1. Tips & Tricks for Online Learning (Success Strategies for Online Learning) - additional resources (on another doc) 2. Take to Work - focus on ways students can apply what they are learning to their work life
Take to Work (Applying what they learn to their work life):
Week 0 through Week 2: Orientation, Human Person, and Flourishing
My thought here is to have the learner (helping professional) think about the first time that they are placed in a "helping" setting where they meet their "helpee" for the first time. The purpose of an orientation is to welcome, to get to know, to make the other feel comfortable and generally become familiar with their new surroundings. What can the helper do to institute practically an "orientation" for their new "helpee." o Introductions o Getting to know you o What is their faith background, if any? o What are the healthy relationships in their life? o What virtues do they see themselves as possessing? o Find commonalities, likes, dislikes. o What would they define the word "flourishing" to mean in their own lives? o Discuss personality type and learning style. o Have them set goals and come up with a personal plan for growing and flourishing and living a virtuous life.
Ideas/Activities: o Survey - Helping professional will provide a questionnaire/survey for the helpee to fill out upon meeting them, answering the questions above about their interests, goals, needs.
o Ice-breaker activity - Provide an ice-breaking activity appropriate for one-on- one interaction (can also be applied to a group setting ). Whatever the helping professional asks, the questions should be open-ended. Ask questions like (examples.yourdictionary.com): Who would you have dinner with if you could have dinner with anyone in the world? What books would you take to a desert island? Who is your hero or role model? Do you have any children? Where are you from and what is your favorite thing about your home town? If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? What have you done lately that has demonstrated strong faith? What are the most important qualities in a healthy relationship? What are your strongest personal virtues? What is your favorite way to learn? What in your life is flourishing currently? If you could set three goals for yourself, what would they be?
Resources for the helping professional: o Book resource form the IPS library - Egan, G. (2014). The skilled helper: A problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping. Belmont, CA., Cengage Learning.
o PDF file of a Chapter in the book, Moving beyond icebreakers: An innovative approach to group facilitation, learning, and action. Pollack, S. & Fusoni, M. (2005). Moving beyond icebreakers: An innovative approach to group facilitation, learning, and action. Boston, MA., The Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. (Ch. 5, p. 52-72) Link - http://www.movingbeyondicebreakers.org/chapters/interactive- meetings.pdf Although this book is designed for facilitators of meetings in a business setting, Chapter 5 (Interactive Meetings: Making them Work) offers some great ideas about interacting with others, how to implement a positive environment, and tips on making a meeting run smoothly. These skills can also apply to interactions with a helping professional and his client.
o A blog entitled "Building Rapport By Making Others Comfortable." This blog points out that the most important thing when interacting with people is to ensure that they feel "valued, appreciated, and more comfortable." Mr. Smith also has a podcast available for subscription. Smith, T. (2013). Building rapport by making others comfortable. [Web log]. Retrieved from http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2010/06/05/building-rapport-by- making-others-comfortable/
o Some ice-breaker questions LoveToKnow, Corp. (2014). Examples of ice breakers. [Web resource]. Retrieved from http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-ice- breakers.html
Week 3-4: Obstacles
My thought here is to have the helping professional begin helping the helpee to identify obstacles in their own lives and how they have or plan to overcome these obstacles. They need to also determine if the obstacles (and emotional baggage) are a part of a vicious cycle in their lives. The helping professional needs to also think of ways of helping the helpee to identify stress and how to manage it. One way would be to change their way of thinking from self-centeredness to serving others - seeing the good in other people. The goal is for the helpee to envision positive relationships as key to a healthy existence. The helping professional needs to bring in the topic that supernatural "faith, hope, and love promote our happiness," that the Catholic-Christian faith "can influence healing." Positive relationships with others can bring healing to our soul.
Ideas/Activities: o Outdoor therapy - Arrange/suggest for your helpees to take part in Outdoor Therapy, where they are given the chance to be active and free in a place where they can appreciate others and God's creation. Outdoor activities have a way of "healing the mind" and changing lives. The activities are designed to help the helpee recognize that they are able to conquer challenges, while providing "feelings of a deeper spiritual connection." Types of activities are as follows: High/low ropes challenge courses Backpacking/hiking Biking Canoeing/kayaking The Ranch (2014). Outdoor therapy can help troubled teens break vicious cycle. [Web resource]. Retrieved from http://www.recoveryranch.com/articles/addiction-treatment/outdoor- therapy-can-help-troubled-teens-break-vicious-cycle/
o Social Media Fast - Assign the helpee a time where they must "fast social media." Have them reflect in a journal about their thoughts and feelings of the assignment, as well as a log of their day-to-day progress. Have them look for ways that fasting social media changes their daily activities, as well as how it makes them feel emotionally and spiritually.
o Serve others/outreach - Have the helpee come up with ways that they can actively serve others. (familyshare.com) Donate clothes and toys Small service activities for their immediate neighbors Bake treats for a neighbor Neighborhood clean-up Random acts of kindness Feed the needy Make gifts for hospital-bound people Visit the elderly Adopt a grandma or grandpa Donate warm clothes, boots and blankets to the homeless Howells, S. (2014). 10 ways your family can serve others. [Web resource]. Retrieved from http://familyshare.com/10-ways-your-family- can-serve-others
Week 5: Meet the helping professionals (continue here)
My thought here is to have the helpee recognize that there is a need to help others, to have them start thinking about life goals - how they want to impact society on this journey, how they can serve humans (education, counseling, social work, psychology, law enforcement/public service). Come up with activities that will give them realization of who they are (their core identity), but identifying themselves through God's eyes. Have them look for ways to see themselves the way God sees them. Also, have them gain understanding of their personal and practical relationships. Lastly, have them work on identifying their professional path - or calling.
Ideas/Activities: o Refer the helpee to the following website for insight on the importance of who they are, rather than what they are: http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/know- your-true-self/
Resources for the helping professional o Web log discussing ways to determine WHO you are, rather than WHAT you are - http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/know-your-true-self/ o Great article from a Christian perspective distinguishing the difference between who you are and what you are - http://www.cornerstonechristiansupply.com/firstchapter.asp?mode=view&inde x=251