Basic HTML Version
E
XPERIENCE
14: M
Y
T
URN
TO
S
HINE
412
L
EARNING
TO
L
EARN
: B
ECOMING
A
S
ELF
-G
ROWER
Responding to Reactions
W
HY
The ability to suspend what might seem to be your automatic or gut-level reactions to a situation places you
in a position of control. The greater your ability to keep from unthinkingly causing problems to escalate or
negatively affecting the dynamics around you, the greater your control of any situation in which you find
yourself. Being aware of your options for how you will respond to others’ reactions allows you to control
much of the dynamic and consciously use what might otherwise seem like negative or difficult situations
in order to help you grow and learn.
L
EARNING
O
BJECTIVES
This learning activity will teach you to:
1. Learn what commonly triggers emotional reactions through studying how people react to situations
2. Become more self-aware through exploring a range of your own reactions to situations, especially
emotional reactions
3. Increase your ability to suspend immediate reactions by thinking through how you want to respond to
someone’s reaction to a situation (visualizing)
P
ERFORMANCE
C
RITERIA
If you successfully complete this activity, you will be able to
:
Demonstrate control in a situation by determining what an acceptable response would be to others’
reactions to your performance
•
Analysis of why people are reacting the way they are
•
Awareness of your current emotional state and understanding the reasons for your emotions
•
Implementation of your planned response and observation of how others react to your response
P
LAN
1.
Complete this activity in your base groups. Roles are captain, reflector, spokesperson, and recorder.
2.
Read the Model and individually reflect on how you could, would, and should react in this situation
and why. Spend several minutes discussing the model within your team.
3.
Answer the Critical Thinking Questions as a team. Your spokesperson should be prepared to share
your team’s responses in a class discussion.
M
ODEL
You are working in a cooperative learning team and are currently the team
captain, trying to lead your team through a high-pressure and timed learning
challenge. Several on your team did not complete the required reading before
class. Your team is becoming increasingly agitated because other teams are
making greater progress. Your frustration with your teammates is now some-
what obvious and several on your team react by saying, “What right do
you
have to tell us we’re not prepared?” At this critical point, how do you react?