Tonight you had an opportunity to sit and observe for 45-60 minutes at a chosen spot at Trinity. You were asked to observe the setting and write thick, rich description about your site, the people at your site, and the activity at that site. Please share with the class one or two things that you observed that:
a. surprised you
b. made you happy
c. made you sad
d. made you angry
e. frustrated you
f. other
and tell us why those feelings emerged.
Observations can produce very powerful emotions that we have
to acknowledge and then put into perspective.
One thing that surprised me during my observation was the amount of different people and groups that congregated at the BBC. They ranged from 2 people to 6 people in a group. These people all had different conversations in a small contained space and all did different things in the area. Some people were there to study and others were there to have conversations and socialize with their friends. It's interesting to see what brings people together.
ReplyDeleteWe observed at the library, and it was surprising how few people made eye contact with Melissa and I. There was only one person that made eye-contact. The library was not overly crowded, but there were still a decent number of people that were there studying. It was also interesting that while normally, you can people watch anywhere, once we were asked to do it, it was more of a struggle. It felt different because it had to be done, and was not just a spontaneous activity.
ReplyDeleteWe observed at the BBC and I was surprised that Jessica and myself didn't seem to stick out to anyone. Typically on smaller campuses students will notice people they haven't seen before. I went to a small College and I would always notice if someone was new. I was also very surprised that the student we talked to was so willing to do an interview with us. Personally I am not sure if I would have agreed. It makes me feel good to know the younger generation is willing to go outside their comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteWe observed at the BBC. First, it was no secret that I was completely out of my comfort zone. Second, I can only conclude that I had these feelings of discomfort because of my age, sitting in a place watching people that are the same age as my own children. In this day and age being watched by someone that is many years older than the majority of the people there could be cause for alarm. It made me very happy that Kristina was willing to approach someone to ask for the interview. I think if the crowd of people there had been of mixed generations I would not have felt so uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteNicole and I did our observation at the BBC. I was surprised to see the different reasons students came to the BBC. While most seemed to be there to eat, others were there to just socialize or study. It was also interesting to see the amount of people that came in and out during a short time. Furthermore, I was surprised that there were students completing work in there. The place was loud and a lot of movement was taking place. For me, this would have been a tough place for me to complete my work.
ReplyDeleteLaura and I completed our observation at the library. It felt a bit awkward being told to observe someone when we are just used to naturally doing it when we are out and about. I was surprised at the noise level of the employees at the circulation desk. They were loud and playing with artifical plants while others were downstairs studying quietly. This almost made me feel frustrated because if I was there to study for a test or write a detailed paper I would have been annoyed with their noise level, so I am curious if any of the other students also felt that way. I was also surpised that few people made eye contact with us as they passed us. Normally if you walk past someone you make a brief eye contact and give subtle nod or cue. I was happy however to see the amount of students at Trinity coming to the library to complete their work.
ReplyDelete