Blog Post 1: About Me

Name: Lisa Suliteanu

Background: Born in Montreal, and lived here my whole life. I completed my DEC in cinema video and communications at Dawson college, and decided to give business at Concordia a go. After 3 semesters as an economics student, I realized business isn’t fulfilling enough for me as I need creative outlets. Im switching into coms or theatre for fall 2015. I’m a city mouse, love the sun, hate the snow, am a mermaid at heart (i.e. competitive swimmer), have a case of travel fever, have a passion healthy living, love nature, and let life inspire me.

Time spent:

I spend a lot of time thinking, browsing Instagram, watching Netflix, cooking vegan food, doing yoga, making daily task lists, working on miscellaneous projects, and STUDYING.

Goal for this class: The topic of this class is intriguing to me because it involves changing our awareness to our bodies, something that is so simple and yet often ignored. I am very interested in studying relationships between things because this way of thinking provides a fuller, more holistic insight to the truth. I first became aware of this way of thinking through a documentary called An Ecology of Mind I studied for a class of mine last semester.

I am excited to broaden my lens further this semester through studying the relationships between bodies and spaces. This way of thinking can be challenging because we are used to defining things through isolation. My goal for this class is to keep my outlook open in order to encompass the relationships between bodies and spaces, and to think deeper into workings of otherwise considered subconscious decisions.

My favourite space:

Erie Beach in southern Ontario has always been my favourite happy place. I have countless memories of the sand sliding through my toes, the sun beating on my shoulders, and the water sending chills up my spine. When I am in this space, my body becomes relaxed through a combination of familiarity, and the forgivingness of the sand and the water, and I move in a loose, dancing like manner. It is impossible to be stiff in this space. I notice I naturally breath deeper here.

5 things faculty members do that make learning hard:

1. Giving vague instructions for assignments. Its always helpful to know what you’re being graded on to make sure assignments are complete. When instructions are vague or unclear than assignments don’t reflect a student’s true ability and work done because interpretations of objectives can be different.

2. Giving difficult readings. When readings are heavy and use difficult vocabulary I don’t get much out of them besides frustration from not understanding the message/content.

3. Not giving feedback. Feedback so important in order to know what can be improved for next time. They provide justification for grading and are constructive for further improvement, and can serve as guides for later assignments.

4. Giving lectures. Lectures are very important, however I find class discussions to be a good addition to keep the content interesting and students engaged.

5. Not being available for questions in person or via email. I often don’t think of questions for teachers until later in the day when I’m at home. Responding to email is important to me for that reason.

5 things faculty members do that make learning easy:

1. Giving examples. Examples are so helpful for more complex assignments as they help students see what is expected of them.

2. Using mixed media. I love it when teachers mix up a lecture by integrated Power Points, movies or video clips, sounds, discussions, exercises… It keeps me engaged and allows a topic to be thought of or discussed in different ways and forms, and from different people and perspectives.

3. Giving options. Options for assignments are helpful because they allow students to choose to learn and work on what interests them personally.

4. Providing links to material. I am good with computers and many different programs, however looking for readings is very hard and frustrating for me. I always appreciate it when there are links, or instructions on exactly where to find readings.

5. Encouraging ideas and participation. It can be hard sometimes to put yourself and your ideas out there. When teachers provide encouragement for ideas, it creates a comfortable, and creatively better dynamic in a class.