Think of a time that you tried to understand, or you were trying to explain, something to someone, and a mental model, background knowledge, or a video anchor would have been useful to you. Include: 1) the situation, 2) what was said or read, 3) what made it difficult to comprehend, and 4) what would have aided you with either your comprehension or explanation.
Please see others comments first and avoid duplication. You need to (1) reply to 1 of your classmates' their comments and (2) make your own comment. Be creative!
I remember when I was young, my British family tried to explain the sport cricket to me. It was extremely hard for me to understand because of all of the different terminology such as "wickets" and "bowlers." Also the sport is similar to baseball because it requires hitting a ball with a bat. I was mentally comparing it to baseball, which made me more confused because those two sports have completely different rules. Some thing that would of helped me understand this concept would have been being able to see a diagram of the layout of the field and prior knowledge of cricket terminology.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that would have helped you would have been watching videos and getting to watch someone play it, so you would be able to see what they were explaining. They could have explained it as you watched it because then you would not have compared it to baseball. Cricket seems very confusing for people who have no background information because it is something we are not exposed to here in the states.
DeleteI completely agree with watching a cricket match prior to playing would have helped a lot. Having a video example and opportunities to ask questions would have made understanding the rules so much easier.
DeleteI agree with Lacey! I think being able to watch a game of cricket would have been very useful for your understanding of the game!
DeleteWhen I was traveling over sea's to Taiwan, I had no idea what to expect other than what I saw on google which was pretty much the same thing over and over again. My friend I was going with would try to explain what she could but she never went into detail. I also was very nervous about going on a airplane for the first time... a 14 hour flight for your first flight smart right? I read information on how to be polite in an Asian city because I knew it was going to be very different and I looked up how much money I would have when I got there. I also read on what to do for long flights if there was not a computer screen in front of you. Since her parents were already over there all they could do was email me and they told me what to bring and a little of what we would do. What made all of this hard to understand is I didn't know the language and I didn't know what to expect or how different it was going to be or who I would meet over there. It was difficult to know that the only way to call home was buy a computer or send a email everyday. What would have aided me was having her family sit me down and teach me about the culture I was about to experience and tell me who we were going to meet and how we would get around. It was great and scary going into something new. This whole experience had me better ready to go the second time around because I knew exactly what to expect.
ReplyDeleteI think it was good for you to get a little background information from your friend before you left. Even though it might not have helped much, I think it was a good start for your expectations. One thing you could have tried would have been watching a video or reading information from a reliable resource about Taiwan and the language. You could have also tried finding a video on youtube about what to expect for your first flight. I think videos are best (beside experience itself) for helping with explanations. Now that you have that experience, you can help others for when they are getting ready for a big trip. Maybe your explanations will be even better since you have been in their shoes of not knowing what to expect!
DeleteThis sounds like an amazing experience. I'm not sure there is much you can do, no matter how much you educate yourself before hand, to avoid culture shock when traveling to countries that are so unlike ours. There are apps on your phone that translate for you. You can speak English words into them and a voice says the translation in a foreign language. It works in reverse, too. I would find that to be helpful.
DeleteI volunteer at Camp Quality, which is a summer camp for children with cancer. When I met my new camper this year, I learned she had never been to Camp Quality before. She asked me many questions about what camp was like and what fun things that are offered during the week. I told her different things I could remember and what activities that I thought she would enjoy. It was somewhat difficult for her to understand because she had never been to an overnight camp like Camp Quality before, only day camps. She would compare the stories I told to her other camp experiences. She thought she would enjoy the things offered at camp, but she never really understood everything until we were actually there. I think it would have been very helpful if I had pictures or the video from the previous year to show her all the fun we have. I think this would have made it much easier to explain to her how camp worked.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an awesome place to volunteer at over the summer and I bet it was a great experience. I think something that would have been difficult for me to explain would be being able to relate to a new camper that is a child. The age difference would be difficult for me to relate to because each generation may enjoy activities and things that were not around when I was that age. Maybe another suggestion could be to have a second year camper help out the first year camper with you. The two campers might be able to relate and explain things to each other easier.
DeleteI did not even think about the age difference being a factor. I am sure that definitely had an impact on her understanding of my explanations. Having her talk about her experience at camp to a new camper for next year is a great suggestion for next time!
DeleteOne time, I was trying to explain how the characters on Game of Thrones, the television show and book series, are all related to each other to my boyfriend who had not seen the show or read the books. All of the characters have some kind of relationship with each other, some are family and some of the characters have killed other characters' family. I was telling him that all of the families have different sigils and phrases that represent their houses. Some of the character's relationships formed long before the events of the story. Because of the complexity of the story and the vast number of characters, it was impossible to keep track of all of them in his head (or anyone's, for that matter). Even those people who are familiar with the show understand how hard it is to keep track of everyone. A video that recapped the storyline and outlined their relationships would have helped. We could have also looked up the family tree online, and been able to visually trace how each character was connected.
ReplyDeleteI can see where this could have been hard for him to understand. If you have never seen a TV show or read a book, the characters are sometimes hard to keep up with, especially a show like Game of Thrones. I had the same issue with the Harry Potter books. My friend and I were having a conversation about Harry Potter one day and my other friend had no idea what we were talking about because he had never read the books or seen the movies.
DeleteI agree with Hadley on this one, I completely understand where his confusion was coming from. It has not only happened to me about Harry Potter, but also pretty little liars and Lord of the Rings. Movies or tv shows that have a lot going on are really hard to jump into conversation about.
DeleteYou would definitely need a video anchor for Game of Thrones! That show is so intricate and there are tons of characters. I would get stressed just trying to explain it clearly!
DeleteI was trying to explain to one of my friends about a music festival I attend every summer called Bonnaroo. My friend had never been to a music festival before. I tried to describe the atmosphere of the festival but since she had never been to any kind of festival before, she had no idea what to picture. I told her about how it is on a farm and there are several different stages, vendors, a water fountain, a Ferris wheel etc. but she still did not understand what the atmosphere felt like to actually be there. A video would have aided my friend in comprehending this subject.
ReplyDeleteI would be confused too. I've seen videos of music festivals but I don't quite understand what goes on there. It seems like it would be a little overwhelming and hard to hear what person or group you really wanted to hear on stage, with there being so much stuff going on. I've never been to one, but I think it may be a fun experience with a big group of friends!
DeleteI've been in a similar situation. My first music festival was Electric Forrest and before I went people tried to explain what to expect. Needless to say, I was so confused but once they showed me a video of a tour of the forrest it made it all so much more clear.
DeleteI can think of any specific time where I couldn't understand something, I know there have been times I just can't recall one, but I can remember a time when I was struggling to get someone else to understand something. When I was in middle school, my mom taught riding lessons to kids from my old elementary school. Sometimes I would help her teach them. She had a pair of sisters that would come and ride at the same time so she would work with one sister and I would work with the other. My mom had worked with a bunch of kids before so she knew how to explain what to do and how to do it, I, on the other hand, could not figure out how to get them to do what I was telling them. You know how when you do something for so long that it becomes muscle memory and second nature, and you can't figure out how to break down or put into words what your body does automatically? It's very frustrating! For you and the student! Luckily, my mom was there and told me what she tells them and teaches them so that I could do it as well. Also, we use a lot of videos, we video our runs at a horse show to see where we messed up and what we should do to get a better time. We used videos for the students as well so that they could rewatch themselves ride and critique themselves.
ReplyDeleteTrying to teach someone something that you yourself know by heart is extremely frustrating for both parties involved! I would really need a lot of detailed and direct instruction if I took riding lessons because I would want to be awesome at it and I'd be worried I'd mess something up. That's awesome you guys use videos. That would definitely be beneficial in learning and for teaching. It would also be highly entertaining!
DeleteI was having a conversation with a friend one day about our love for the batman trilogy. Except, it was a one sided conversation because my friend had only seen the second one of the three. I tried to explain how much I enjoyed the second, but that I liked the third one the best. He didn't understand why because he hadn't seen the first batman movie. My love for the third movie comes from how they wrap all three up in the third movie. It pulls out context from the first movie so that is another reason I loved it. It would have been way more helpful in conversation and excitement if he had seen all three movies.
ReplyDeleteJust recently I was having a conversation with a friend about the show Mad Men. I was recommending that she watch it because I'm absolutely obsessed with it and she said she had never seen it before. She asked what it was about and I told her that it was set in the 1950s and 1960s and that the main character was a creative director for an advertising agency in New York City. I had background knowledge about what a creative director was because before my grandpa retired, that is what he did. I am also fairly knowledgeable about the historical events from that time period. My friend was trying to envision the show and sort of got the point of it, but didn't not fully understand. I think if she were to see a trailer for the show or watch an episode she would have been able to better grasp the overall concept and plot of the show.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that that is a great show. I have found that when I try to explain some type of movie or show, it is always easy just to show the trailer or episode because there is much more to a show or movie that can be explained in a casual conversation. I agree with you.
DeleteI know that when I was in high school, I had a tough time understanding chemistry and the difference between ionic and covalent bonds. My teacher included a chart and videos on how to explain why bonds formed are negative or positive. It all had to deal with valence electrons and sharing to make the atoms neutral. The models really helped reinforce the idea and showed how such things like PCl3 is formed.
ReplyDeleteMy family has always been the type to play card games at a gathering. For the longest time I was never able to join in the fun because I didn’t know how to play the game they all loves – Euchre. At such a young age, my brother tried to verbally explain how to play euchre to me and it was like trying to teach a kindergartener organic chemistry! After a while, my dad stepped in and suggested we learn as we play. Needless to say, that is exactly how I learned how to play euchre. It was far to difficult for me to comprehend all the rules and tricks of the trade that come along in the game of euchre. Playing out the game and practicing through playing aided my comprehension and made the game much easier to understand. It made it easier for them to teach me as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen learning a new computer skill I use video anchors as tutorials because I learn visually and by example. I also utilize the pause and rewind functions so I can review the material for better understanding.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have always struggled in the area of math so it would have helped me greatly if a teacher could have use effective video anchors to help me learn math concepts.