Practice Observation - Philosophy Class

For my practice observation, I decided to observe my philosophy class. I observed many things that I wouldn't really make a point of and notice unless I was actually paying attention to certain details in the classroom. One thing I observed was that everyone sits in the same seat every single class. This is most likely because everyone is familiar of those seats and that is where they are used to sitting every single class. Another thing I observed was that the majority of students sit on the left side of the class room, closer to the door. I believe that this happened because on the first day of class, the students that got to class the earliest got seats closest to the door, while the students that came later; their only option was to sit on the other side of the room away from the door. I also observed that the upper class men and older people in the class talk more and engage in group discussion more than the under class men and younger people in the class. This may be because they have more knowledge and might have taken other philosophy classes, or because they have had this particular professor before and are comfortable with how she teaches and runs the class. Another thing that I observed was that during group work, at first no one was talking because no one was comfortable starting a conversation. Once someone started talking though, it was easier for everyone to chime in with their ideas and to put their input into the conversation. One last thing that I observed was that the professor never shot down anyone's ideas or told them that they were wrong. In this philosophy class, it's all about how you interpret a text, what you think it means and to make a valid argument out of that claim. She is very supportive of everyone's thought and ideas. There are endless situations where when you observe and notice things that you wouldn't if you were to not focus on certain aspects of the situation.

It Takes a Tribe evaluation

I found this story very interesting because I could relate to it. Being currently enrolled in a University, these stereotypes are very common and apparent. For example, there is a twitter account called SMACKhigh, where they just make fun of and criticize all the high schools and colleges in Massachusetts.  They also criticize Bridgewater State University. Because Bridgewater state is a 'dry-campus', meaning that there is no tobacco allowed on campus and security levels are high in all the residential buildings, the twitter account constantly criticizes the fact that it is tough to party at Bridgewater and to have a good time. To an extent, this is true. Security is very high in all the buildings, especially the freshman dorms, where there is 24 hour security at the front desk. It is very tough to sneak things into the dorm because of the constant security presence. Compared to a place like Umass Amherst, one of the biggest party schools in the nation, this might be the worst place to go to college for some people, but I disagree with that statement. Also the rivalry between schools is apparent through this twitter account. I know that when the twitter account talks down to my school, I get slightly offended and a little angry. Then other people from other schools chime in with their comments about my school, and that fuels my rage even more. Just because of this twitter account, different rivalries are created between schools, and it soon turns into which person goes to the better school.

Collage evaluation

At first I could not think of what i wanted to make my collage about. I noticed that many people in my class we're doing their collages about family or friends, so I didn't want to do that topic. I then began to think about what I find most important to me, and the first thing that came into my head was respect. I was taught to always respect everyone in your life, because to gain respect you have to be respectful. I chose several photos not of myself, but of people doing things that are respectful. I chose images such as two bikers finishing a race together or two interracial people shaking hands to show that respect is everywhere and that many people show respect, and everyone should be respectful. I then chose personal pictures that I believe are of me showing respect or being respectful in some way. I chose a picture of my girlfriend and I walking together during my prom. I chose this picture because I believe that that photo shows the respect I have for all women, and that fact that I believe that everyone should show respect for women. I also chose a picture of me about to shake hands with the superintendent of my high school last year. I believe this photo shows how I respect my elders, especially someone that is in a high school position as he was. I put a picture of my family to show how much i respect my family, especially my mother and father for raising me to be who I am today. I believe that everyone should be respectful, because that is the only way that you will be able to gain respect.