Weekly Minutes #1

Dignitas Weekly Minutes

Campus Announcements:

Dignitas Announcements for Tuesday, September 28, 2010.

Community Day still needs lots of volunteers. If you have a g-mail group for your class you could forward them this link:
https://www2.css.edu/app/community

Ice Cream Social with the sisters today from 1:45 to 3:00 in the Monastery.

Presentation on J-term break trips to Los Angeles and Mexico at 8:00 Wednesday in Tower 2121.

Swanny walk/ run on Wednesday begins at the Wellness Center at 3:30.

Class Announcements:

 Communication Link #1: Small Group Communication
o Read the power point that I sent you carefully on our first communication link

• Blogs
o I am changing the due dates starting next week to Thursday at 12:00am and Sunday at 12:00am this is due to the number of late responses
o You must have correct grammar in your blog comments (no i’s, incomplete sentences, correct spelling, etc) points will be deducted.
o Blog comments need to through and complete to review credit
o A hard copy must be given to Amanda before class starts on Tuesday
 No credit will be given for late work
 No credit will be given if you do not hand in a hard copy
 No credit will be given if you do not sign your name after your posting
• Missing Class
o If you miss class you must write a 2 page paper on what you missed
 This needs to be typed
 Get the information from a classmate if you are absent
• Weekly Readings
o We are behind, we will start this week. The reading is included in your blog this week
o Weekly readings will either be given in class or incorporated in the blog
• Do not text during class
o Students that are texting will lose a half a letter grade for each incident
• Computers must be shut unless I tell you to open them

Assignments:

 Blogs are due weekly
 Team building assignment is due October 12, 2010
o Be sure to print your assignment that I emailed you
o Do not attend a team or group you are already a part of
o All students must attend
 Community Day is next week Wednesday, October 6th
o All students must participate
o You will blog about your experience

Feedback:

 Keep it up and do participate!
 Be sure to complete your work to your best abilities
 Do not hand in late work
 Do not be afraid to talk with Amanda or I about anything you need

Blog #4: A Miracle? What are your two cents?

Today we watched a very powerful clip about a Deaf family that decided to go ahead and travel to Brazil for a very expensive surgery that would make their child Deaf just like them. They wanted to feel that special connection that all families have. Now, I know this was very hard for you to watch and stirred many emotions, but think about this for a minute. Really think about it. How is this any different from hearing parents implanting their children with Cochlear Implants to make them hearing? Hmmmm.... Shouldn't a child have the right to be just what they are...Deaf without the pressures to be molded to fit into the "norm"?
Deaf people are a part of a culture that share a very unique and beautiful language, traditions, values, folklore, and so much more. They can be compared to a language minority in the United States. Yet, the majority believes that Deaf people need to be hearing to be happy, adjusted, successful, educated, and social. Isn't this the same as believing one race is better than another or that people who are gay or lesbian should be straight?

Please read this article and ponder on the story we watched today. What do you think? What are your "two cents"? (be honest, I want you to feel you can share your thoughts and opinions freely here)

We will continue our discussion next week.

http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/cont28.shtml

The Breakast Club

The Breakfast Club takes place at an Illinois high school, where five dissimilar students are sentenced to spend a Saturday detention session together. In attendance is a "princess" (Ringwald), an "athlete" (Estevez), a "brain" (Hall), a "criminal" (Nelson), and a "basket case" (Sheedy). These titles identify the roles the students play during the school week. Because of stereotypes and status levels associated with each role, the students want nothing to do with each other at the outset of the session. However, when confronted by the authoritarian detention teacher (Gleason) and by eight hours of time to kill, the students begin to interact. Through self-disclosure they learn that they are more similar than different. Each wrestles with self-acceptance; each longs for parental approval; each fights against peer pressure. They break through the role barriers and gain greater understanding and acceptance of each other and of themselves. They ultimately develop a group identity and dub themselves, "The Breakfast Club."





1. Discuss the group's developmental stages.



The developmental stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing can be seen in the movie. The group is formed because each student has broken the school rules; they are together because they are all serving detention (except for Allison, who at day's end admits she is there because she had nothing better to do). During the storming stage, both types of social tension are exhibited. Primary tension can be seen in Claire's statement that she doesn't "belong here." It is also evident when Brian gives up his seat to Bender and in Allison's nail biting. Examples of secondary tension include Bender's antagonistic exchanges with Claire, the shouting matches between Bender and Andrew, and Allison's strange outburst during Claire's disclosure about her parents.



Mr. Vernon attempts to set explicit norms by stating that there is to be no talking, no moving, and no monkey business. However, this attempt to establish norms is unsuccessful because the norms are not accepted by the group. Implicit norms develop in the group, such as yelling, questioning, disrespect for authority, and, most notably, self-disclosure. Many of these norms are initiated by Bender, which points to his power, status, and leadership in the group.



Regarding performing, the group ultimately accomplishes its explicit task--writing a detention essay--by assigning it to Brian. The group also has a number of less-explicit goals that it achieves. The most obvious is that they successfully kill eight hours of detention with a minimum of boredom. They perform many of the functions of an encounter group, learning about themselves and each other through intimate self-disclosures. They also band together in a variety of rebellious acts, from roaming the halls to smoking pot. All of these acts suggest a level of "groupness" that develops in a few short hours.



2. What factors contribute to the group's cohesiveness?



The first factor leading to the group's cohesiveness is the amount of time and interaction they have with each other. While time alone does not insure the development of cohesiveness, the group has nothing else to do and plenty of opportunity to talk. After weathering some primary and secondary tension, the group starts to congeal when it identifies a mutual enemy: Mr. Vernon. An early indicator of group identity emerges in Bender's use of "we" as he asks, "Why don't we close that door? We can't have any party with Vernon checking us out." They begin to perform as a group after Bender removes the screw from the door leading to Vernon's office. The other students cover for him when Vernon comes back asking, "How did that door get shut?"



Cohesion is further developed through self-disclosure. Bender gets Claire to self-disclose about her feelings toward her parents. Andrew then turns and asks Bender to tell about his parents. This discussion is critical to the development of cohesion because the group members begin to see the similarity of their struggles and they identify with each other. Later, the group pressures Claire to confess her virginity. An embarrassed Claire calls Allison "bizarre" for lying to force the confession. Andrew replies, "We are all pretty bizarre. Some of us are better at hiding it, that's all." This marks another point of similarity: they all protect their self-concepts by putting on faces in line with the expectations that others have for them. Andrew describes his struggle to live up to his father's athletic expectations and Bender tells of his father's abuse. Thus, two very different characters find common ground, typified by Bender's comment to Andrew: "I think my dad and your dad ought to get together and go bowling."



As they band together to fight against mutual enemies--parents, peer pressure, authority figures, stereotypes, boredom--the Breakfast Club develops into a highly cohesive group.

QUESTIONS!

What stages do you predict your group will go through? How do you see your group developing group-cohesiveness? Do you think self-disclosure will help your group bond? What about the class as a whole?

RESPONSE REQUIRED!

Disclosure is important in team building. Disclose 5 things about yourself that you feel are important about you to your group members. It does not have to be something confidential, just something unique and special about you!

Who are Americans?

Do Americans Share a Common Culture?

By:
Professor Gregory Jay

What common beliefs, values, and cultural practices make up the culture shared by most people in the United States? The term “multiculturalism” suggests that people in the U.S. belong to many different cultures rather than all belonging to a single “American” culture? Is this true? Or is there a common culture shared by most Americans? How would we define and describe this common culture? Below I have attempted to identify and describe some key
elements of a common American
culture.

They include:

(Define each of these in your comment section and give an example of what each means to you)

Individualism
Capitalism
Modernism
Religiosity
Secularism

Create 2 questions for each other in regards to the American Culture. Select 2 or more questions and answer them.

Dignity: "What Have You Done Today to Make You Feel Proud?"

Dignity....

All people are created equal
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity
Communities transform through partnerships, not handouts
Human dignity is paramount in relieveing human distress.

What do you believe?
What does Dignity mean to you?
What would you add to this?


Listen to this song and reflect on what it means.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tms-ayMYzb8
How does it protray dignity?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

From Group To Team---Getting There!

You have been assigned to a group of people and are working together to become a team. I would like you to read the information that I have provided below. As you read this, I want you to think about how your group is developing into a team. Using the information below answer these questions.

1. What makes your group unique?

2. What is group doing successfully to develop into a team?

3. What does your group need to improve in their team development?

4. How do you feel about all members being accountable for failures and successes?

A team is a group of people coming together to collaborate. This collaboration is to reach a shared goal or task for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. A group of people is not necessarily a team. A team is a group of people with a high degree of interdependence geared towards the achievement of a common goal or completion of a task rather than just a group for administrative convenience. A group, by definition, is a number of individuals having some unifying relationship.

From Group To Team -- Getting There

Be Enthusiastic -- it's Contagious

Become enthusiastic about one aspect at a time. Start by initially looking for a quick problem to be solved. Most teams trace their advancement to key performance oriented events that forged them together. Potential teams can set such events in motion by immediately establishing a few challenging, yet achievable goals.

First, find a problem and start to talk about it with the team; do not delegate it to an individual or small group, make it a project for everybody. Choose a simple, but distracting work-related problem and solicit everybody's views and suggestions. Next, get the problem solved. Demand urgency against a clear target. There is no need to allocate large amounts of resource or time to this, simply raise the problem and make a fuss. When a solution comes, praise it by rewarding the whole team. Also, ensure that the aspects of increased efficiency, productivity, and/or calm are highlighted since this will establish the criteria for success. When the problem has been solved, find another (preferably bigger) one and repeat.

Develop a Sense of Urgency

Team members need to believe the team has an urgent and worthwhile purpose. Establishing a sense of urgency and direction will help them know what their expectations are. The more urgent and meaningful the need to reach a goal, the more likely it is that a real team will start to emerge. The best teams define their performance expectations, but are flexible enough to allow changes to shape their own purpose, goals, and approach.

Set Clear Rules of Behavior

Teams develop rules of conduct to help them achieve their purpose and performance goals. Some rules you might want to consider:

• attendance - no interruptions to take phone calls
• discussion - no sacred cows
• confidentiality - personal revelations must remain among the team
• analytic approach - facts are friendly
• constructive confrontation - no finger pointing
• the most important - everyone does real work

Keep Them Informed

Challenge your team with fresh facts and information. New information causes a potential team to redefine and enrich its understanding of the objectives, thereby helping the team to set clearer goals.

Grow Together

Teams must spend a lot of time together (bonding), especially in the beginning. Yet potential teams often fail to do so. The time spent together must be both scheduled and unscheduled. Creative insights as well as personal bonding require impromptu and casual interactions.

Reinforcement Works Wonders

Exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition, and reward. Positive reinforcement works as well in a team context as elsewhere. For example, by being alert to a shy person's initial efforts to speak up, allows you to encourage continued contributions.

Other methods include:

• Focus on both development and performance. Make teamwork the norm for all actions. Model teamwork in the way you conduct business and the way you interact with your colleagues.
• Use all your leadership tools, such as coaching, counseling, mentoring, tutoring, and concentrating on improving performance.
• Use informal processes, such as the way you communicate, showing respect, and appreciating and celebrating their achievements.
• Your feelings must show commitment, loyalty, pride, and trust in your team.
• Share the credit.
• Create subcommittees for key areas and give them decision making authority.
• Take turns having a different member facilitate or lead the meetings.
• Talk last in discussions, after you've heard from the others.
• Be clear about when you're expressing your own personal opinion, that of the organization, or that of the whole team.

Leadership shows itself in the inspired action of team members. Traditionally, organizations have assessed leaders by their actions and behaviors. But, the best way to assess leadership is by the degree to which people surrounding leaders are inspired. It is this inspiration that leads organizations on to excellent performance, rather than mediocre performance.

Team members are deeply committed to each other's personal growth and success. That commitment usually transcends the team. A team outperforms a group and outperforms all reasonable expectations given to its individual members. That is, a team has a synergistic effect -- one plus one equals a lot more than two.

Team members not only cooperate in all aspects of their tasks and goals, they share in what are traditionally thought of as management functions, such as planning, organizing, setting performance goals, assessing the team's performance, developing their own strategies to manage change, and securing their own resources.

A team has three major benefits for the organization:

1. It maximizes the organization's human resources. Each member of the team is coached, helped, and led by all the other members of the team. A success or failure is felt by all members, not just the individual. Failures are not blamed on individual members, which gives them the courage to take chances. Successes are felt by every team member, this helps them to set and achieve bigger and better successes. In addition, failure is perceived as a learning lesson.
2. Its output is superior, even when the odds are not in its favor. This is due to the synergistic effect of a team -- a team can normally outperform a group of individuals.
3. There is continuous improvement. No one knows the job, tasks, and goals better than the individual team members. To get real change, you need their knowledge, skills, and abilities. When they pull together as a team, they will not be afraid to show what they can do. Personal motives will be pushed to the side to allow the team motive to succeed.

Information taken from:Information from:

http://nwlink.com/~Donclark/leader/leadtem.html

Superheros, groups and dignity!

Ever thought about what superhero you would what to be? What powers would you want to have and why? How would you use them for the greater good? How would you use your powers with dignity and not for selfish reasons?

List your favorite superhero group. Why are they successful? Would they be as successful on their own? How do they work together? What do they each bring and how do their individual contributions make the group more successful What is their goal? How do they solve conflicts within their groups?