KAYLA M. KNOX
"You cannot influence the world by being just like it."
Written Communication
The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using written text in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.
This means the learner will use written communication in an effective manner to relay necessary information.
The artifact I chose for Written Communication was my Final Research Paper from one of my favorite classes I have taken at SPCC, Developmental Psychology (PSY-241) during the Fall of 2019. This class was one of my favorites because of my incredible professor, Mr.McAlhaney. For this course, he gave us creative freedom while selecting a topic for our final paper. While I have written several papers throughout several courses, there is a specific reason that I chose this specific paper for my Written Communication’s Artifact. Not only is this paper one of my favorite papers I’ve ever written, but it was through this assignment that I was able to achieve my smart goals.
The topic of this research paper was “Spirituality in Adulthood.” I chose this artifact merely because of my passion for spirituality. While I grew up in a religious household, over the past few years I have gradually become extremely spiritual, more so than religious. This shift between the two worlds of religion and spirituality has been very significant in my life, and something I have a difficult time coming to terms with. To have the opportunity to further research something that I have wanted to expand my knowledge of outside of the classroom was pretty awesome. It is my personal belief that Spirituality is something that is within all of us, we don’t have to belong to a specific religion to get in touch with that part of ourselves; it doesn’t matter which God we believe in, it's about expanding our consciousness and understanding one's self. While the role of Spirituality has progressively developed a large role in my life, it has also drastically impacted my mental health. I believe that those who live a more spiritually fulfilling lifestyle are prone to live an overall happier life as well, and that is why I chose to write this paper. In this paper, I defined the concept of spirituality, while also comparing it to religion and discussing the similarities and differences between the two. In addition to this, I wrote about spirituality and how it correlates to one's mental health. I did extensive research on the psychology behind how healthy spiritual life can be effective in alleviating various forms of mental and physical illness. I also discussed the correlation between spirituality and cognitive development, and how advances in cognitive development that occur as one ages can often result in questions about their spiritual and religious beliefs. Lastly, I concluded my paper by discussing spiritual development across a lifetime; the similarities and differences in how spirituality affects an individual during the young, middle, and late adulthood.
In addition to this, I had to set two goals in order to improve my Written Communication skills. The first of these goals being, I will learn to draft, modify, and continuously improve my writing before turning in a written assignment. I can certainly say I accomplished this goal and that a lot of revision went into this paper prior to its final form. I spent several hours reading over and revising every last detail of this report until I was able to turn something in that I was truly proud of. In addition to doing my own revising, I sent my draft to my professor and peers as well and allowed them to constructively criticize my rough draft, so I could make the appropriate modifications based on their critiques. For instance, correcting grammar mistakes, reorganization of paragraphs, and making revisions in order to go more in-depth with my main points. I found that putting the extra effort into the revision of your final draft is worth it in the end because you are much more likely to score higher on the assignment, and for this one, I am proud to say I received a perfect score. While I understand it is not always about the grade, I am most proud of this score because of the tremendous effort I put into both my revision process and the paper itself. I feel that the score I received on this assignment shows how much I learned and how hard work and dedication pays off. My second goal was to learn how to organize my writing better in order to further my Written Communication skills. I am proud to say that I did this as well, as can be seen through my choice of using headings to organize my four main points. This paper was one of the first times I used this method of organization and I feel as if it made the paper not only appear more organized but easier for my audience to follow along, as well as remain fully engaged and interested.
I have found that I am an excellent writer when given the opportunity to write about a topic that I am passionate about or that fascinates me. It is unfortunate that sometimes we must take courses that require us to write about things that don’t interest us at all; therefore, I will always take advantage of assignments where this isn’t the case and put my absolute best efforts forth. When I reflect back on this assignment, I am proud of the hard work and dedication I put into thoroughly researching, revising, and constructing this paper. I am proud of myself for accomplishing my Written Communication goals during the process and I am satisfied with myself for choosing a topic that allowed me to put passion into my assignment, therefore showcasing my best writing abilities.
Oral Communication
The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using the spoken word in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.
This means the learner will effectively use oral/verbal communication to both interact and relay necessary information.
The artifact that I chose for Oral Communication is an Informative Speech I made in Public Speaking (COM-231) in Fall, 2017 on Mindfulness. This was my first time giving a speech in school and in general. I will never forget how nervous I was that day. Ironically enough, my speech was on a method and psychological concept that assists with nerve-racking situations, mindfulness. In this speech, I inform my audience on three main topics, what mindfulness is, the benefits of mindfulness, mindfulness in relation to mental health, and a few different ways to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness refers to the ability to remain fully present at the moment, while also acknowledging and accepting your emotions. I began the speech by introducing myself and explaining to my audience why I was credible to give the speech in the first place. I informed them that. I had attended a Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy and DBT, also known as Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
Following my credentials, I explained what mindfulness was to my audience in depth. Then, I introduced my prop that I had created in order to provide my audience with a visual representation to help them understand mindfulness. This prop was simply a jar that I had filled with water, glitter, and small gemstones. I used the jar as a metaphor to symbolize the difference between our control over our emotions when we are remaining mindful versus when we are not being mindful. To do this, I shook the jar, causing the glitter and gemstones to spiral everywhere, representing how we are allowing our emotions to spiral around making it impossible to think or act rationally. Then, I showed what the jar looked like when still, all the gemstones and glitter that I symbolized our emotions remained still as well; symbolizing how when we remain still and present, we have full control over our emotions. I then informed my audience about the benefits of mindfulness, including reducing stress, pain, increasing compassion for both self and others, etc. I credited doctors and psychologists throughout my speech to appear more credible and professional to my audience. In addition to this, I included specific skills that I had taken from my mindfulness cognitive behavior therapy. I discussed the correlation between mindfulness and mental health and how it is proven to be just as beneficial as antidepressants. Lastly, I informed my audience on different strategies and practices that they could do to practice mindfulness. I concluded my oral presentation with a short video about mindfulness and thanked my audience for their time. While I watch back this speech slightly embarrassed for my past self and wish I could tell my younger self to slow down when she speaks, I am also so proud of her. I remember how nervous I was that day. Public Speaking was the first college class I had ever taken, and I had never given a speech before. I remember trying so hard to not show that I was nervous, meanwhile shaking so badly I couldn’t help but move back and forth to calm my nerves.
Which brings me to my first smart goal, to volunteer to give your speech rather than being called on in order to reduce my speech anxiety and improve my overall oral presentation. I challenged myself to do this for this speech, and I did just that. I remember when Mr.Muir asked if there were any other volunteers, I shot my hand in the air without thinking twice and suddenly I was already facing my fear. After, I did this for my first speech I made it a continuous habit over my next 3 years of college to volunteer to go first for every speech I gave. This goal was one skill I will take with me outside of school as well, but use for any circumstance where I may be required to give a speech. I believe that volunteering to go first rather than being called on is proven to decrease one speech anxiety, as well as subconsciously make you believe that you are more prepared.
My next smart goal was to develop extensive knowledge of my topic that would allow me to speak directly to my audience, rather than reading everything directly from the PowerPoint. While I did have to reference the PowerPoint several times during my speech; I think that I still did a good job in achieving this goal and speaking directly to my audience for the majority of my speech. The importance of speaking directly to your audience and not reading directly off of the PowerPoint or paper was something I had learned at the beginning of Public Speaking class and I immediately made it a goal of mine to do so when giving my first speech. The evidence of this can be shown through the video attachment of me giving my speech. As you may notice, I am stumbling slightly over my words in an attempt to show I possessed the knowledge of the contents of my Powerpoint without having to look at it. I do believe there was room for improvement in this category, but I did a fairly good job for my first speech.
When I reflect back on this speech, I realized that I still use those same goals to improve my Oral Communication skills both inside and outside of school, along with everything I learned in Public Speaking. I genuinely enjoyed that class, and the awesome professor I had that made my first college class so enjoyable. I feel as if I learned more skills in that class that I can apply to real-life than most classes.
Cultural Literacy
The learner will demonstrate a "set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts" (Bennett, M., 2008).
This means the learner will effectively use cultural literacy and behavior skills to both interact and communicate with others.
The artifact I chose for Cultural Literacy is the final paper I wrote for Religion in America (REL 221) in Fall, 2019 on Hinduism. For this paper, I used both cultural literacy and behavior skills to interview a Hindu, family friend about their culture in order to compose a credible report filled with an extensive understanding of Hinduism and Indian culture. As a Christian, I have always been fascinated with other religions and how they differ from my own, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism.
To prepare for writing this paper, I had to ask my Hindu friend, Anita Magrath a series of twelve questions related to her religion and use a combination of her answers and my own research to construct an in-depth report of the Religion. I began this paper with a brief overview of Hinduism and then dove directly into the main teachings of the Hindy Faith. Then, I covered the different methods of worship and how they differ from Christian worship methods. I then discussed significant practices and rituals of the Hindu faith as well as their attitude towards other religions. Lastly, I compared the role of men, women, and children in the Hindu faith and how greatly it differs from their roles in America.
For Cultural Literacy, I set two smart goals that I accomplished through writing this paper. The first of these smart goals was to perform extensive research about a different culture than my own in order to further my knowledge and understanding. I accomplished this goal through this assignment because I had to do a considerable amount of research to get the information needed to write this paper. The way that I did this research was through both the internet and by interviewing a close family friend who happens to be a Hindu, Indian woman on both her religion and culture. This process included me asking her various questions and her responses based upon her own knowledge and experiences. For instance, we discussed the three basic teachings of the Hindu Faith in depth known as Dharma, Karma, and Moksha. As previously stated, we also had an in-depth discussion about the unique components, worship methods, practices, and rituals of the Hindu Faith.. Aside from this interview, I also did additional research by using credible resources to gain as much information as possible.
My second goal was to learn the ways different cultures communicate to further my behavior skills when interacting with someone from another culture. I did this by writing this assignment, as well as various other assignments from my Communications class. In relation to this assignment, I learned behaviors and forms of both verbal and non-verbal communication that are specific to the Indian culture. For instance, there is a cultural difference when it comes to how one approaches authority; in India, it is incredibly rude to question authority under any circumstances. I think it is extremely important that we expand our knowledge when it comes to the different forms of communication amongst all cultures, so we can assure we are showing that person the utmost respect.
I thoroughly enjoyed writing this paper; it was such a cool experience to be able to write about someone who is important to me, while developing a better understanding of her Religion, and also furthering my cultural literacy skills.
Technology
The learner will select and use technology to access, process, and exchange information in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.
This means the learner will effectively learn to relay and exchange information through the use of technology.
The artifact that I chose for Technology is an Oral Presentation I gave in Introduction to Sociology (SOC-210) in Spring, 2019 about my mission trip experience. This presentation required that I used the appropriate technology to convey a message to my audience. For this particular instance, I used power-point. The speech that I was giving was about my experience with a Non-Profit Organization, known as GLOW. This organization was one I am very familiar with and allowed me to go on a mission trip to Honduras. In this power-point, I discuss what GLOW is, what it does, my personal experience, what I learned, and how to get involved. In addition to this, I applied the Social Exchange theory to my experience.
I chose to give my presentation on this mission trip because the assignment criteria required us to write about a non-profit organization; therefore, why not choose one that impacted me personally. The impact of this trip was life-changing and I truly believe it shaped me into the woman I am today. Prior to my experience in Honduras, I was very lost, and going on this trip allowed me to develop a sense of Faith and find the answers to life I was searching for. In addition to this, I got to make an impact on the people of the community in the town of El Eden, Honduras. I always say that the coolest part about my trip was how I went on it with the intention of changing the lives of others, and they ended up being the ones to change mine.
While constructing this power-point, I also accomplished two smart goals in relation to Technology. The first of these smart goals being to creatively use technology to make a presentation that is both well organized and physically appealing in order to keep your audience engaged. I did this by using bright colors, adding media forms such as pictures and videos, and even included animation effects.
My second smart goal to use technology to thoroughly research and apply information. I did this through the additional research I had to do regarding the Social Exchange Theory and how it applies to both the Non-Profit organization and my personal mission trip experience. Doing this, I had to use various search engines to really understand the different theories in Sociology, specifically the Social Exchange theory, and apply it to my presentation.
Overall, I was very pleased with the final result of my project and its physical appearance. I think that I did an excellent job of attracting my audience through my creative usage of technology. When I reflect back on this assignment, I am most impressed with the way I expanded my usage of technology through my creative abilities and put so much time and dedication into the physical presentation of my PowerPoint before turning it in.
Critical Thinking
The learner will identify, interpret, analyze, or synthesize problems before developing and implementing solutions in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.
This means the learner will use critical thinking skills to both problem-solve and interact.
The artifact that I chose for Critical Thinking was a proposal I wrote for Writing and Research in the Disciplines (ENG-112) in Spring, 2020 on reforming the education system. This was one of my favorite papers I’ve ever written and one of the college assignments I have completed at SPCC that I am most proud of. I feel as if this paper allowed me to showcase my best writing through choosing a subject that I am passionate about, while also further developing my Critical Thinking skills by having to find a solution.
This paper wasn’t an ordinary paper, it was a Proposal to bring change to something; I had never written anything like this before, but I was up for the challenge. I began the process of this report by brainstorming potential topics for my Proposal. I came up with an extensive list but narrowed it down to things I was truly passionate about. The topic I ended up choosing was, “Reforming the Education System.” I chose this topic because it is one that I am incredibly passionate about and resonates very personally with me. I have realized that I am an exponentially better writer when I am able to write about things that interest me, especially those that I feel a strong emotion towards, whether it be positive or negative. Our modern-day school system is something I strongly feel needs to be reformed in order to give every student an equal opportunity to reach their full potential and give an accurate interpretation of one's intelligence.
Over the course of my educational experience, I struggled immensely with recognizing my potential. Subjects such as math and science were like a foreign language to me, resulting in lots of self-deprecation. I was always unsure of my strengths and eventually drove myself into a mindset that I wasn’t smart and entirely incapable of excelling academically. Eventually, I drove myself into a mindset where I believed that I was stupid and entirely incapable of excelling academically. This toxic mindset resulted in me giving up on school, making poor grades, etc. It is my understanding that I am not the only kid who experienced this growing up and I believe that it is the unfortunate truth to say that most kids do. With that being said, it is not only necessary but essential that we begin making changes within our school system to change this mindset and give students a fair opportunity to excel in their strengths.
Since I graduated high school and entered college, obviously my perspective has changed. I realized that my strengths lied outside of the boxes that high school had tried to force me into the fitting. I realized that I was incredibly gifted with creative abilities, communication skills, and even a decently good writer. I can’t imagine how much different my life would have been back then if I knew then what I know now.
I began the paper by introducing the topic of standardized testing and how it does not accurately reflect one's intelligence. I even included scientific evidence about how no two brains are the same and a quote from the man who invented standardized testing himself saying, “these tests are too cruel to be used and should be abandoned.” Following this argument, I discussed Finland's outstanding education system that outperforms every other country in the world academically. Their education system strives for collaboration over the competition; there are no rankings or competitions between students, and no mandated standardized tests. Lastly, I had to form a Proposal which is where my Critical Thinking Skills had to come to play.
I proposed that North Carolina’s Public Education system immediately began performing extensive research on Finland's system and begin incorporating their methods into our education system. In addition to this, providing a variety of classes that are more career based in order to give students an equal opportunity to showcase their strengths. Finally, I proposed that North Carolina school systems look into eliminating standardized testing entirely.
While completing this paper, I also completed two of my Critical Thinking, smart goals. The first of these goals is using my critical thinking skills to find a solution to a specific problem. This can be seen through my proposal itself, where I had to find a solution to reforming the education system. My second smart goal being, to research and analyze the situations much as possible before determining an appropriate solution. I had to do this through the process of writing this paper because coming up with a solution to such a huge issue is not exactly easy, or the problem wouldn’t be there in the first place. This meant I had to research different education systems from all over the world and the ways that each of them was effective and ineffective. Using this information was how I determined an appropriate solution, being a system similar to Finlands.
When I reflect back on this assignment, I remember how passionate I felt when writing this paper and I wish that I was able to bring real change to this issue.