holding techniques worked and didn’t work and altered them accordingly
· Each time we found someone would naturally appoint themselves as ‘leader’ and assure the group with a good strategy
· Frustration would build within the group, which would then lead into elation as we successfully progressed (or progressed frustration as failure continued!!)
· Whether we enjoyed the experience or not, Did our attitude towards the exercise change and did this determine the future outcome of the exercise
How it related to us
We thought about how we engage in work/studying situations.. do we give up as soon as a situation becomes uncomfortable? Or does this discomfort urge us to go on and complete a task?
How long did it take for you to become irritated by the of the task .
Do you depend on muscle memory when engaging ? Or more Visual aspects of working?
As the exercise continues and we got better at it I enjoyed it more, is this how I approach all of my work?
I had never really thought in depth about my way of engaging. Through this exercise I was able to learn so much about my working/learning methods. I find that when there is a task in hand I will always throw myself into it prepared to immerse myself in all it has to offer in order to experience the most I can get out of it. On the first day or rehearsals of a play I did this year I found I was ready to approach the rehearsal as I would any other, full of confidence and enthusiasm. How ever I found it was a very different scenario once I got there. The actors I was meeting for the first time were all RADA trained, and met the judgement of the upper middle class acting student type. We played a few warm up introductory games and instantly I felt inferior, less intelligent. I became worried that I couldnt put not put my words together as sophisticatedly as them. Instantly i though tf the excercise we performed in the lecture and as I began t revisit emotions I felt and I was more aware of the way in which I over come challenging situations to perform to the best of my ability.
