Episode 4 post #3

/in /by

In episode four “Were a hot mess”  for once I felt like the show has taken more of a  focus on tribe Hanaphu with things finally starting to go south for them. The show starts off right away with Hanaphu finding the flint that they lost and  having conflicts over if they should try to bargain with the host Jeff Crossword for some of their old fishing gear.  I thought that the whole episode had examples of substantive conflicts because the whole time the show was focused on Hanaphu and how they couldn’t come to an agreement on any  issues and decisions. For example, when the whole tribe was trying to get their shelter better situated not everyone agreed on who should be doing what and they ended up being frustrated with  drew  for sleeping and not doing  anything productive around the camp.

In the middle of the episode I thought that Keith and Jeremy were in a affective conflict because Jeremy thought that Keith and him were both alliances but Keith went around to the other tribe members and told them that they should be careful to trust Jeremy because he had an idle.  When Jeremy found out  he decided to try to take Keith out of the game next.  Another type of conflict was procedural conflict because Hanaphu could not decide as a tribe who to vote out after they had lost a challenge for the first time against Coyopa. When they lost I thought the whole team just flipped upside down. Hanaphu went from being a tribe that was very friendly with each other to being very agitated and confused with no one knowing who to vote for in elimination.

When all the chaos was happening with Hanaphu Drew and Kelly were in a destructive conflict because Kelly was insulting drew because he couldn’t get over the fishing gear and she was verbally attacking him over it. I personally thought that it had a lot to do with him getting eliminated at the end of the episode.  Although Kelly did talk a lot of crap about Drew I have to say that I probably would have done the same because Drew really had  an avoidance conflict style. Drew has this style because he would always be unwilling to accomplish anything that would contribute to his tribe or achieving any of their goals. This episode was very entertaining to watch since we finally go to see some drama from the other tribe and I hope that we get to see more in the next episode.

 

Episode 4 Blog #3 Hot Mess

/in /by

Now that John was eliminated in the last  episode  the game continues. Hanahpu found the flint after they  had already replaced it with a second flint and they want the fishing gear because they  are starving. Drew  has an idea to exchange the second flint for the fishing gear  and that is  when substantive  conflict occurs  because everyone else thinks it is  a dumb idea to ask Jeff Crossword. Everyone  in the Hanahpu  tribe knows  that Jeff will say no except for Drew since Jeff had said no the last time they tried  to exchange their  reward. An example of affective conflict is  when Jeremy and Keith in the Hanahpu tribe. They have differences  in personalities and communication styles because Keith told the group that Jeremy had an idle when in reality Keith had it and when Jeremy found out he  was disappointed because  he felt that Keith should of asked him if he had  the idle not the whole group. I think that Keith should of asked Jeremy  if he really had an idle because Jeremy didn’t even have it and Keith ended up looking bad.

An example of  Procedural conflicts  is when it was Hanahpus’ turn to eliminate someone and a disagreement among the group members was made. The disagreement was when Keith told everyone that they should  eliminate Jeremy for having an idle. Drew told  the guys to eliminate Kelly because he felt that she was  a competition while everyone disagreed.Jeremy wanted them to eliminate Keith for telling everyone that he had an idle when in reality he didn’t. The  girls didn’t like the idea that Kelly should be  eliminated so they wanted Drew  to be eliminated. When Hanahpu  showed up for elimination everyone showed constructive conflict because they didn’t know who to choose to eliminate and they all wanted someone different  to leave the group. With everyone arguing over  who should  of  left this caused  destructive conflict. If drew would of not said that Kelly should of not been the target for elimination then he  would of had a higher chance of staying. This  episode was really intense and I liked it I just hope  that  the  next episode is just as intense.

 

 

 

 

A procedural conflict is when

Survival of the Witt-est

/in /by

In this episode did a recap of all of the turmoil that has happened in the past episodes. One of the recurring themes is that Coyopa tribe has never won and their group remained in turmoil.

When the episode begins Dale comes back from exile islands and hopes that he will not be isolated from the group and comes back to make sure he will be included. Meanwhile at Hunaphu tribe  Natalie found their flint and Drew decided he wanted hatch a plan but this lead to his and their down-fail. Their conflict relates to chapter 8 on cohesion and conflict. During this episode many tribe members in both groups thought they were being wise in plotting and building alliances.

During this episode it was a hot mess for the Hunaphu tribe as the episode was titled. It mainly steamed to the fact that Dale come back from exile islands a stirred up some drama by saying that Jeremy had an immunity idol when he did not and then Drew grew some Survivor ego and decided to do was best for the tribe but  it was what was mainly what was best for him. Due to both of them stirring up drama it cause d the Hunaphu tribe to succumb to Group-think. This showed their cohesiveness that eventually lead to their deterioration because they all began to plot and decide on who they want to possible vote out. I found it particularly interesting that Drew thought that he was the King pin and was had the most wits and that would help him win survivor but in the end his plan backfired on him. The group-think of their tribe prevented from questioning why the were going to vote out members that were totally non-threatening and follow the “normal” procedure of discussing things before going to tribal council so that they were not a hot mess.

The AEIOU conflict relates to the Hunaphu tribe as well. First A; the could have asked their members what their intentions were because most of them meant well expect Drew who was looking out for himself. Second E; Expressed their feelings because some of the members were clearly offended by things that were said about each other and the fact that they were even being put up for vote. Third  I; Identify what they wanted to happen with the group since this was some of their first experience with alliances and going council since Drew threw their immunity challenge. Fourth O; outcomes of what they wanted to happen in their tribe and lastly U; understand they all have one goal in mind to progress as far as they can on Survivor.

Due to them not recognizing their group-think patterns and identifying ways they could have fixed their conflicts the Hunaphu tribe just made an embarrassment of themselves in this episode. Some members of the group that that their wits would help them but it actually lead to their downfall and lack of group cohesion.

“We’re a Hot Mess” Blog#3

/in /by

The Hanahpu tribe experienced abundant amounts of conflict throughout the fourth episode. From the beginning, Drew was creating tension by repeatedly suggesting to ask Jeff for the fishing gear that they had to decline from the last episodes challenge. After one of the members found the flint by the camp fire, Drew insisted on trying to persuade Jeff for the fishing gear while the other group members wanted to just move on.  This began to create substantive conflict between the members by having the members disagree with Drew’s ideas and actions.  Tension began to arise when Keith, who was supposed to be in an alliance with Jeremy, blamed him for having the idol. Keith’s accusations about Jeremy began to spread leaving Jeremy to find out from another tribe member what Keith had been accusing him of. Feeling betrayed, Jeremy decided to place Keith as the person he would vote to leave the island. Drew, causing affective and destructive conflict while assuming he was the leader of the tribe, purposely threw the challenge, causing the Hunahpu tribe to lose the challenge. This was in order to get rid of some of the “snakes” in his tribe. Little did he know, Drew struggles lead to a few members hidden agendas of voting him out.  Immediately after the challenge, the Hunahpu tribe members began to secretly consult with one another on who to boot off the island. After listening to every ones opinion, it was clear that everyone was not on the same page when it came to their individual votes. The tribe members seemed to have their own opinion when it came to who to vote off the island creating a feeling of unease. Finally, the group members were able to compromise on one individual that had to go. Drew’s confidence ended up getting him voted off the island.

Survivor Episode 3

/in /by

It starts with Drew from the blue squad being apathetic around his group, which does not bode well for him in the future. The groups come together and it becomes apparent that John didn’t keep his promise to Jeremy to keep his wife safe. Jeremy now wants him out, and his girlfriend counterpart knows that she is in trouble. John admits to everyone that he made a deal with the enemy and spread the seed of doubt about him. The orange team ended up winning the challenge and got fishing gear. John proved useful for getting fish and everything was going swimmingly, no pun intended. The guys alliance was still strong and Baylor was on the chopping block. That is until the next challenge unfolded and orange team lost, yet again. After their loss, the blue team was taunting and hollering about getting rid of John, who apparently was some shadow leader. Due to his sordid past regarding homophobia and racist comments, the people in the group started to see him in a whole new light. At this point, alliances shifted and people started to have a direct conflict with whom they should vote off. I find it very ironic that the most dynamic conflict throughout the entire episode was the blue group harassing the one guy. It was a great look at how much power Jeremy had for himself, because with one word from him, the group fell in line. At this point, due to fear of destructive conflict, they eliminate the most destructive seeming person on their team despite the fact that he was a lot more good than bad. I guess perception is a hard thing to gauge in that sort of setting. At the tribal council, a lot had been said through subtext so that only certain people would understand. After which, the voting commenced and the tribe voted off John who decided against using his idol. The group most likely feels that they will have a shift in the right direction with this blindsided spectacle but I believe that this will affect them way more negatively than they can realize. At the first mistake, people will start to think that everyone might be trying to blindside them so alliances will be very blurry. In all reality, they may self destruct a lot faster than they realize, but that will remain to be seen. Ultimately, they decided who to vote out using a third party spectator, the blue team, so they have now expressed that they are very weak and very impressionable. It will be a tough road for the orange team now.

Goodbye #4

/in /by

WHY DREW WHY WORK AGAINST YOUR TEAM?!

Does this not make sense to anyone else? Granted in the end there is only one winner but let us not forget we’re only 3 people out. We can’t get selfish yet because where does that leave us? As the fourth person out. Bye yaaaaa Drew!

He basically asked for it! Team work first, build alliances, get your tribe to like and trust you so when it does come down to voting off, your name doesn’t even come to thought. Instead, he decided to throw the game so the orange team can finally have a victory and take a rest? Was he that confident he would not get voted off? Shady strategizing on his part, but he paid for it.

I thought the blue team was stronger for sure. When it comes down to the athletic part, they still prove to be, but getting along as a team, they are weaker than the orange.  I’d like to see the underdogs still rise above but not because someone from the other tribe is throwing the competition.

Survivor III

/in /by

On this episode of Survivor, we finally have a momentum swing. The Coyora tribe got their first, hard earned victory against the Hunahpu tribe sending us to uncharted territory. We get to see how the Hunahpu tribe handles adversity from their first loss as conflict in the group begins to emerge.

Conflict is described in the book as “the disagreement and disharmony that occur in groups when members express differences regarding group goals; member ideas, behavior, and roles; or group procedures and norms.” As you can imagine, the game survivor is bound to encounter conflict since it makes a living off of the drama that stems thus providing entertainment. Nonetheless, there are three types of conflict that illustrates many of the tribe members roles that can be seen throughout the episode.

Substantive Conflict is when the group has a difficult time determining ideas, decisions, or goals. It was clear the Hunahpu tribe couldn’t hone in on a clear strategy of how to go about making their team stronger, as it took them up until voting night to make up their minds on who was getting eliminated. Since they hadn’t been in that position before, I could tell they were inexperienced in their approach to each other. Jeremy and Keith had a difficult time maintaining the goals the two had agreed upon in which they were supposed to be in alliance mainly because of their fireman bond.

Affirmative Conflict is more interpersonal and it deals with the inability of particular personalities to coexist. This conflict really takes place as Drew’s personality was congruent with how the rest of the team operated. He came across too strong and rubbed people the wrong way finding himself voted off the show as a result.

Procedural Conflict is the final conflict that is exemplified in the show, which mainly is a conflict with the execution of a particular strategy. Drew once again demonstrated this but his critique of the team in the swimming ring competition. We all know he only did this to disguise the fact that he threw the game, but otherwise his criticism would be a procedural conflict for the way they conducted their strategy.

The Two Faces of Common Core

/in /by

A

“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” ~ Albert Einstein

 

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a staff development meeting for all teachers in our school district. It is the first district meeting since the induction of Common Core State Standards in California schools. For all of the positive embracing of Common Core that I’ve been doing, this meeting opened my eyes to the other side of the coin.

The terrific thing about Common Core is that it teaches students critical thinking skills more important to their overall understanding of concepts that build on each other year after year than the old rote drill and kill framework. However, Common Core requires a level of communication that students who have not been raised on the program are not used to. Students are frequently asked to explain orally or in writing how they came up with a response rather than just writing the algorithm. As students spend time learning to communicate in this way, they spend less time practicing algorithms.

Under the previous framework, students who did not have a true grasp of the underlining concepts of, say long division, may still be able to solve long division word problems by plugging in an algorithm. Now, under Common Core, students who do not have a true grasp of this operation will not be able to solve the problem – since they have spent less time practicing algorithm.

These differences are leading *in the fourth and fifth grade classes in my district* to lower grades. Teachers are wondering how to make adaptations for students under this new program. Can they alter the assessments? Well, students still need to meet state standards for division, so no. Do they grade on a curve? I don’t know.

Teachers are frustrated and understandably so. It’s not fair to the students who will be suffering from this transition, poor grades marked forever on their transcripts. Do we remove Common Core? How can we take away something that is so much better for students’ overall education? The answer is we don’t.

I’m pretty sure that answer only deserves partial credit. It’s time to think critically about the rest of the solution.

Episode 3

/in /by

Ding Ding Ding guess what guys, the orange team won there first challenge and were safe tribal council. This episode we actually saw them citing like a team, they were cheering one another on, they acted like an actual unit which is a good change and hopefully we see a brighter future fir the yellow team.

This episode we saw our first look at twisted strategy, when Drew goes and loses the challenge on purpose to kick someone out of the tribe.  He felt as though he was eliminating all of the weak links, however because of his actions the girls went after him.  It was good to see  Drew go home because he was pretty lazy he didn’t do much and still felt like he was superior than others.  Of course he was confident that he wasn’t going home this week and of course he was definitely shocked when his name was called five times and ultimately sent home.

We know now how strategy can either make or break you.  The same goes in real life but in a lesser extreme your not getting voted off of an island, but you could potentially exile yourself from the group which is just as bad.  You want to get along with your team, you want to be a productive member, and when it comes to making decisions behind someones back its hardly a good idea.  I feel as though I’m starting to finally make actual real life comparisons, we all run into situations like this and we might be on either side.  It sucks but its part of the gamer I suppose.

Other than that I’m excited that blue team finally knows how it feels to send someone home hopefully this makes them even more of a powerhouse but makes them closer, but this could go either two ways, one they drop everything and start working to be a closer group or no ones going to trust anyone and the blue team might suffer.

Got Conflict? (Episode 3, Chapter 8)

/in /by

In many ways, Episode 3 was all about John Rocker. He may have thought he was doing his best but, his failure to keep Val from going home spurred on an array of conflict in both tribes. That being said, I do feel a little bad for the guy because he honestly thought that Val had an immunity idol and, he told her to play it. She shouldn’t have lied to him but, what’s done is done.

Speaking of things that shouldn’t have been said, I don’t think John Rocker exercised much forethought when he blatantly told Jeff Probst that he had been trying to keep a promise to Jeremy by protecting Val. He seemed completely oblivious to the shocked expressions of his male tribe members when he made this confession. Although he may not have realized it at the time, John essentially launched his tribe into a great deal of substantive conflict.

For the men in the Coyopa tribe, this evidence of John’s hidden agenda showed complete disregard for their alliance and the corresponding group goal. John’s hidden goal to ensure Julie’s safety had interfered with the goal of the men’s alliance and, this was not to be tolerated. For this decision, John Rocker was ultimately voted out.

It follows, however, that John’s failure to protect Val resulted in conflict for the Hunahpu tribe, also. For this tribe, affective conflict arose when Jeremy became emotional and upset that John had let his wife be sent home. Jeremy’s anger towards John turned into affective conflict as he decided to take on an opinion-giver role and tell his tribe all about John’s history of racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks. In turn, this made Jeremy’s tribe members become angry and aggressive which, subsequently, put Julie in a very uncomfortable spot. For the Hunahpu tribe, this was a potentially destructive conflict because it isolated Julie and may affect the tribe’s future ability to collaborate effectively.

In fact, the discord within the Hunahpu tribe was palpable at the end of the immunity challenge when tempers flared and tribe members let it be known that they were not a fan of John’s poor reputation. Most notably, however, was the way that Natasha lashed out at John in a way that the Coyopa tribe sarcastically referred to as “classy”. When it comes to gender responses to conflict, Natasha’s reaction was viewed negatively whereas Missy’s choice to seek out and comfort Julie when the conflict arose was a much more acceptable and expected gender response.

On the other hand, back at the Coyopa tribe, John’s decision may have resulted in a much more constructive conflict. There definitely was some procedural conflict as the tribe members tried to figure out who would be voted out at tribal counsel but, after careful negotiation, the male members of Coyopa decided to take on a compromise-conflict strategy with the two remaining women tribe members. The men decided that it was was worthwhile to break their alliance with John and let the women buy a little more time in order to let go of a member who was operating with a hidden agenda. As Jeff Probst said, hopefully this will prove to be a well-timed blindside for the Coyopa tribe.