Let's talk about our experiences working in groups. How do you feel about working in groups? Do you have a particularly good story? A terrible story? What do you find works the best? What are some of your biggest concerns about working in a group?
Remember, this journal must be completed before class on Wednesday. Before responding here be sure that you have responded to the Michael Jackson blog.
I love working in groups. I’m pretty sure I can say that I have had some good experiences and some bad ones. There are times where my partner took over and did everything which in a way I didn’t mind but then I also didn’t learn anything and there are the times where I am the one stuck doing everything. Groups can be really interesting because you get to learn about different people and gain different thoughts. I think it is scary sometimes working with people you don’t know because you’re not sure how well they will hold up their part of the deal. I tend to like working with people I know because I know what to expect of them. I also tend to prefer girls to work with because in most of my experiences I get stuck with the guys who just don’t care and they just sit there and don’t do anything. I believe the best thing to do when it comes to conflicts is having someone else decide what is best. Also I think everyone in the group needs to be open minded to really work together. Different personalities can be a bad thing. I am a hard worker and I like to get the job and not do it half assed. I think the hardest part about groups is trying to find a time and place where everyone will meet. Usually someone is busy. I’m really excited about working in groups for class. This will give me a chance to get know new people. I think our group will work really well together. I guess it’s only a matter of time before I find out.
I think that working in groups is a good way to get different ideas moving around. I think the best projects come from people who are opinionated but at the same time open minded, that way the project that the group is working on can be more original and can appeal to a larger crowd. Working in groups can be fun if everyone gets along and puts in an equal amount of effort. One time I had to work on a project with 3 other people, and we had to come up with an original product and advertise it. That was one of the best group experiences I ever had because we got together brainstormed a bit and as soon as we knew what we wanted to do we got working and had the project done in no time. There was hardly any arguing over who did what and people not doing what they were supposed to, allowing us to work faster and more efficiently. Everyone in the group contributed something important—one person let us work at her house and supplied us with all the materials, one person helped with the creativity aspect of the project, one person engineered the product, and one person provided the main idea for the theme song to our product. Had one person bossed everyone around, or one person slacked off, it would have been more stressful and the project wouldn’t have been as successful as it was, and we wouldn’t have received and A.
Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of working in groups. Normally I feel like I’m the only one who wants to get a good grade so I do most if not all of the work. It usually starts with me attempting to get everyone in the group to throw around ideas and nobody cares enough to try. Which makes me worry more about my grade. Resulting in me not being able to trust whether these people will do a good job on whatever part of the project they are going to be working on. Recently, in my Economics class in high school we had a group project in which we had to create a business. Everything about the business was required; how much money needed, a budget, how we were going to get a loan, where we were getting the loan, how much interest for the loan, a floor plan, what our business was, a commercial, publicity, where it was, how much the property was, an inventory of everything in the store and how much it all costed(that was the hardest), what kind of business, and more. I did everything but the floor plan and the commercial. I had to do a lot of research and my group provided almost no help. On top of all of this I was involved in color guard where I had a competition every weekend Saturday and Sunday, practice three days a week and my other classes to deal with. This of all of my awful group projects was in fact the worst. I expect my group members to do all the work to the best of their ability, stick to scheduled meets, listen to group input, have equal division of work and care about the project. I think if all these things occur their shouldn’t be an issue with another group project.
Stefanie it sounds like you had an awesome group experience! I agree that everyone must put in some sort of idea or opinion and everyone should be onpen minded. You make a good point that if you work together you can come out with a different project. Everyones ideas can create something amazing when they put them together. Though most groups don’t all work hard or together. In all of my encounters there has never been a balance between the work of every group member. Someone is always upset because they feel as though they are the only ones working or the only ones working hard.
Bre, I agree that working with people you already know is easier than working with complete strangers because you already know the way the work. When you work with new people you have to trust that they will follow through and work hard. I also agree to an extent that girls are easier to work with than most guys, even though I have had experiences with girls who think that you are going to do all the work for them, because they “don’t get it.” And you are right; the hardest part of group work is getting together at a time that is convenient for everyone.
Personally, I think that I like to work alone rather than with a group. I feel that when I work in groups, I have to rely on other people to do their part of the work. When I work by myself, though, I am able to manage my own time and finish things at my own leisure, and I feel like my work turns out better than this. On the other hand, when I work in groups I think we’re able to share our ideas and get more ways to create and present our work I can remember this one time when I was working in a group, but one of the kids that I was working with said he was doing his part at home. As stupid as I was, I told him to bring in his part on the due date. Well, he didn’t bring his part in, and our grade dropped. There was one time when I had this really good group in fifth grade. We had to create these Native American villages with the types of house and stuff they lived in. My group was really motivated and we finished by getting the best grade in the class. When I get placed into a group, I guess I hope my group members have certain qualities that would be beneficial to our work. For example, I want my group members to be motivated and hard-working, but laid-back enough that they’re fun to be working with. With a good group, I think that our work would be some of the best in the class.
Bre- I think I would have to agree that it is a little discomforting to have to work with new people that you don’t know. You’ve never sure what kind of work they can do or what they’re study habits are. However, I would have to disagree with the comment you made about wanting to work with girls. I like to work with girls because they’re very creative and awesome at brainstorming. However, I also think that there are a lot of guys that are able to pull their own weight and contribute to the group. I’ve worked in lots of groups where it has only been guys, and we’ve had some great projects come out. Otherwise, I would have to agree with what you said…
Group projects are many times looked at as easy work. Before I got a better understanding of the patience it takes to work in a group, I thought I would like it better than doing individual assignments. It can be a great learning experience with peers, or a hassle if the group members are not cooperative. I remember when one time in particular, I was assigned a group project in which we were able to pick our teammates (big mistake!). The times we spent to try to work on the project mainly consisted of socializing and goofing around. We barely were able to get anything done because we got caught up in things that didn’t even matter. When the due date was approaching, we tried to whip up something last minute so we could have something to turn in, and at the end we got a well deserved C and since than I tried avoid grouping up with close friends. Now I try not to pick friends as group members, but responsible classmates. Through working with people that are not in my circle of friends, I am able to take more of an initiative to add input so that I can have some credit for the end result. Because of the time put into making an admirable project, you also get to know people better than you thought you would, so that a bond can be formed and can potentially start to speak to group mates outside of the school environment.
Ryan, I agree 100 percent on everything you mentioned. It’s complicated to work with groups because there are so many people inputting ideas, but only a couple can be used to make a good presentation. It’s also difficult knowing that you have to depend on someone to do their share of work (when your not even sure of their work ethics), because without it, you’ll get a lower grade. seven out of ten times (depending on what the assignment is) I would chose to work alone because I want to make sure that everything is done the way it’s supposed to be done.
I agree with you when it comes to it being easier to work by yourself. I know that I tend to do better alone but I have also experienced getting a better grade when I work in a group. I saw that you commented on mine and I just want to say that with the experience I have had guys tended to be more lazy. Now I have had few experiences where they were great to work with. And i have seen some all guy groups do some really great projects. I also agree with the qualities your expecting of your group members, as I expect the same thing.
I enjoy working in groups. I like the thought of accomplishing something as a team and working towards one common goal. I also think it is fun working with other people on something instead of always having to work by myself. Sometimes it is nice to talk to someone or have someone there you can ask a question to if I am not understanding something. Some assignments that are given out as an individual assignment are boring but if made into a group project can actually become fun. I think working in groups can also help me down the road later in life. In the real world most jobs require you to work with other people and without good people skills this could be very challenging. I believe working in groups strengthens your ability to work with other people, which is very crucial later on in life. I have many great experiences working in groups throughout high school but one project stands out the most. In my junior year of high school our science teacher assigned us a project to build a green house or in other words an environmentally friendly house. Me and my best friend went to work and had a great time building the house. After it was complete we felt like we had accomplished our goal and also learned a lot along the way. Although our house did not win the prize for the best looking house we were still proud of it. This was one of my many group projects I did while in high school that I learned a lot and enjoyed doing. This is my opinion on why I strongly support group projects in schools at any level of education.
I enjoy working In groups as long as I work well with the people in the group. Sometimes you get placed in a group with people that you do not vibe with and it makes it harder. When everyone in the group is working together pitching in ideas I feel that groups are a healthy thing. I have had several experiences working in groups over the years including good and bad ones. I do not have a story to tell but I can explain the type of people that I have had to work with and why it does not work. Basically, anyone with a Type A personality makes if difficult for me to work in groups. I learned today that someone with a Type A personality is stubborn, rude and always has the urge to move and get things done. I feel that if a group takes their time and plan what they are going to do then they will be successful. My concerns about working in a group are getting stuck with people I do not work well with. It may affect my grade and how I do in the class. But I’m not worried about my group in class because both girls seem to be nice and easy to work with. We shall see how it goes. I am anxious to see what we are assigned as a group and how well we will work together. Overall I prefer to work in groups.
Stefanie, I agree with you in that working in groups helps moves around ideas. Sometimes the best things that are created come from more than just one person. If one person is working on an assignment than that project is limited to what one person can come up with. When adding other people to a group the best results do occur because it is more than one brain working on the project to reach the common goal of completing the assignment. I have also had a similar experience in working in group projects as you have. We were given the task and all jumped right into leaving no time to argue over who did what. This is why I have the same feelings about working in groups as you do.
Stefanie I definitely see where you are coming from. The positive thing about working in groups is you get several perspectives and put them together to create the best possible solution. I also agree on the fact that groups only work if everyone puts equal effort and if everyone is open minded. Your experience working in a group sounds good and I am pretty sure you are in my group so that is good. We will see what we have to do as a group and how successful we will be. Hopefully we get A’s and stuff like that. Matt
Personally I've always had a great experience working in groups...that is to say I've never had a group project where I hated it. Working in groups is nice because you get to focus on your strengths. For example lets say I hate writing, but I'm really good at making poster boards (for those ridiculous projects I've had to do my entire life). When working with even just one other person, I can now focus on what I'm good at. Not only does this speed up the project but it also takes away come of the dread that always accompanies a big project. When you only have to do just one part it really narrows the project down and makes it less daunting. As far as stories go, I haven't really had any crazy things happen...one time my group member brought a huge box of pizza in which was really cool. His dad owned a pizzeria that was amazing. Like I said earlier I think that when you split up what ever your working on and stick to your strengths, the group is most efficient. At least that's been my experience. Some of my concerns about working in a group are first, of course, a group member not pulling through with their end of the work. Or it really sucks when you get someone who is quiet and doesn't really have any input. Actually I'd rather have that then someone who tries to be the sole idea maker and it's their way or the highway. I feel confident, however, that the backwards oreos will be fine.
Matt, I’m not sure I understand what your talking about when you say that you can’t have a two type A personalities working in one group. Any mature college student should be able to work together regardless of their personality type. I mean in the real world your going to encounter type A personalities all the time and there’s a good chance that there will be other type A personalities right along side them. The point I’m trying to make is that part of being in a group is learning to over come differences and working together for a common goal.
My experiences with groups have been really good so far. It helps make the work easier, less tedious, and makes the work load less on each group member. I enjoy it because we can have a good time while we work. Some jobs can be taken down faster since the work is spread among the members. One experience I have had with groups was with our homecoming float. All of my friends came over to my house to help build our class float all four years of high school. We would all go around and ask for donations, and then bring our collection back to my house. We all worked together, and quickly made a float out of a trailer in less than a week. The girls would spend time making it pretty and sparkly while the guys built the frame and cut the wood. The whole experience helped build friendships and relationships that I still have today. It was a great way to meet people as well as to get a job done. The downside with group work is disputes and tension between other members. It is not fun when to leaders try to decide which way the float will work. It gets loud and annoying. It cause drama no one wants to see, and drags the work on. It is unnecessary to go about like that, and everyone should make compromises in order to reach the common goal, to finish the job. Really though, group work is fun and I really enjoy having to work with new people. Alex Popham
Ryan, You make a good point on why you like to work alone, rather than work in a group. I disagree however. I feel like the group should be supportive of each other and challenge one another to do their work. The group failed the group member when he failed to do his work, the group should had forced him to do it at the same time they were instead of allowing him to do it on his own time at home. There was a reason that ya’ll could do it in class and ya’ll shouldn’t have wasted time doing otherwise. I might be wrong however, since I was not there. It could be a “you had to be there” situation, but I am taking it as I hear it. Al Popham
Normally I don’t like working in groups. I’ve had bad experiences in the past. Everyone that I have been grouped with I’ve had trouble. Seldom someone else in the group is also a leader. I cant have that. I don’t want to spend the whole time we have to work on the project bickering on how to start it first. It is a waste of time and just gets me angry. I just end up truly disliking that person and fighting every step of the way to get my point across. I know that’s not the best quality to have but in the end I just want to do everything possible to get a good grade on the project. Most of the instances that I have done group work being the type A personality that I have, I take control but in the nicest way possible. Unless, the worst, and the most frequent thing occurs. Some people tend to be less productive in a group than if they were do work on their own, a term called social loafing. I have many times been in the presence of this phenomenon. They forget to do it or don’t pick up their phones. The night before they call me asking if their part was done by someone else because since I didn’t call they were unsure and just didn’t do it. After countless group projects turned in late or half done I have realized just to do it all my self right when it is first assigned. Fortunately in this class I was assigned with a great group : D
Alex, I definitely agree with a great environment setting such as your homecoming float project working in groups can be fun. You get to know people in a different light and usually become closer and productive. Splitting up the task to make sure everyone was doing something they were more interested in was a great idea. Less complaining I bet than if the boys had to handle glitter. Once in a while every group had a fight here and there and some tension. Especially when more than one leader is running the show. But it seems like you had a good time and nice experiences regarding groups.
I think that working in groups is a great thing! I think it’s a great way to work and get things done. I say this because I have found out that when I work in groups, not only is the amount of work I get done great, but so is the quality. For example, in my senior English class at my old school, my teacher would make us do an assignment by ourselves, and then let us do the exact same assignment as groups. It did indeed show that many of our classmates’ quality and quantity of work increased. On the other hand, working in groups has its negatives. Usually, in a group there is that one person who does not do any of his or her work and at the end writes his name on the groups work. Not only is that a pet peeve of mine when it comes to working in groups, but I would also have to say that it has to be some form of plagiarizing. Once, I was told to work with someone who was known to be lazy and I told him straight up that if he didn’t help his name wasn’t going on the paper. Unfortunately for him, he thought I was kidding. His name was not on that paper at the end. This leads me to some of the concerns that I have with working in groups. I’m a pretty friendly guy so talking and getting to know the other group members will not be hard, but before I was put in a group today, I was concerned that I was going to get stuck with people who wont do any work, but after meeting my group members, I am pretty confident that we will be fine!
Ryan Though I believe that working together is a better way to get work done and a good way to get work done quicker, I do have to say that I sort of agree with you when you say that it is better to work by yourself because that way you can manage your time and you will not have to depend on your group members to do their part of the project. It’s just that I think that when you work alone, you have so much work to do by yourself, whereas if you are with partners, you can spread the work amongst each others. As a matter of fact, that comment itself might even make me change my mind about how I feel about working in groups. :)
My experiences in working in groups has been good, I enjoys the process of getting other opinions and also the social interaction that involves working in a group. I feel as if you work in groups it is better for you to learn because you can get other opinions which helps you to formulate better ideas. The best story I have about working in a group is when I was in pre-calculus class, and we had to work together to figure out math problems. There is no way possible I could have figured out how to solve the problems myself, and with their help we solved the math problems and I ended up getting an A in the class. The most terrible story I had about working in groups is when my partner had a specific thing he was supposed to do for our group project and he forgot to do the assignment and we failed b/c of him. I find the thing that works the best for groups is to be organized, manage your time well, and have plenty of communication with each other. If you don't have communication in a group it will cause the group to become dysfunctional, and this will cause everyone to become irritated and not want to be involved in the group. The biggest concern I feel about working in groups is having people that are not dependable, who don't participate, and not wanting to acknowledge other statements. Another concern for me is that,the quiet people sometimes get overshadowed by the louder people so you should let everybody have a turn to speak.
I agree with Alex working in group is a great thing it lightens the workload, plus the quality of work actuallly end of being better than what you could do by yourself. And umm when you work in groups disputes can really destroy a group and like i said if u communicate well then that sohuldn't happen. But that is myh pet peive also,and i really enjoy the opportunity of getting to work in a group.
I've had good and bad experiences with working in groups. Last year I worked in groups a lot in my English Literature class. Most of the time I got a pretty good group; other times not so good of a group. Sometimes there is always that one person who never does anything but get the same grade that you do. I hate that although sometimes that person is me when I'm not having a good day. But most of the time I do. I remember in my biology class in 10th grade I had a group and I did the entire project by myself. Because I had no help I didn't finish the project and the whole group received a D. I wasn't mad about it but they were mad at me. Just think a person that did not work getting mad at the person for doing all the work and receiving a D. I didn't have a bad grade in the class like they did so the one D didn't get me upset at all. They were seniors so that grade meant a lot to them. To me, if something like your grade means a lot to you, you would contribute to the group. I like working with people who care about their grade just the same as I care about mine. I kind of like working in groups though. Working in groups gives you the opportunity to get to know people. I’m looking forward to working in groups in the class. Everyone seems fun and my group (Backwards Oreo) seem like they don’t mind working for their grade. -Damonica Solomon
I agree Demetrius about the social interactions. I like to talk so meeting new people and making new friends is always right down my ally. I also like when people put their heads and spill their knowledge out together. When this happens, great things come out of the group and whatever it is the group is working on. When the group work together they become on e brain, one idea, one smart person. That's probably why you received an A because other people helped in parts where you lacked and vice versa. That's a big plus with working with a group. -Damonica Solomon
Sometimes I really enjoy working in groups because it gives everyone a chance to relay their ideas off of each other and get some good feedback. The bad thing is that this doesn’t happen most times. Usually (not always) I’ll get stuck in a group with people who don’t care and will rely on me to get the work done. This puts me in the worst position because I have no choice but to follow through and get the work done because I care about getting a good grade. I had a group project with this guy for my economics class in high school where we had to create a debate protesting against Obama’s health care reform plan. An essay was expected from us, a pros and cons list, and a verbal argument. I ended up writing the entire paper without any aid from him at all, he contributed some to the list, and as for the verbal argument, I mainly spoke and when he did open his mouth, he had no idea what he was talking about. In other group experiences I’ve had partners who will be very particular about how they want things done and won’t consider my ideas. It’s best when each member of the group cares about the project, each is willing to get together for meets, each is putting in a good effort, each has a good attitude, and each isn’t afraid to bring in new ideas for the group. If this were the case then groups would work beautifully!
Bre, I’m totally on your side about working with guys. This doesn’t apply to all guys (I don’t want to offend any of you hard working males) but many are lazy. I’ll get stuck with a guy who just expects me to take charge and do everything myself. Basically I’m expected to earn their grade for them. Other guys will be sloppy and just kind of go with the flow instead of trying to be neat and take pride in their work. I’m not sure why some guys feel they can’t be artistically creative, maybe all they need is a little confidence boost.
Working in groups definitely has its pros and cons. I have had some terrible experiences working in groups but I have also some really great ones too. Depending on who is in your group, how well you know them, and if you trust them will play a big part in the outcome of the group project or paper. Choosing your group members also is very important; I have lazy group members, fast paced ones, annoying ones, and members that won’t let me contribute. One time I was doing a thirty minute presentation for my dual enrollment class at Broward College. My group member was some man I had never talk to before but we exchanged numbers, divided the project in half, and agreed to both do our parts. My professor said that if the project was not turned in on the day it was due, we would both get zeros, no excuses. I finished my half of the project the day it was due and tried to contact the total stranger to make sure he did his part. I called several times and still had no response I started freaking out in disbelief. I could not believe I had waited until the day it was due to contact him and that I trusted him to fulfill his part of the project he was assigned. I emailed the professor hoping that she would understand even though it was partially my part for procrastinating. Long story short, he ended up showing up to class late with his part completed. This lesson not only taught me to always stay in contact with my group members but to not fully trust them to complete their part of the assignment. I learned to take full responsibility, not to trust anyone, and to always stay in contact with my group members because most of the time, their grade is your grade as well.
Demetrius, I would have to agree it really does lighten the work load but that depends on the members of the group and their attitudes. Not going to lie at times I have been the best group member, sometimes I am extremely driven and motivated to complete my work. I finish my work on time and put it a great amount of effort. Other times I have not necessarily been excited about the project or paper been given and if someone takes the initiative I sit back, relax, and let others do the job for me. It really depends on the group members attitudes and how dedicated they are to the group, themselves, and the project that has been assigned.
Remember, this journal must be completed before class on Wednesday. Before responding here be sure that you have responded to the Michael Jackson blog.
ReplyDeleteOh, and you might also want to think about what your expectations are of your group members ...
ReplyDeleteI love working in groups. I’m pretty sure I can say that I have had some good experiences and some bad ones. There are times where my partner took over and did everything which in a way I didn’t mind but then I also didn’t learn anything and there are the times where I am the one stuck doing everything. Groups can be really interesting because you get to learn about different people and gain different thoughts. I think it is scary sometimes working with people you don’t know because you’re not sure how well they will hold up their part of the deal. I tend to like working with people I know because I know what to expect of them. I also tend to prefer girls to work with because in most of my experiences I get stuck with the guys who just don’t care and they just sit there and don’t do anything. I believe the best thing to do when it comes to conflicts is having someone else decide what is best. Also I think everyone in the group needs to be open minded to really work together. Different personalities can be a bad thing. I am a hard worker and I like to get the job and not do it half assed. I think the hardest part about groups is trying to find a time and place where everyone will meet. Usually someone is busy. I’m really excited about working in groups for class. This will give me a chance to get know new people. I think our group will work really well together. I guess it’s only a matter of time before I find out.
ReplyDeleteI think that working in groups is a good way to get different ideas moving around. I think the best projects come from people who are opinionated but at the same time open minded, that way the project that the group is working on can be more original and can appeal to a larger crowd. Working in groups can be fun if everyone gets along and puts in an equal amount of effort. One time I had to work on a project with 3 other people, and we had to come up with an original product and advertise it. That was one of the best group experiences I ever had because we got together brainstormed a bit and as soon as we knew what we wanted to do we got working and had the project done in no time. There was hardly any arguing over who did what and people not doing what they were supposed to, allowing us to work faster and more efficiently. Everyone in the group contributed something important—one person let us work at her house and supplied us with all the materials, one person helped with the creativity aspect of the project, one person engineered the product, and one person provided the main idea for the theme song to our product. Had one person bossed everyone around, or one person slacked off, it would have been more stressful and the project wouldn’t have been as successful as it was, and we wouldn’t have received and A.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I’ve never been a big fan of working in groups. Normally I feel like I’m the only one who wants to get a good grade so I do most if not all of the work. It usually starts with me attempting to get everyone in the group to throw around ideas and nobody cares enough to try. Which makes me worry more about my grade. Resulting in me not being able to trust whether these people will do a good job on whatever part of the project they are going to be working on. Recently, in my Economics class in high school we had a group project in which we had to create a business. Everything about the business was required; how much money needed, a budget, how we were going to get a loan, where we were getting the loan, how much interest for the loan, a floor plan, what our business was, a commercial, publicity, where it was, how much the property was, an inventory of everything in the store and how much it all costed(that was the hardest), what kind of business, and more. I did everything but the floor plan and the commercial. I had to do a lot of research and my group provided almost no help. On top of all of this I was involved in color guard where I had a competition every weekend Saturday and Sunday, practice three days a week and my other classes to deal with. This of all of my awful group projects was in fact the worst. I expect my group members to do all the work to the best of their ability, stick to scheduled meets, listen to group input, have equal division of work and care about the project. I think if all these things occur their shouldn’t be an issue with another group project.
ReplyDeleteStefanie it sounds like you had an awesome group experience! I agree that everyone must put in some sort of idea or opinion and everyone should be onpen minded. You make a good point that if you work together you can come out with a different project. Everyones ideas can create something amazing when they put them together. Though most groups don’t all work hard or together. In all of my encounters there has never been a balance between the work of every group member. Someone is always upset because they feel as though they are the only ones working or the only ones working hard.
ReplyDeleteBre,
ReplyDeleteI agree that working with people you already know is easier than working with complete strangers because you already know the way the work. When you work with new people you have to trust that they will follow through and work hard. I also agree to an extent that girls are easier to work with than most guys, even though I have had experiences with girls who think that you are going to do all the work for them, because they “don’t get it.” And you are right; the hardest part of group work is getting together at a time that is convenient for everyone.
Personally, I think that I like to work alone rather than with a group. I feel that when I work in groups, I have to rely on other people to do their part of the work. When I work by myself, though, I am able to manage my own time and finish things at my own leisure, and I feel like my work turns out better than this. On the other hand, when I work in groups I think we’re able to share our ideas and get more ways to create and present our work
ReplyDeleteI can remember this one time when I was working in a group, but one of the kids that I was working with said he was doing his part at home. As stupid as I was, I told him to bring in his part on the due date. Well, he didn’t bring his part in, and our grade dropped. There was one time when I had this really good group in fifth grade. We had to create these Native American villages with the types of house and stuff they lived in. My group was really motivated and we finished by getting the best grade in the class.
When I get placed into a group, I guess I hope my group members have certain qualities that would be beneficial to our work. For example, I want my group members to be motivated and hard-working, but laid-back enough that they’re fun to be working with. With a good group, I think that our work would be some of the best in the class.
Bre-
ReplyDeleteI think I would have to agree that it is a little discomforting to have to work with new people that you don’t know. You’ve never sure what kind of work they can do or what they’re study habits are. However, I would have to disagree with the comment you made about wanting to work with girls. I like to work with girls because they’re very creative and awesome at brainstorming. However, I also think that there are a lot of guys that are able to pull their own weight and contribute to the group. I’ve worked in lots of groups where it has only been guys, and we’ve had some great projects come out. Otherwise, I would have to agree with what you said…
Group projects are many times looked at as easy work. Before I got a better understanding of the patience it takes to work in a group, I thought I would like it better than doing individual assignments. It can be a great learning experience with peers, or a hassle if the group members are not cooperative. I remember when one time in particular, I was assigned a group project in which we were able to pick our teammates (big mistake!). The times we spent to try to work on the project mainly consisted of socializing and goofing around. We barely were able to get anything done because we got caught up in things that didn’t even matter. When the due date was approaching, we tried to whip up something last minute so we could have something to turn in, and at the end we got a well deserved C and since than I tried avoid grouping up with close friends. Now I try not to pick friends as group members, but responsible classmates. Through working with people that are not in my circle of friends, I am able to take more of an initiative to add input so that I can have some credit for the end result. Because of the time put into making an admirable project, you also get to know people better than you thought you would, so that a bond can be formed and can potentially start to speak to group mates outside of the school environment.
ReplyDelete-MARTINE BARJON
Ryan, I agree 100 percent on everything you mentioned. It’s complicated to work with groups because there are so many people inputting ideas, but only a couple can be used to make a good presentation. It’s also difficult knowing that you have to depend on someone to do their share of work (when your not even sure of their work ethics), because without it, you’ll get a lower grade. seven out of ten times (depending on what the assignment is) I would chose to work alone because I want to make sure that everything is done the way it’s supposed to be done.
ReplyDelete-MARTINE BARJON
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when it comes to it being easier to work by yourself. I know that I tend to do better alone but I have also experienced getting a better grade when I work in a group. I saw that you commented on mine and I just want to say that with the experience I have had guys tended to be more lazy. Now I have had few experiences where they were great to work with. And i have seen some all guy groups do some really great projects. I also agree with the qualities your expecting of your group members, as I expect the same thing.
I enjoy working in groups. I like the thought of accomplishing something as a team and working towards one common goal. I also think it is fun working with other people on something instead of always having to work by myself. Sometimes it is nice to talk to someone or have someone there you can ask a question to if I am not understanding something. Some assignments that are given out as an individual assignment are boring but if made into a group project can actually become fun. I think working in groups can also help me down the road later in life. In the real world most jobs require you to work with other people and without good people skills this could be very challenging. I believe working in groups strengthens your ability to work with other people, which is very crucial later on in life. I have many great experiences working in groups throughout high school but one project stands out the most. In my junior year of high school our science teacher assigned us a project to build a green house or in other words an environmentally friendly house. Me and my best friend went to work and had a great time building the house. After it was complete we felt like we had accomplished our goal and also learned a lot along the way. Although our house did not win the prize for the best looking house we were still proud of it. This was one of my many group projects I did while in high school that I learned a lot and enjoyed doing. This is my opinion on why I strongly support group projects in schools at any level of education.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy working In groups as long as I work well with the people in the group. Sometimes you get placed in a group with people that you do not vibe with and it makes it harder. When everyone in the group is working together pitching in ideas I feel that groups are a healthy thing. I have had several experiences working in groups over the years including good and bad ones. I do not have a story to tell but I can explain the type of people that I have had to work with and why it does not work. Basically, anyone with a Type A personality makes if difficult for me to work in groups. I learned today that someone with a Type A personality is stubborn, rude and always has the urge to move and get things done. I feel that if a group takes their time and plan what they are going to do then they will be successful. My concerns about working in a group are getting stuck with people I do not work well with. It may affect my grade and how I do in the class. But I’m not worried about my group in class because both girls seem to be nice and easy to work with. We shall see how it goes. I am anxious to see what we are assigned as a group and how well we will work together. Overall I prefer to work in groups.
ReplyDeleteStefanie, I agree with you in that working in groups helps moves around ideas. Sometimes the best things that are created come from more than just one person. If one person is working on an assignment than that project is limited to what one person can come up with. When adding other people to a group the best results do occur because it is more than one brain working on the project to reach the common goal of completing the assignment. I have also had a similar experience in working in group projects as you have. We were given the task and all jumped right into leaving no time to argue over who did what. This is why I have the same feelings about working in groups as you do.
ReplyDeleteStefanie I definitely see where you are coming from. The positive thing about working in groups is you get several perspectives and put them together to create the best possible solution. I also agree on the fact that groups only work if everyone puts equal effort and if everyone is open minded. Your experience working in a group sounds good and I am pretty sure you are in my group so that is good. We will see what we have to do as a group and how successful we will be. Hopefully we get A’s and stuff like that. Matt
ReplyDeletePersonally I've always had a great experience working in groups...that is to say I've never had a group project where I hated it. Working in groups is nice because you get to focus on your strengths. For example lets say I hate writing, but I'm really good at making poster boards (for those ridiculous projects I've had to do my entire life). When working with even just one other person, I can now focus on what I'm good at. Not only does this speed up the project but it also takes away come of the dread that always accompanies a big project. When you only have to do just one part it really narrows the project down and makes it less daunting. As far as stories go, I haven't really had any crazy things happen...one time my group member brought a huge box of pizza in which was really cool. His dad owned a pizzeria that was amazing. Like I said earlier I think that when you split up what ever your working on and stick to your strengths, the group is most efficient. At least that's been my experience. Some of my concerns about working in a group are first, of course, a group member not pulling through with their end of the work. Or it really sucks when you get someone who is quiet and doesn't really have any input. Actually I'd rather have that then someone who tries to be the sole idea maker and it's their way or the highway. I feel confident, however, that the backwards oreos will be fine.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I’m not sure I understand what your talking about when you say that you can’t have a two type A personalities working in one group. Any mature college student should be able to work together regardless of their personality type. I mean in the real world your going to encounter type A personalities all the time and there’s a good chance that there will be other type A personalities right along side them. The point I’m trying to make is that part of being in a group is learning to over come differences and working together for a common goal.
ReplyDeleteMy experiences with groups have been really good so far. It helps make the work easier, less tedious, and makes the work load less on each group member. I enjoy it because we can have a good time while we work. Some jobs can be taken down faster since the work is spread among the members.
ReplyDeleteOne experience I have had with groups was with our homecoming float. All of my friends came over to my house to help build our class float all four years of high school. We would all go around and ask for donations, and then bring our collection back to my house. We all worked together, and quickly made a float out of a trailer in less than a week. The girls would spend time making it pretty and sparkly while the guys built the frame and cut the wood. The whole experience helped build friendships and relationships that I still have today. It was a great way to meet people as well as to get a job done.
The downside with group work is disputes and tension between other members. It is not fun when to leaders try to decide which way the float will work. It gets loud and annoying. It cause drama no one wants to see, and drags the work on. It is unnecessary to go about like that, and everyone should make compromises in order to reach the common goal, to finish the job. Really though, group work is fun and I really enjoy having to work with new people.
Alex Popham
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point on why you like to work alone, rather than work in a group. I disagree however. I feel like the group should be supportive of each other and challenge one another to do their work. The group failed the group member when he failed to do his work, the group should had forced him to do it at the same time they were instead of allowing him to do it on his own time at home. There was a reason that ya’ll could do it in class and ya’ll shouldn’t have wasted time doing otherwise. I might be wrong however, since I was not there. It could be a “you had to be there” situation, but I am taking it as I hear it.
Al Popham
Normally I don’t like working in groups. I’ve had bad experiences in the past. Everyone that I have been grouped with I’ve had trouble. Seldom someone else in the group is also a leader. I cant have that. I don’t want to spend the whole time we have to work on the project bickering on how to start it first. It is a waste of time and just gets me angry. I just end up truly disliking that person and fighting every step of the way to get my point across. I know that’s not the best quality to have but in the end I just want to do everything possible to get a good grade on the project. Most of the instances that I have done group work being the type A personality that I have, I take control but in the nicest way possible. Unless, the worst, and the most frequent thing occurs. Some people tend to be less productive in a group than if they were do work on their own, a term called social loafing. I have many times been in the presence of this phenomenon. They forget to do it or don’t pick up their phones. The night before they call me asking if their part was done by someone else because since I didn’t call they were unsure and just didn’t do it. After countless group projects turned in late or half done I have realized just to do it all my self right when it is first assigned. Fortunately in this class I was assigned with a great group : D
ReplyDeleteAlex, I definitely agree with a great environment setting such as your homecoming float project working in groups can be fun. You get to know people in a different light and usually become closer and productive. Splitting up the task to make sure everyone was doing something they were more interested in was a great idea. Less complaining I bet than if the boys had to handle glitter. Once in a while every group had a fight here and there and some tension. Especially when more than one leader is running the show. But it seems like you had a good time and nice experiences regarding groups.
ReplyDeleteI think that working in groups is a great thing! I think it’s a great way to work and get things done. I say this because I have found out that when I work in groups, not only is the amount of work I get done great, but so is the quality. For example, in my senior English class at my old school, my teacher would make us do an assignment by ourselves, and then let us do the exact same assignment as groups. It did indeed show that many of our classmates’ quality and quantity of work increased. On the other hand, working in groups has its negatives. Usually, in a group there is that one person who does not do any of his or her work and at the end writes his name on the groups work. Not only is that a pet peeve of mine when it comes to working in groups, but I would also have to say that it has to be some form of plagiarizing. Once, I was told to work with someone who was known to be lazy and I told him straight up that if he didn’t help his name wasn’t going on the paper. Unfortunately for him, he thought I was kidding. His name was not on that paper at the end. This leads me to some of the concerns that I have with working in groups. I’m a pretty friendly guy so talking and getting to know the other group members will not be hard, but before I was put in a group today, I was concerned that I was going to get stuck with people who wont do any work, but after meeting my group members, I am pretty confident that we will be fine!
ReplyDelete--Harold
Ryan
ReplyDeleteThough I believe that working together is a better way to get work done and a good way to get work done quicker, I do have to say that I sort of agree with you when you say that it is better to work by yourself because that way you can manage your time and you will not have to depend on your group members to do their part of the project. It’s just that I think that when you work alone, you have so much work to do by yourself, whereas if you are with partners, you can spread the work amongst each others. As a matter of fact, that comment itself might even make me change my mind about how I feel about working in groups. :)
Demetrius Solomon
ReplyDeleteMy experiences in working in groups has been good, I enjoys the process of getting other opinions and also the social interaction that involves working in a group. I feel as if you work in groups it is better for you to learn because you can get other opinions which helps you to formulate better ideas. The best story I have about working in a group is when I was in pre-calculus class, and we had to work together to figure out math problems. There is no way possible I could have figured out how to solve the problems myself, and with their help we solved the math problems and I ended up getting an A in the class. The most terrible story I had about working in groups is when my partner had a specific thing he was supposed to do for our group project and he forgot to do the assignment and we failed b/c of him. I find the thing that works the best for groups is to be organized, manage your time well, and have plenty of communication with each other. If you don't have communication in a group it will cause the group to become dysfunctional, and this will cause everyone to become irritated and not want to be involved in the group. The biggest concern I feel about working in groups is having people that are not dependable, who don't participate, and not wanting to acknowledge other statements. Another concern for me is that,the quiet people sometimes get overshadowed by the louder people so you should let everybody have a turn to speak.
Demetrius Solomon Response to Alex.Popham
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex working in group is a great thing it lightens the workload, plus the quality of work actuallly end of being better than what you could do by yourself. And umm when you work in groups disputes can really destroy a group and like i said if u communicate well then that sohuldn't happen. But that is myh pet peive also,and i really enjoy the opportunity of getting to work in a group.
I've had good and bad experiences with working in groups. Last year I worked in groups a lot in my English Literature class. Most of the time I got a pretty good group; other times not so good of a group. Sometimes there is always that one person who never does anything but get the same grade that you do. I hate that although sometimes that person is me when I'm not having a good day. But most of the time I do. I remember in my biology class in 10th grade I had a group and I did the entire project by myself. Because I had no help I didn't finish the project and the whole group received a D. I wasn't mad about it but they were mad at me. Just think a person that did not work getting mad at the person for doing all the work and receiving a D. I didn't have a bad grade in the class like they did so the one D didn't get me upset at all. They were seniors so that grade meant a lot to them. To me, if something like your grade means a lot to you, you would contribute to the group. I like working with people who care about their grade just the same as I care about mine. I kind of like working in groups though. Working in groups gives you the opportunity to get to know people. I’m looking forward to working in groups in the class. Everyone seems fun and my group (Backwards Oreo) seem like they don’t mind working for their grade.
ReplyDelete-Damonica Solomon
I agree Demetrius about the social interactions. I like to talk so meeting new people and making new friends is always right down my ally. I also like when people put their heads and spill their knowledge out together. When this happens, great things come out of the group and whatever it is the group is working on. When the group work together they become on e brain, one idea, one smart person. That's probably why you received an A because other people helped in parts where you lacked and vice versa. That's a big plus with working with a group.
ReplyDelete-Damonica Solomon
Sometimes I really enjoy working in groups because it gives everyone a chance to relay their ideas off of each other and get some good feedback. The bad thing is that this doesn’t happen most times. Usually (not always) I’ll get stuck in a group with people who don’t care and will rely on me to get the work done. This puts me in the worst position because I have no choice but to follow through and get the work done because I care about getting a good grade. I had a group project with this guy for my economics class in high school where we had to create a debate protesting against Obama’s health care reform plan. An essay was expected from us, a pros and cons list, and a verbal argument. I ended up writing the entire paper without any aid from him at all, he contributed some to the list, and as for the verbal argument, I mainly spoke and when he did open his mouth, he had no idea what he was talking about. In other group experiences I’ve had partners who will be very particular about how they want things done and won’t consider my ideas. It’s best when each member of the group cares about the project, each is willing to get together for meets, each is putting in a good effort, each has a good attitude, and each isn’t afraid to bring in new ideas for the group. If this were the case then groups would work beautifully!
ReplyDeleteBre, I’m totally on your side about working with guys. This doesn’t apply to all guys (I don’t want to offend any of you hard working males) but many are lazy. I’ll get stuck with a guy who just expects me to take charge and do everything myself. Basically I’m expected to earn their grade for them. Other guys will be sloppy and just kind of go with the flow instead of trying to be neat and take pride in their work. I’m not sure why some guys feel they can’t be artistically creative, maybe all they need is a little confidence boost.
ReplyDeleteWorking in groups definitely has its pros and cons. I have had some terrible experiences working in groups but I have also some really great ones too. Depending on who is in your group, how well you know them, and if you trust them will play a big part in the outcome of the group project or paper. Choosing your group members also is very important; I have lazy group members, fast paced ones, annoying ones, and members that won’t let me contribute. One time I was doing a thirty minute presentation for my dual enrollment class at Broward College. My group member was some man I had never talk to before but we exchanged numbers, divided the project in half, and agreed to both do our parts. My professor said that if the project was not turned in on the day it was due, we would both get zeros, no excuses. I finished my half of the project the day it was due and tried to contact the total stranger to make sure he did his part. I called several times and still had no response I started freaking out in disbelief. I could not believe I had waited until the day it was due to contact him and that I trusted him to fulfill his part of the project he was assigned. I emailed the professor hoping that she would understand even though it was partially my part for procrastinating. Long story short, he ended up showing up to class late with his part completed. This lesson not only taught me to always stay in contact with my group members but to not fully trust them to complete their part of the assignment. I learned to take full responsibility, not to trust anyone, and to always stay in contact with my group members because most of the time, their grade is your grade as well.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Bingham
Demetrius,
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree it really does lighten the work load but that depends on the members of the group and their attitudes. Not going to lie at times I have been the best group member, sometimes I am extremely driven and motivated to complete my work. I finish my work on time and put it a great amount of effort. Other times I have not necessarily been excited about the project or paper been given and if someone takes the initiative I sit back, relax, and let others do the job for me. It really depends on the group members attitudes and how dedicated they are to the group, themselves, and the project that has been assigned.
- Sarah Bingham