Injuries occurred outdoors on the school campus as a result of a collision between a student on a bicycle and a student on a skateboard. The students were riding at excessive speeds along a pedestrian-only sidewalk — one on the north side of the building and one on the west side. The collision occurred at the northwest corner of the building. The student on the bicycle suffered a sprained ankle and serious cuts to his head. He was transported to the emergency room for assessment of head trauma. The student on the skateboard suffered serious cuts to his left leg and scrapes to his left elbow. He was also taken to the hospital for stitches to repair his leg wounds. Neither student was wearing a helmet or other protective gear.

a. The students had both been riding at high speeds which increased the damage to both of them once they collided. Neither of them had been wearing protective gear. They had both been on a pedestrian only sidewalk, and shouldn't have been riding there anyway. Before they went out into the corner, neither of them looked for someone coming from the other side of the building, where the other student was. Finally, the fact that they were going so fast made it so that neither of them could stop in time before they hit the other.

b. This could have been prevented if they had worn the proper safety gear, had followed the rules of the pedestrian only sidewalk, had been moving slower, and had looked for other people before going out into the interception of the two sidewalks.

low context culture   (lc.):

association:    

relationships begin and end quickly. many people can be inside one's circle; circle's boundary is not clear.

things get done by following procedures and paying attention to the goal.

one's identity is rooted in oneself and one's accomplishments.

social structure is decentralized; responsibility goes further down (is not concentrated at the top).

interaction:

low use of nonverbal elements. message is carried more by words than by nonverbal means.

verbal message is explicit. context is less important than words.

verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly.

communication is seen as a way of exchanging information, ideas, and opinions.  

disagreement is depersonalized. one withdraws from conflict with another and gets on with the task. focus is on rational solutions, not personal ones. one can be explicit about another's bothersome behavior.

territoriality:

space is compartmentalized and privately owned; privacy is important, so people are farther apart.

temporality:

things are scheduled to be done at particular times, one thing at a time. what is important is that activity is done efficiently.

change is fast. one can make change and see immediate results.

time is a commodity to be spent or saved. one’s time is one’s own.

learning:

reality is fragmented and compartmentalized. one source of information is used to develop knowledge. thinking is inductive, proceeds from specific to general. focus is on detail.

learning occurs by following explicit directions and explanations of others.

an individual orientation is preferred for learning and problem solving.

speed is valued. how efficiently something is learned is important.

hope that                                         : )