Week Two: Activity Analysis

In last Thursday's class, we learned about activity analysis. I learned about the ground rules for facilitation and the role of a facilitator.  Some of the most important aspects of facilitation include: group positioning, timing, single speaking, challenge by choice, role clarity, and autonomy of the participants.  I think that these are all very important; however, autonomy of the participants sticks out most to me as being especially important.  I think this is because when working with different populations, it is always important to let the participants do as much as they can in order to maximize their independence and skill growth.

I also learned about how to lead/facilitate discussions. The key part of this topic was the
"funneling technique" which starts with broad questions that lead to more specific. We discussed the components of facilitation which include introducing the activity, demonstrating it, practicing it, and then feedback of the activity.

The final part of the lecture included introducing "activity analysis".  This is the process of determining down to every detail the behaviors and skills needed in order to complete an experience.  A "task analysis" includes the specific steps of engaging in the acitivity.

We got into our small groups and completed activity/task analyses for two activites, basketball and biking.  I really liked this part of class because it involved applying what we had just learned.  I learned how detailed the analyses are and how to complete one for an activity.  It was also good to listen to other groups present theirs because you can always learn a lot from other people.

From these activites, I learned different physical, cognitive, social, and emotional behaviors and skills involved in different activities.  I think that this will be very useful in my future because I know that when planning recreational activities it is going to be important to complete these analyses down to every detail for the different populations I will be planning the activites for.

This week in class I learned a lot from the material, but also learned a couple things about myself.  I learned that I really am interested in the benefits of recreation. I found myself very intrigued by the handouts that included the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive skills that may be applied to activities. I think that it is very important to understand and be aware of these behaviors and skills so you can better plan what kinds of activities are best for specific populations.  I also learned that I love taking notes and recording things. This seems like a strange thing to learn about yourself, but I guess I just noticed it more that class.  I realized this is a good thing to love to do because when you are in a healthcare field you have to do a lot of paper work and planning.

In class, I "strived for excellence" by working and communicating with my group.  I also was attentive and took notes with class examples. I also tried to participate as much as I could.

It was another good day/night in RTH 252!

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."- Winston Churchill

:)