I am an ENFP, and I go mad with boredom in lectures ( I even go mad with boredom sitting through a two hour film, so its not necessarily a reflection on the quality of the lecture, I just don't do well sitting that long passively). I think that is interesting Alice that your type hates group work, my type loves it, and in between there are lots of other types that will learn better through different methods, the challenge I suppose is finding that ground that reaches everyone. No wonder there is temptation to creep back to the tried and true albeit dull straight lecture method--but I am trying to find different interactive learning exercises, beyond the classic small group work, along with a mix of lecture during my teaching periods.

The risk with small group work is that some more extroverted people can end up "taking over" their group or the discussion--and this can be very off putting to more introverted types--or say students who come from a culture where its considered rude to speak up and engage during the class.

If anyone has ideas or experiences ( good or bad) I would be thrilled to hear them.

http://www.oswego.edu/plsi/teachingacrosstype.htm

I found this great website that talks about not only your own learning style but how that impacts your TEACHING style, and how to be aware of your natural preferences, strengths and weaknesses as you teach, and how to moderate those to interact with groups of students ( all of whom will have their own preferred learning style). I found this very thoughtful and insightful, plenty to reflect on!

And I thought that others that are teaching might have some interest in this as well--and I highly recommend checking out all of the resources on the website!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuoEPR46FUU&NR=1

a PhD study zen moment---

a lovely tribute to my favourite artist, Georgia O'Keefe, in a song by my favouritest of all time singer/songwriters, Dan Fogelberg, and in turn the video is a tribute to him ( he passed away sadly in December of cancer).

Song and video together are beautiful!

Well, at least my mind and my funky inner hair match colors!

http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourfunkyinnerhaircolorquiz/

Your Hair Should Be Purple Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional.
You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights.

Your Mind is Purple
Of all the mind types, yours is the most idealistic.
You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense.
Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.



http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorisyourmindquiz/

http://www.blogthings.com/howhappyareyouquiz/
You Are 92% Happy It's unlikely that you know anyone happier than you.
You know how to be happy, no matter what life throws at you.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolordayareyouhavingquiz/


You Are Having a Blue Day Today is the kind of day that challenges you to the core. You're going to have to stay cool.
You have the intelligence, skills, and drive to rise to the occasion. Your mind is sharp.

While things may be a bit chaotic, you are still taking the time to reflect and be calm.
Today you are extra attractive and interesting to people. You are giving off a detached vibe, which is very intriguing.

I am a big believer in listening to what your body tells you--if you are tired and un-motivated, perhaps your body is begging you for a chance to recover from the stressful event you had. I have had days where I would swear I had mononucleosis--having had it once, I feel that tired. I don't in fact have it, but just become exhausted from the work--somehow this work is exhausting in a way that nothing else I have ever done is.

Someone once told me the analogy of a car that I think is helpful to keep in mind. A car can go what--100 mph or more--but if you got on the motorway with the accelerator to the floor, going that fast, within a few hours the car's engine might burn out. It just was not built to go that fast, all the time. If you are going on all cylinders, you can do that in the short haul but not in the long haul.

I have found that sometimes time away is more productive than time at work--those times when you have so much to do and you don't see how you are going to get it done, but you are so exhausted you cannot get it all done--thats a signal to me to take a day off, an afternoon off, something! Then you can come back refreshed and energized and get a lot done.

Do you take breaks in your workday? That is important. Even a few short breaks during the day can help you feel better throughout the course of the day--an internet surf, a walk down the hall, staring into space--all can help, even for five or ten minutes. Do you drink enough water in the day? Fatigue can be a sign oddly of being thirsty!

Some drinks dehydrate--so don't count those the same as water. I try to keep a bottle of water ( from the tap) on my desk at all times, and drink it during the day, especially when tired.

Good luck with everything---sometimes recovering from stress is the uphill battle!

Sounds like it could be a horrible stress-fatigue cycle. Sometimes you feel the stress of an event after its over, and that could be what has happened to you. Stress is fatiguing. I get post-stress migraines, which means after the event is over, I can feel horrible for several days with a visicious headache. Your body and brain might be reacting in a different way, unable to let go of the stress, feeling the need to remain on guard against other stressors that might come along.

Sometimes just wearing yourself out physically helps--a long walk, bike ride, swim, run, anything you can do to make your body as tired as you can, and then have a good sleep. That doesn't cure the problem, but at least you can feel refreshed having had a good sleep.

Can you work part days for awhile, just to get back into the groove of things? Find some easy tasks you like? Work in a different environment, a library in another part of the campus, or even in another town?

You might also be really disllusioned about things from the recent events, and that all by itself can cause a loss of motivation. I think its part of the cycle of ANY PhD to have ups and downs of motivation. Try not to be too hard on yourself ( easier said than done!) about it.

Sometimes just a change of scene works for me, for instance, going to a coffee shop to read or proof read, just to get out of the atmosphere I have been in, that can work wonders. Its not a long term fix, of course, but sometimes even making the smallest bit of progress is enough to get unstuck and start to feel engaged in the work again.

Good luck!

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Ooohhhhhh this one is fascinating, and its fun to take just because of the really intriguing graphics! Check it out! Your Room

http://www.jamesgang.com/jamesgang/room/roommind.html


The Window: Your Attitude Your choice of the blue sky reveals a person who is very much a cheery optimist. You regularly exhibit "soft, airy, fluffy" behaviour, expressed as a magical metamorphism into weird and wonderful new shapes (as the wind blows). In all your endeavours you need room to breathe, frequently telling others to "Relax. Let's blue sky some ideas." As valiantly sunny as you are, you do have a darker side. You store up pain until you burst into tears while the heavens ring out with songs such as, "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head". Although your eye is fixed on the horizon, deep in your inner self you may have a secret wish to be a flight attendant, (coffee, tea or me) while watching blue movies and crying the blues with Ella Fitzgerald.

The Pictures: Your Relationships The choice of the Rad Storage Box reveals a deeply practical, yet radical individual who inspires friends and family to work alongside in peace and harmony, toiling with transparent glee and the refreshing innocence of youth as necessary items are sorted, collected and stored. Very rad.

The Garbage: Your Problems How do you hide your problems in a wired world? You don't. The skeletal structure of your handsome wiry body precludes many types of problems, which is not to say that the problems don't exist but that your problems tend to be handled by others who are more capable and water-resistant than you. Avoidance and the cubicle mentality is your sphere. Paper, paperclips, an errant pop can - the entrails of office life pass through you.
/Garbage Clock The Clock: Your Future Your future is marked by exploration and safari adventures taking you to warmer climates. With a childlike exuberance and naivete, your sense of playfulness may find expression in the composition of rhymes and riddles involving cats, mice, zebras and horses. But your grown-up sense of fair-play demands that you use resources wisely. Recycling is an integral part of your future.

An interesting and quick personality test ( a more productive way of doing nothing than staring into space!)

http://www.lifecolorsonline.com/lifecolorslite.html


You scored mainly in the Sky-Fire quadrant. This 'yellow' quadrant highlights the 'fire' sign of your personality and your tendency to blaze across the sky like a comet, taking new ideas and concepts and trying to push them into action. You may well have a vivid imagination and enjoy constantly dreaming up new things to do. Because of your 'fire' sign, you will probably push some of these ideas into action before you and others are ready. You may well be a persuasive person when discussing issues you passionately believe in. In these situations, many people may well be influenced by your apparent confidence.
People who map into this quadrant like to connect the future to the present. Your mind may constantly be exploring possibilities concerning where you are going and what you might do with your life. However, there are times when you could become over-enthusiastic and make decisions before you have fully thought about the ramifications. If anything, your mind might be focused on too many ideas at once. This may result in fewer successes, mainly because of your desire to get into action before you have completely done your homework.
For you there are unlikely to be too many problems. Of all the signs, yours describes someone who can turn a problem into an opportunity. Failure is unlikely to disturb you too much as you have a knack of being able to rebound from adversity.

Olivia is staring into space.