My Role As a Group Member Essay

“Alright,” the teacher says to the students, “I’m going to number all of you off into groups. Each group will read a section from the textbook and become experts on that section. Then, each group will teach the rest of the class what they learned from their reading.” This is an instruction common to the classrooms in the United States. More and more is the pedagogy of public education leaning in favor of team-based activities, projects, and learning. Group work is generally seen as an ultimately beneficial way to teach students, but this may be somewhat of a fallacy. The emphasis on group-based learning in public schools causes a multitude of problems.

As a college student, I don’t enjoy group work. I am the student that dominates the group and does almost all of the work, establishing group times to talk about what needs to be done, and making sure that attendance is mandatory

Participating in group activities have never really been my thing, but this project was a great experience. I got the chance to meet individuals with different problem solving solutions than I, and the people I communicate with daily. This project helped me gain communication skills amongst others when trying to make a decision, and the process of coming to an agreement. The knowledge, skills, and abilities I demonstrated throughout the weeks have grown and boosted my confidence when partaking in a group setting. I learned that people are easily offended and it may be hard to steer away from it, but it can be done. Teamwork has always been easy for me because I offer more help than needed to my teammates. The panel discussion taught me that not everyone one wants help, but the opportunity for their opinions to be considered. Each tool I have gained from this experience will make it easier for me to engage with others in the near future in a mannerly way whether it is for a grade or not.

This project was quite expeditious due to the number of alternate subjects studied within the constraints of school. This made it quite difficult to complete because time limits were evident and tested. This could have had a substantial impact on the project itself, however, it did not because of skill and precision. Working individually could be beneficial in certain circumstances if one is smart, advantages might include independence and personal idea. Although, it was not easy coming up with good ideas and multi-tasking in different areas individually. In addition, working in a class group was helpful due to the amount of

This project also benefited me academically because it required me to work in groups. Group work

Throughout middle school and my freshmen year of high school, I was never extremely comfortable in large group projects. For most of my life, I preferred to work alone or do most of the work in group projects. There was a time, however, in my sophomore Project Lead the Way class where my teacher was explaining to us the grave importance of group work and how it translates into the real world of engineering. After the speech, we were put in groups of eight to solve simple engineering problems, and I began to push myself to interact with my unknown peers. Slowly but surely, I grew more comfortable in group scenarios and kept pushing myself forward. Looking forward to today, I am a captain of my soccer team and a constant leader in group projects

I was reluctant to tackle the amount of group work that was required, but I found it to be most pleasant working with my peers who were excited as I was to investigate the jail system in Dutchess county. Contrarily, I always found that doing assignments myself was always better than the alternative—group projects. I was never usually paired with individuals that had the same work ethic that I had, and often found them difficult to accomplish. However, doing this presentation with the group I was assigned with was a positive experience for me.

Working in a group was a great way to get to know my classmates. Despite our differences, we worked together and completed the assignment. I like working in a group, but sometimes I would rather do the assignment on my own. Group work has its good and bad effects.

The conditions for this group assignment were different however, all of my previous collaborative works were either presentations or assessment where task could be easily split and completed individually. This assessment piece forced greater importance on group discussion and bonding, as all parts had to flow while projecting the same or similar message.

In order for successful group work to be achieved, there are a number of aspects that need to be considered. In the first lecture we were told to expect conflict, this threw me at first, I usually run away from conflicting situations (I will get into why a little later). Although I did not like the concept of having to face and deal with conflict, the value did show, as we were told it would. McDermott (2002) suggests that conflict signals the group has begun to matter to participants, and groups are often more productive after the resolution of conflict. The second aspect that really stuck with me was group processes and development. Most of the groups I have been involved in so far throughout my degree,

The effectiveness of our group collaboration was mixed regarding this particular project. While two of us in the group have vast experience in group projects in addition to course work in general, this was the first course for one of the participants. This created slight tension

It was very interesting to work together in my group. I learnt more deeply about the African American issue. All members in my group was very supportive. We collaborate with each other in a timely manner. The biggest fear I had working in a group environment was the conflict. There was no conflict because we all shared our thoughts and problems with each other. That makes this group experience great.

In both small and larger groups to function effectively in a course context, each student must attend to both the process and climate by which they accomplish their tasks. When working in a small groups I give more efficient ideas than working in a larger groups, this is because I find it easier to work with fewer people. Having a healthy climate and effective communication skills when working in a group situation is critical. I work very will in-group situations, and have gained many skills in social interactions.

during this project I learned a lot. I learned how to balance out supplies and and cost. How the world of business kind of works by balancing out quality and quantity. I learned the real difference between wants and needs. Like how if we all had what we wanted whenever we wanted it there would be mass chaos.

Throughout the semester, working in groups for different projects and in class work has been a good experience. Group projects can either have a positive or negative impact on work ethic depending on a person's work drive. Group projects are beneficial because they put thoughts and ideas of different people together and thus help students to learn more about both their group members and the topic of assignment for the group.