Week 1 - Fitzpatrick - Mobius Stripe in the Classroom



The video  watched in week 1  was a visual concept, using a Mobius strip, that broke down the idea that each person has an inner life – values beliefs, and convictions – and an outer life – the image, impact, and influence we have in the world, and the importance of engaging our inner-self with the outer world, and internalizing what we learn from the experience to “co-create reality” (5:02). We also are asked to think about how we can be aware of this, and use it to make “life-giving”, or positive, choices.
Although short, the video was very thought-provoking and reminded me of the biopsychosocial model learned about in chapter 1 of this week’s reading. Much like the video uses metaphors such as inner-life and outer-life, biopsychosocial interactions are defined as biological, psychological (inner), and social-emotional (outer) forces that affect development (13). One significant concept that both the video and above interactions share is the understanding that to be effective, one must be cognizant of these interactions and understand how to manipulate the interactions in order to continuously progress in development throughout their lifespan (5:47).
I relate with the concept of the Mobius sphere, or living an undivided life, in a sense that, as a future educator, I am going to be in constant relation with the outer world, instilling my values, and beliefs to my students. Thus, I am creating a culture in which my students will experience and carry with them in their development. It is important that I allow my students to aide in the climate of that culture by allowing myself to learn from them, just as they will learn from me. Much like the video speaks of “co-creating” reality, the students and I will co-create their learning experience.

According to the text, the reason we study lifespan psychology is to understand each developmental period’s personal agenda in an attempt to establish a range for individual development, live positively and avoid negative outcomes (7). By teaching with the understanding of the Mobius strip analogy; to be successful you must be who you are internally, and be accepting to learn at the same time, I can create a positive extrinsic environment allowing for the progress of student intrinsic human development.     

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