Our Trip to the Hanna Center : )

Yesterday we completed our service learning project at the Hanna Center.  I was a little nervous before it all started because I was worried that the kids wouldn't like the games, or we would run out of things to do, or some catastrophe would occur.  Luckily, none of the above happened.  We got to the Hanna Center, had a couple minutes to set up, and then we gathered everyone around a large table for introduction (their name and favorite thing about Halloween)--I was shocked to find out that many of the children there did not have a preference for their favorite type of Halloween candy!! We then moved to snack time, which everyone seemed to enjoy--especially our team members haha.  After clean-up, Amanda had a pumpkin craft for the kids to do, we played a broomstick relay race along with other outdoor games that Ellen came up with, we had a "gross food guess," and a mummy wrapping competition.  All around good times.   Brett and Josh's costumes also seemed to be a big hit with the kids.  

Although everything ran smoothly, I will say I realized the importance of flexibility!  We came prepared with an agenda of activities, but we quickly learned that we were just going to have to "go with the flow."  Kids can only stay focused on one activity for so long, so we had to switch things around in order to keep them entertained and content.  

I'd have to say my favorite part of the day was coloring with the kids at the end of our time at the Hanna Center.  I forgot how therapeutic coloring can be!! Maybe one of these days Jasmine will let us color as an in-class activity : )

Problem Solving Task Forces are intense!

This last few classes when we worked on the problem solving task-force it made me realize how problem solving works. I wish that we would have done this about a week ago, because I had an interview and one of the questions that the interviewer asked me was, "Tell me about a time when you used your problem solving skills?" At the time this was a very hard question and I was caught off guard because I really hadn't ever thought about how I actually use problem solving skills. But we use problem solving skills everyday! Whether its just to decide what to eat for lunch, or how to deal with your roommate. I never really thought about how important problem solving skills are and how much we actually use them.

The scenario that my group was given was about Texas A&M, the school was building a bond fire with huge logs for their homecoming game and there was an accident where the logs fell and many students were crushed and many died. Then our group was to come up with a plan on how to handle the situation. At first I was so overwhelmed with the problem and I felt bad(even though it wasn't real!) I don't think that I would be a good person to put on an actual problem solving task force for a real situation like this because I feel that my emotions would probably get the best of me. Haha! Anyways, so as the group and I really started to dig into the scenario we first identified what needed to happen as soon as possible then moved on to who needed to be addressed in the situation (parents, media, students, ect). Then lastly we thought of ways to keep something like this from happening again in the future. We went though it step by step basically, the problem solving skills came so natural to everyone in the group because we do these things on a daily basis, thank goodness the problems that we encounter everyday are not like this scenario and are not as intense.

So next time I have an interview question about problem solving I will have a much better answer for the interview than the last one.

-Amanda Wise

Task Force

Yes, I will also say a few words about the Problem-Solving Task Force assignment. I don't mean to jump on the bandwagon, I just think it's a unique assignment and will provide us with useful skills for the future. It was interesting to be assigned to a different group, mostly because we have grown used to each other (as members of Boiler Volunteers) and know each other's communication styles and other nuances of the group and there is an established level of comfort with each other. However, our task force group had some new members, and we were missing some from the Boiler Volunteers, so some adjustments were needed. Under normal circumstances, this would probably happen over a period of time, say a week or two, but in this f aux crisis situation, everything came together so much more quickly. I just think it's interesting how quickly people become acquainted with each other in high-stakes situations.
A great example of this would be my experience this past summer as a high ropes challenge course facilitator. Normally it takes a group of new acquaintances awhile to adjust to one another and become comfortable with one another. With no past experiences to refer to, it's hard for them to have free-flowing conversations and there is usually a strong sense of personal space and very limited personal contact. However, when said group is sent thirty feet into the air with sling lines and harnesses holding them there as they walk across a steel cable, this touch barrier is broken almost immediately and participants are a lot more willing to get close with one another and help each other across. This is why these activities are usually used as teambuilding activities; they push people outside of that comfort level and speed along the "getting to know you" process.

-Ellen Rohlfing

On Wednesday, we were assigned new groups for problem solving task force. My new group was assigned the task of deciding how to respond to our company, "Jack in the Box", having an E-coli outbreak. Our new group functioned well and we came up with a good solution to the problem. I enjoyed seeing how the roles formed in our new group. One person took the leadership role and we relied on him to lay down the structure for our response to the problem. He got email addresses and phone numbers from every one and sent them out. Other people in the group were always there with useful ideas. I noticed when group members were supportive, clarifying, and questioning of ideas. While I have not figured out what every person's role was in the new group, I am starting to realize the different roles that people naturally fit into.

~Josh Heber

We're Having a Crisis Here!

 Today in class we were assigned our "crisis" to discuss in our problem-solving task force.  Our goal was to come up with a valid solution to address the issue, cover any concerns the public might have, investigate, talk with the media, and more.  We only had about 20 minutes to discuss the issue with our group--and is it turns out, this was hardly enough time at all.  Before today, I never really took the time to think about how much time, effort, and planning has to be put into finding a solution (or even a temporary solution) to an actual crisis.  There were much more variables that had to be taken into account than I would have imagined.  Thankfully, our collaboration allowed us to uncover some of these variables that I definitely would not have come up with alone.  

Our crisis dealt with the collapsed bonfire at A & M.  While I understood that the school's liability aspect needed to be taken care of, I had totally neglected to think about the parents that would have needed to be contacted and the counseling services that should be provided.  

This project changed my perspective on the way crises are handled, and the important role that the media plays in broadcasting information.  I can only imagine how much coordination and networking it takes to cover all of these issues in real life!!

-Kristen Gilson

REAL-LIFE Application to Problem Solving

Yesterday in class we talked about applications for problem-solving, and as I sat in class, I realized that these techniques would come in handy sooner than I thought.  I will admit I am one of those people who hates making decisions, and unfortunately my friends are too.  Consequently, it become a big struggle just to figure out where everyone wants to go eat for dinner.  Well not anymore.  

Step 1: Define the problem.  

-What? We need to determine where to go for dinner.

-Who? My friends and I.

-Where? This happens when we are all at the pool.

-When? Right after swim practice at 5:30.

Why? Because we are swimmers, we are starving, and we eat more than you can imagine.

-How? I will drive to dinner because I have the biggest car.

Step 2: Analyze the problem.

-Causes: No one wants to be the one who is responsible for choosing where we go to eat for the fear that another group member will be upset with the decision. Lack of ideas.  Lack of brainstorming.

-Effects: Hungry, agitated swimmers who really want to eat dinner. A verbal-war of "I picked last time, its your turn to pick." A consensus is still not reached.  

Step 3: Generating several possible solutions

-We list all the restaurants that sound good to each one of us.

Step 4: Evaluating options and selecting the best option

-Analyze the pros and cons of each solution using measures such as: which restaurant has the widest variety, is there a type of food that all of us our craving that night, which restaurant is the most cost-effective, which restaurant is the easiest to get to, which restaurant has the quickest service, etc.

Step 5: Implement the solution!

So the next time our team goes out to dinner, and we all have to unanimously decide where to go, I will let you know how these problem-solving strategies worked out. : )

-Kristen Gilson

Am I a Critical Thinker?

The other day in class, Jasmine asked us a question about what we thought our group's biggest problem-solving issue was.  Initially, our group could not come up with an answer, because we honestly felt like we did not have any major issues when it came to problem-solving.  And when we said this, Jasmine told us that our biggest problem was probably lack of critical thinking.  

  After taking time to consider this, I think she was probably right in this assumption.  Because our group does get along so well all of the time, I think in some cases we might have settled on a solution without delving into it much further.  We like what the members of our group say, we respect their opinions, and we do listen to all of the options that we come up with, but sometimes I think we do not take that extra step to come up with EXTRA solutions to the problem.  

With this being said, for the next task that we are given in class, I will personally make an attempt to be more of a critical thinker and follow some of the guidelines outlined in Chapter 9.  For example, instead of just sharing opinions when analyzing the problem, I will use data and information as well.  Second, I will help our group establish criteria so we know what a good solution will look like, and third, we will evaluate the potential negative consequences of the possible solutions we have come up with.  

So the next time our group is asked what our biggest downfall to problem-solving is... we can honestly answer that we don't have one!!

-Kristen Gilson

Making a Decision

I am the least decisive (or most in-decisive) person I have ever known. Even when I go to the ice cream shop I have trouble picking out which flavor to get--they all look good, and I would be reasonably happy with several decisions. Unless I'm in the mood for something in particular (a rareity), I find it hard to come to a consensus with myself and choose one, just one, flavor.
At the same time, I can make what I always call "an executive decision:" a quick choice that is made objectively when there needs to be an answer, stat!, and no one else has anything to contribute. These I can make almost without thinking. I objectively look at the situation, figure out what would be the best solution for that particular problem, and make the call without sitting around and deliberating. With both of my decision-making tendencies in mind, I wonder where the middle ground is between the two, and if I have ever made a decision quickly with deliberation.
With several problem-solving skills and solutions being taught in class, I have actually found myself utilizing them at intermittent points in my day. Each problem calls for a different problem-solving approach, and for the lesser problems (such as picking the "right" flavor of ice cream), the problem-solving technique does not have to be as elaborate and does not carry the same weight as perhaps the problem-solving technique used to address scarcity within the human population. So, in the end, I was on the right path either way. =]

-Ellen Rohlfing

This weekend I ran in a race in Chicago. The race could be ran solo or as a team. I ran it solo but saw the negotiating process that the other teams went through. Different legs of the race had different challenges that were probably suited better to certain individuals. I watched as several teams used different tactics to figure out who was running what part of the race. Some teams were unorganized and seemed to pick at random. Others had a leader that stepped up and decided or had good group discussion on who should run what part. The latter seemed to be the most effective, given the time available before the race. I feel that those teams had a leg up on the competition because of their group discussion and thought instead of randomly assigning people to legs of the race.

Brett Sullenger

Deductive Reasoning

Watch this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHS9kbSqHgI

This is a really funny clip showing how a smart dog get's the ball without jumping into the dirty pool. The clip shows the dog's deductive reasoning... From the dog's perspective, the syllogism is:
-The ball is in the water and can be pulled out without jumping in.
-The mattress will float when I jump on it.
-I can paddle to the ball and get it out of the pool by jumping onto the mattress.

~Josh Heber