COMM 470 Agenda - Week 1

• An Introduction to Dr. Andrew Finn

• Syllabus

• Student Expectations (Exercise)

• Implicit and Explicit Course Agreements

• Team Formation

• Student Introductions (Exercise)

• Lecture• Components of Listening

Who I Am . . .• Dr. Andrew Finn

• Web Site: www.umd.edu/~afinn• E-mail: afinn@umd.edu• Home: 703-425-1641• Cell: 703-850-7003• Skinner: 301-405-7447

• My Intention for this Semester:• We Learn a Lot• Everybody Makes It• Highest Grades EVER in COMM 470• We Have FUN and ENJOY Coming to Class

Learning Teams

Pedagogical Principles• Student Learning - not Professor Teaching

• Discussion is More Engaging than Lecture

• Learn the Material, then Apply It

Why I Use Teams• Students Learn MUCH More

Why Businesses Use Teams• Rapidly Shifting Tasks

• Empowerment, Self-Direction

What Organizations Valuehttp://www.cox.com/CoxCareer

• Critical thinking -- seeing the big picture and being analytical; comprehending what you read

Communication -- getting your point across effectively when writing and speaking

Visionary qualities -- brainstorming, looking to the future, setting goals

Self-motivation -- showing a willingness to take the initiative

What Organizations Value

Proficiency with information -- being inquisitive, curious, and resourceful; knowing how to conduct research

Global-minded -- understanding and showing an interest in other cultures and getting along with diverse groups of people

Teamwork -- working well with others to achieve common goals

http://www.cox.com/CoxCareer

Preliminary ExerciseOn a Scale of: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10,

Where 1 = Very Low and 10 = Very High

Please Rate Your Knowledge of:• Communication (Courses and the Major)

• Your Current Level of Listening Skills

• Your Knowledge of APA Style

• Your Level of Introversion

• Your Overall ‘Expectations’ for This Course

• Then:• Add all the scales to give yourself an overall score (between 5

and 50)

• Write it on a half sheet of paper

Learning Teams

Components of Learning Teams• Readiness Assessment Tests

• In-Class Team Exercises

• Team Projects• TP1: Peer Evaluation Procedures &

Criteria

• Evaluating Peers

• Helping Behavior

In-Class Team Exercise 1

First do individually . . .

• Draw a vertical line down a paper

• list Negative Thoughts about . . .• Group Work / Team Assignments

• then list Positive Thoughts about Both

Repeat the process for the idea of:• Sharing Information About Yourself

then do as a team (use the “official” form)

Concerns You May Have

• The Type of Work

• Do I Really Want to Learn This Stuff?

• This is B O R I N G !

• I’ve Been in Teams -and One Person Does All the Work

• Why Do I Have to Reveal Stuff About Myself?

• Does this Guy Know What He is Talking About?

Housekeeping / Logistics

Tasks for EVERYONE:• “Circle” the number on the Class List

• Fill in your information on the Team Roster

Tasks for each TEAM:• Pick a time to meet between class 1 and 3

• Choose a team name (soon)

• Team Photos will be Taken in Class Next Wed.

Housekeeping – After Class

Tasks for each TEAM:• Download MS Word file from Website, then E-

mail Team Roster to your TA

• Prepare for TP1, TP2

• Choose a Team Name

Semester Activities

• Thinking

• Shifting Paradigms

• Learning Teams

• Learning New Ways to Listen

• Learning New Ways to Speak

The Field of Communication Studies

Primary Sub-disciplines• Interpersonal Comm

• Mass Comm

• Rhetoric (Public Comm)

The Central Focus of Communication • Messages

• Message Creation, Message Interpretation

The View of the Individual in Social Science

Psychology• Stimulus – Response

• The “Organism” is Passive

Communication• S – M – C – R

• The Receiver is Passive

New Paradigm in the 70s-80s• The Receiver is an Active Being

Listening

A Subset of• Interpersonal Comm

• Mass Comm

• Public Comm

Taken for Granted• No Resume Lists ‘Listening Skills’

• There is Very Little Training

Worldviews and Paradigms

Worldview• The Sum of Your Paradigms

Paradigms• A Specific Approach to a Phenomenon

• A Specific Approach to a Situation

• A Specific Approach to a Person or People

In-Class Team Exercise 1b

First do individually . . .

• List your Paradigms about Listening• Listening to Friends

• Listening to Parents

• Listening to Small Children

• Listening to Teachers (Lecturing)

then do as a team (use the “official” form)