Reading Reflection: Chapter 11

To me, this was probably the most interesting chapter because I enjoy conveying a message visually more than I do textually. As it stated multiple times throughout the chapter, humans are more accustomed to visual messages. As a therapeutic recreation specialist, knowing how to make fliers or handouts that catch the eye are important. I can use these within facilities to help clients be interested in the recreation therapy program if it is something that is optional.

This was also a useful chapter to read because I teach sunday school. I use a lot of powerpoints to teach in order to keep my lesson organized and to keep my class's attention. Because of what I learned, I will take the time to make my powerpoints less basic and more visually appealing. I will do this by using the CARBS method.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 10

As a student pursuing a career as a therapeutic recreation specialist, I think the type of report I would use most would be a progress report. It could be used to help the companies I work for see the progress that is being made by my clientele as a whole in their physical, mental, and socio-emotional growth. This kind of report is the closest thing to the reports that we write as therapists to evaluate a clients' improvement. A report like this would help the company see that therapeutic recreation is beneficial and requires adequate financing in order for clients to have an impacting experiencing.

This is an important skill to have in order to bring into effect major decisions. As it states on page 135, most major decisions won't be made without a written report. This is important so that those making the decision can see the statistics and reasoning behind why the decision was made.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 9

One thing that is useful when doing is research is knowing the Boolean operators so that you can narrow down on the search engine the specifics you need. I had learned this in high school but have since forgotten what words to use and how to use them. This will be useful in my up and coming research papers.

I also thought it was valuable how the different types of documentations for explained. As a TA, the papers I grade are so much more interesting if they have a nice mix of quotes, paraphrasing, and summary. This also makes the papers seem more credible. When I see each of these methods I know that the student is trying to integrate what they learned from the research into their analysis. It also provides for flow and makes the paper less choppy to read.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 8

I like how problems were viewed as not something negative but a challenge that requires solving to raise the quality of something. I often think of problems as something that would happen occasionally and would be dealt with as they came up. After reading this chapter, I recognize that we should always have new goals in mind to improve the workplace or a client--in other words, solving problems.

In therapeutic recreation, you are constantly solving problems because you are taking each client, understanding what their problems and limitations are, and then creating a plan to use recreation to help solve that problem. The cause-and-effect diagram, as shown on page 101, will be a very useful tool for me as a CTRS so that I can locate the cause of a clients behavior, not just the symptoms. After you have discovered the problem, the book directs us on how to develop a solution. I will often develop solutions with teams of therapists--thus, the information on group work and brainstorming was useful to me.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 7

This chapter was significant to me because I am in the process of applying for jobs in the summer. Something I learned about building a resume was not to just use the same resume for every application but to cater it to the company you are applying for. One way to do so is to use the same wording in your resume that they use in their job post. I also learned that a more powerful resume lists quantified results statements of your accomplishments instead of just your job duties. This way your future employer (hopefully) can see what your job consisted of and how well you excelled at performing the labor. 

I enjoyed learning about the PAR stories because now I can be more effective in marketing myself in interviews. I especially liked the example of how to describe our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. This could also apply to dating.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 6

This chapter explains the different methods of spreading information across an organization--whether it's by letter or email. It also explains different approaches you should take based on the type of your message. This includes bad-news letters, persuasive letters, sharing good news, offering condolences for a death, and spreading awareness of policy changes.

I will look back at this chapter often in order to know what approach to take when I am writing a professional letter. This will be comforting when I start working in a more professional organization. I will be better recognized as a responsible and diligent person if the way I communicate is educated and efficient.

A phrase, "...remember to appeal to both logic and emotion," (page 70) stood out to me. This is an important concept to remember in writing business or in any other reason for communication. As people we look at issues both with our minds and with our hearts. Some people weigh more on one or the other, so to be safe we should appeal to both as we communicate.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 5

This chapter was helpful because it takes what we have learned previously (HATS, CLOUD, etc.) and applies it to evaluating papers. This helps me see what order to use these assessments in. This way I can evaluate my papers in an organized way.

Sometimes, I feel that in order to be a good writer, I have to write a perfect paper the first draft. I like how Baker explains at the beginning that at least two drafts are needed in order to adequately express your answer to a prompt.

This was helpful for my job as a teachers assistant because I can grade papers more efficiently. I know how to evaluate the specifics of a paper--of how things are organized, content, etc. Instead of starting with the beginning reading sentence by sentence, I'll start by looking at the design. Then I will skim to see if the organization flows. Then I will go into what I do normally and look at each sentence to see if each is written and employed in the most effective way possible.