Feedback Strategies

The first article I read was called Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job. The article contained some information that was new to me. It suggested that saying "good job" and other forms of praise are generally not good for the children we say it to.

The main points of the article were about the negative effects of constant praise. For example, when a child receives praise all the time, they become dependent on the praise to maintain their self esteem and interest in the activity. If the the praise stops they tend to become disinterested in the activity, and often need emotional support. Also, praise tends to be a conditional support. When you say "I'm proud of you", that implies that a poor performance would make you not proud of the child. This tends to have negative effects.

The second article I read was Be a Mirror. As the title implies, it suggests that we should provide feedback in a way that truly reflects what we are providing feedback about.

One of the main points from this article is "taking yourself out of the feedback". I think this is really valuable because so often we are giving feedback that puts the spotlight on us. We should keep the spotlight on the person seeking feedback. Another point was to focus on what the content HAS, not what it doesn't have. Basically, just provide feedback on what the person wants feedback for.

Quality advice for those receiving feedback - dietjustice blog

Topic Research: Cu Chulainn

Cu Chulainn's Defense of Ulster

Cu Chulainn defends Ulster, his home. Medb's army marched on Ulster. The men of ulster were unable to fight so Cu Chulainn challenged them to fight individually and he succeeded against them all.


Cu Chulainn Slays Culann's Watchdog

Before Cu Chulainn had earned his name, he slayed Culann's vicious watchdog in self defense. I think this story could be really entertaining to elaborate about. There seems to be quite a bit of source material for this story, and I think it really encapsulates Cu Chulainn's character.


The Relentless Rage of Cu Chulainn

With this approach I could use all of the material about Cu Chulainn. I would like to use more than just one story because each story about Cu Chulainn is pretty short. This model also emphasizes his raging form, which is particularly interesting to me. In my opinion that is what makes him special, so I would like to emphasize that aspect.

Cu Chulainn and his raging form - Smite

I only used one source because it really told all of the stories I was looking for.

The Cuchulainn Cycle, The Religion of the Ancient Celts, J.A. MacCulloch

Reading Notes: Gospel of Mark (Unit B)

The second unit of the Gospel of Mark differed significantly from the first unit. In the first unit there were many miracles, healing, and things of that sort. In the second unit, there was a lot more teaching and parables, as well as the details of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It starts with a series of parables and teachings about faith. For example, He mentions the Rich Young Ruler. The young man was a good man. He followed all of the commandments, but he felt like something was missing so he asked Jesus what he must do to receive eternal life. Jesus said sell all of his possessions, give them to the poor, and follow Him. The young man couldn't do it and walked away sadly.

The next significant portion of the second unit of Mark comes when Jesus foretells the upcoming death and resurrection. At the Last Supper He told his disciples that one of the would soon betray Him and another would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. The disciples were highly confused and even slightly disturbed because they were very confident in their ability to withstand the temptation to betray or deny Jesus.

As He predicted, one of His disciples. Judas, betrayed Him for only a few dollars. Likewise, Peter denied any affiliation with Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. Jesus was handed over to the authorities for questioning. After a series of interrogations the people judges found no fault in Him, but a mob of men asked for his death. The judge relented in a desire to please the people and Jesus was crucified, beaten, and humiliated. After His death, one of His disciples asked for His body and placed it in a tomb. After three days a couple women looked for His body in the tomb, but it was missing. Jesus met His disciples and many others to show them that He had risen from the grave. He encouraged them to spread the good news of the Gospel. After a short time He ascended into Heaven.

The Last Supper - acatholiclife.com

The Gospel of Mark, The Bible, Mark

Week 3 Story: The Life of Jesus

John the Baptist foretold the coming of The Messiah. Everyone thought he was crazy. Never before had this generation heard from a man so desperate to spread the word of the coming Messiah, and never before had a prophet appeared so disheveled. As he had proclaimed to all he came in contact with, The Messiah did come. His name was Jesus Christ; a carpenter from Nazareth.

Jesus was no ordinary man. He performed miracles that would truly blow your mind. For example, he healed the blind, mute, lepers, and the dead. Not only that; he also fed thousands of people with only a few loaves of bread and fish... twice. There were so many more things he did. Many of them were never recorded and we will never know about them. Still, the acts that WERE recorded do plenty to show the power He possessed. Do you know anyone that says go ahead and take the boat over to the other side of the sea... I'll just walk over later. 

Despite all of the generous and miraculous things done by Jesus, so many people had envy and hate toward Him. This came to a peak when there was a movement to arrest Him. As He had prophesied, Judas, one of His disciples, betrayed Him for just a few dollars. Jesus was arrested and questioned. People gave false testimonies about Him, and everyone knew they were fake. They couldn't find any faults in Him. The mob asked for His crucifixion based upon His claim of being "King of the Jews". As they wished, He was crucified. But... Three days later His body was not found in the tomb where he was buried. He had risen, and met with His disciples and other people to prove He had truly risen. After a short while He ascended to Heaven to sit on a throne next to God. 

Authors Note: 

I took my version of this story from the Gospel of Mark from the Bible. I did not make many tweaks to the writings of Mark due to respect for the holiness of the text. I merely summarized the writings as if I were going to tell it to a friend. 

The Last Supper - acatholiclife blog

The Gospel of Mark, The Bible, Mark

Reading Notes: Gospel of Mark

As a Christian, it was awesome to have the option to read the Gospel of Mark for this class. There were several awesome stories and parables in Unit A. First and foremost, Mark, Chapter 1, features John the Baptist. He is said to be "clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and honey." I thought this was a pretty interesting visual description of John as he was foretelling Jesus' coming.

The next thing that caught my eye was just the craziness of the quantity of miracles performed by Jesus. Without even mentioning how incredible the acts were. So many people healed of afflictions like diseases, blindness, muteness, and paralysis. He even raised a young girl from the dead. It always amazes me when Jesus walks on water, but my favorite part about it is how it seems like no big deal that He is just strolling across a raging sea. The disciples were astonished, but Jesus was confused at why they were all so surprised. It made me chuckle. 

Beyond all the crazy miracles that Jesus had already performed, He also fed thousands of people with a couple baskets of fish and bread. Five thousand people had been following Him around when Jesus and the disciples determined the people were probably really hungry! They had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus blessed the food and dispersed it to the masses of hungry followers. When all was said and done they had twelve baskets of fish and bread. I am no mathematician, but I am pretty sure that is more food than they started with. Even if it was less food than they started with, they still spread it over FIVE THOUSAND people. I can almost eat five loaves of bread and two fish when I go to Red Lobster (Have you ever had those cheddar biscuits? They are to die for.). Anyway, the magnitude of this miracle is fascinating to me. The greatest thing about it is the fact that He does it again two chapters later. 

I am thankful for the inclusion of the Bible in this class. As a Christian student it makes me happy to see my faith included in classes - even if it is in "Mythology and Folklore".

Jesus feeding 5000 - Flickr.com

The Apostle Mark, The Gospel of Mark, Mark Ch. 1-9