Running Head: Reflective Writing 4
Reflective Writing Journal
Reflection on concepts from PIDP 3250 – Assignment #1
May 21st, 2017
PIDP 3250
Lois Thompson
Reflective Writing Journal - PIDP 3250
By Lois Thompson
Part 3: The Power of Introverts
Objective:
This part of my reflective writing journal focuses on the ‘Power of Introverts’, a Ted Talk with Susan Cain. Susan talks about what it is like to be an introvert in an extrovert oriented world. She also challenges some of the popular assumptions about extroverts and introverts including: extroversion is the best way to get work done; extroverts make the best leaders; extroverts will excel in the classroom; and introverts are people who are shy and soft spoken. In her presentation, Susan stressed the following three points:
· Introversion is not shyness; introversion is linked with how a person responds to stimulation, including social stimulation
· Solitude matters and is important to creativity and learning
· Education and work environments may be placing too much stock in group/team work, and not allowing people enough time to think things through on their own
Reflective:
Although Susan made other points in her presentation, the three points above are what stood out for me. I have often related introversion to shyness and only recently came to understand that it relates to how we respond to stimuli. Although I have always valued solitude, I have not thought about this in terms of introversion. Most of my adult life I have believed I am an extrovert. However, when I was a kid I happily spent many hours playing by myself (using my imagination), creating music, reading, and watching my favourite television shows. I have never enjoyed big crowds and will always choose coffee with a friend or two over parties or other types of big gatherings.
Reflecting on the value of introversion makes me feel a little sad that I have not really valued this part of my personality, and in general, my introversion was not encouraged (except when I was a kid). I think I am probably somewhere in the middle of the extroversion/introversion spectrum at this point, with a strong leaning to the introversion side, especially when I was a kid and as I have gotten older. Three of my colleagues and my partner tell me they think I am an ambivert. A couple of years ago I completed an ‘Insights’ personality profile through work. I was particularly interested in how much energy I needed to expend to be more extroverted in the workplace. I now believe, as Susan points out, that this is because extroversion is encouraged and valued in our work settings. I believe reflecting on these points in Susan’s presentation has helped/will help me be a better instructor who is more open to the value of introversion both in the learners and in myself.
Interpretive:
After hearing what Susan said about shyness and introversion I looked up the definition of shyness online. Wikipedia defines shyness as awkwardness, discomfort, feelings of apprehension, and often low self-esteem. Nowhere in this definition or in Susan’s presentation is shyness linked to introversion. In fact, Susan challenges that assumption and stresses the importance of understanding that introversion and extroversion mainly relate to a person’s level of tolerance for stimulation, including social stimulation. I have often heard people connect introversion with shyness i.e. “as an introvert, she is a little shy so we need to help her open up”. I admit that I also thought introverts were shy, soft spoken (which does not fit Susan at all) and deep thinkers. I think the only thing I had correct is that introverts are deep thinkers, but only if they are given the time and space to do that.
As highlighted by Susan, the idea that solitude is important to deep thinking is starting to disappear from many of our learning environments and work sites. Several years ago, our organization replaced our offices with cubicles. They said it was, in part, to encourage people to interact more with their colleagues; to promote teamwork. I do not find I interact anymore than I did before, but I have certainly noticed I have more trouble with deep thinking and creativity, because of my lower tolerance for noise and busyness around me. I think this would also happen for me in a learning environment if the instructor only promoted group work and group learning. I agree with Susan around the danger of ‘group think’, and believe that all of us (introverts and extroverts) need some solitude for deep thinking, learning and even efficiency. I can also see how people who are only exposed to a group environment can lose track of their own thoughts, beliefs, opinions, and even creativity because they do not have the space to think deeply about things.
Decisional:
As a trainer, I highly value group work and all types of group learning. I have come to believe that the more group activities we can incorporate into our training sessions, the better the learning experience will be for our staff. I still feel group work is a great way to: promote action learning, encourage teamwork, give opportunities for students to ‘teach’ the course material, and build on the previous experience of the learners. However, this presentation has caused me to pause and consider that when there is too much focus on group oriented work, we may actually minimize the need for learners to sift through their own thoughts and assumptions about the different topics we are discussing or presenting.
I have a face to face training session in Vancouver at the end of this June. During that session, I will reflect more on the group work we do, and think about whether we have built in some time and space for people to think about what they are learning. If I see areas that do not allow learners some individual processing time, I will look for ways to incorporate this, even if it is only for a couple of minutes before or after a group activity. I will also try to spot the introverts in the room, not based on how shy the person is, but on whether they seem to be deep thinkers, who when they do share, tend to show a deeper understanding of the topic. One thing I have noticed in these training sessions in the past is that the people who do not jump in every minute to say something, are often the ones with the deepest thought processes around the presentations we do. I think this is because they are higher on the introversion scale so they give themselves permission to do some deeper thinking around their learning. I will also try to connect with one of the learners who appears to be an introvert, to see what his or her thoughts are about the learning environment, including the balance between presentations, open discussion, and group work.
The other thing I will do is look at the group activities in our 9-week blended learning course. This is one of the courses our staff take that has the most potential for transformational learning. This presentation by Susan Cain challenged me to think about the kind and quality of group work, the space and time for individual thinking and processing, and the way group activities i.e. discussion forums and webinars are designed. I will be much more thoughtful about giving learners the time they need to think about and process difficult concepts prior to discussing them with the group, so they can bring their thinking to the rest of us and add to the learning experience. In sum, this presentation gave me a chance (and the permission) to think deeply about how I can intersperse individual learning with our group activities and to reflect on the importance of making space and time for individuals to think and reflect on their individual learning.
References
[Ted Talks]. (2011, March 2). The Power of Introverts [Video File]. Retrieved June 3rd, 2017 from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOKYU2j0TM4
Shyness. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 3, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shyness