Listening

 When doing any form of data collection you have to maintain a certain degree of organisation. Collecting multiple versions of an interview explores so many paths and brings forward different considerations. Maybe some subjects that you haven't thought about and sometimes subjects that you intend to focus on. I chose to conduct semi-structured interviews because I feel it will keep me focused on the subjects at hand but it will also give me opportunity to broaden my learning. I think it is important to remain focused, as I have experienced (so far) that it can be very easy to delve into extending subjects that are linked to your inquiry, but the scope is way too wide for a 12 week research project. Interest draws me towards something that I read or have heard and so I research it and end up down a rabbit hole and have lost focus on what I set out to do.

This is where I have to really think about if I have listened and filtered everything properly. We had a module 3 Skype that opened up the conversation around agreeing. We all log into a call and listen to each others experiences and somehow end up agreeing with each other instead of listening and bringing forward a question. I think it is great that we are all backing each other and supporting the speaker, however it is important to consider if we are truly listening to what is being shared, or if we get consumed by a certain way of thinking instead of expanding on what has just been said. We agree over listening and thinking.

It would be weird if we had a world of people that agreed with each other and that is how we functioned. This is where we can bring ethics into conversation. We have to consider why someone is saying something. People give opinions and views mainly when they have experienced the situation, but the experience might not be backed up by an objective set of beliefs. People also give opinions on things that they haven't experienced but this view is heavily influenced by that individuals past experiences that they can link, or by hearing the opinion of others, so they are likely to hold an opinion or view on it which is preconceived. Once a piece of knowledge is in someones mind, it is pretty hard to shift its power on the believer so we can get stuck on something that is a perception of one person. Preconceived ideas are affected by multiple things from our lives whether that be experience or influence, but I have grown to accept on this course that it is important to hold space for different perspectives as they can broaden your thinking. But I have also learnt that it is important to question. Listening is definitely the key and I hope this is something I can continue throughout my professional practice.