Coffee Chats: Finding Common Grounds
As our travels start up and the pandemic winds down (I keep thinking if I say this enough it will be so), we want to make sure we are present and open to new ideas. Some of our favorite memories are always meeting new people with different backgrounds and hearing about the place we are visiting from their perspectives. Sharing coffee or a meal, these experiences often become our favorite travel memories.
In these conversations we also like to hear what foreign citizens think about America. You may have noticed our country and the world are very much on edge. Fights over masks in grocery stores and on airlines, rising violent crime rates across the country, and divisiveness in our politics dominate the news. Others' perspectives can shed new light on these current events that help us understand different points of view.
So as we travel going forward, we plan to capture and share what we learn from those we meet on our travels, and what they have to say about:
The best things / what they wish everyone knew about their country
What they know / think about our country
What we could learn from each other
We hope by exploring these topics we can have more meaningful travel experiences and share what we have in common with the rest of the world. More importantly, we hope to better understand some of our differences and why they exist. I hope we can use that knowledge to become better neighbors when we are at home and more conscientious and productive global citizens.
What interests me about telling meaningful stories with digital media is how a broad idea becomes part of an ordinary day. The order of images and words can change how an audience understands a story. For me, that is a useful way into the broader subject of digital storytelling techniques. I would probably come back to this question after trying to work through one concrete example rather than deciding immediately. How do you decide which details belong in a short digital story?
The subject of exploring the paths taken by graduates feels more interesting when there is room for a reader to stop and ask their own questions. A career story can show the changes and decisions that a short job title leaves out. That connection helps me see why graduate career pathways can be worth a closer look. I am more curious about the process than a polished result, because the steps in between are usually where questions appear. Which questions would make an interview with a graduate useful for current students?
I find making maths understandable through clear examples easier to think about when there is a concrete question to start from. Following one worked example slowly can reveal the reasoning behind a method. This is why I would approach mathematics learning support with a specific question rather than a fixed expectation. I am still thinking through the details, and a small example would help me picture how this works in practice. What helps a learner move from copying a solution to choosing a method independently?
The topic of finding agreement through respectful discussion gives me a few things to think about, especially when the discussion moves beyond general advice. Listening for a shared concern can make disagreement easier to work through. It gives me a more concrete starting point for thinking about consensus building skills. The part I would like to explore further is what happens when the idea meets a real situation with its own limitations. What helps a group move towards a decision while keeping different views visible?
Thinking about keeping educational competitions enjoyable, I find the smaller practical questions more interesting than a quick conclusion. A challenge can be motivating when the experience matters alongside the final result. I would use that point as a starting question when considering student learning competitions. I would probably come back to this question after trying to work through one concrete example rather than deciding immediately. How can a competition reward curiosity and persistence as well as correct answers?