On November 3, the Study Climate Tribe Session under the theme of 'PERSPECTIVE' took place at the Vakwerkhuis. Employees and students could participate in various workshops facilitated by professionals from within and outside the TUD. The afternoon was kicked off by Talking Out Loud, an organization that works to break stigmas and prejudices about people with disabilities. Themes such as empathy, your own perspective compared to that of another, the Socratic dialogue, or discovering your own strengths were all discussed. And finally, the afternoon ended with drinks.
The workshops
What would my grandmother do?
By Pleun Hermsen, Sjoerd van Dommelen and Paula Hueso Espinosa
The workshop started with an oddly specific element in participant's work in education that resonates with them. For example: “When starting a lecture, I leave the door open” or “If I hear students talking in my lecture, I ask them to formulate their question out loud” or “A teacher can’t fail the deadline for the review period”. Next, they explored a different perspective on their own behaviour by inviting guests to the workshop, like Ant Man, Greta, your grandmother, a goldfish and others, who all shared their insights. As a bonus, the workshop introduced a tool that participants could adapt to use with their students in their own context.
Inclusive decision-making process
By Floor Driessen
During this workshop, participants engaged in a teamwork discussion method designed by Floor Driessen. This discussion method allowed previously unheard -but very vital- voices/ input to be heard in an inclusive decision-making process. This workshop gave participants tools to move away from “us vs. them” discussions, and towards being able to empathize and understand the legitimacy of other people’s perspectives and interests. Participants worked on a case and explored which voices to include in order to reach inclusive decision making as a team.
Exploring your personal strengths
By Melissa Kramer, Vicky Toellner
Autonomy is being able to live one’s life according to personal motives and drivers. When navigating how to do this, knowing what your personal strengths are and learning to articulate them can be a great starting point. In this workshop, Exploring your personal strengths, the facilitators provided tools to help participants think about and map their strengths in a creative and open environment. Facilitators talked about their methods and let participants play “quality collector,” - a game to help them reframe and define their strengths.
An Eco-Logical Adventure
By Frank Auperlé & Dick van der Wateren
The premise of this workshop was that the conscious and unconscious minds are connected to each other, to other parts of the human body and to the living and non-living environment. What this means, is that new ideas result best from collective and transdisciplinary thinking. Participants collectively reflected on existing assumptions and presuppositions about their place in a rapidly changing world and devised ways to benefit from interacting with their environment.
Metaphorically speaking, like a banana that is both protected by its skin from harmful external influences and ripens through the beneficial influences that penetrate it. By experimenting and reflecting, this workshop aimed to help participants change their perspectives.
