Reflection 5 EME 2040

How do you feel about working in groups? I am always weary about working. I feel this way because usually when I am in a group certain things take place that I am not too keen on. One of those things are Group think, which is the group taking on one idea to avoid conflict or to get things done within a group. Another is it usually seems one person does the brunt of the work which I feel is never fair. Oh yea, there is always someone who does the least amount of work or nothing at all. Also, there is always someone that proclaims them self the leader either implicitly or explicitly. One other thing that usually leaves a bad taste in my mouth about groups is a usually always feel that I could have done the assignment much better all by myself.
With all these negative things being said about groups, I have had many immensely positive experiences in groups. Some of these experiences had lead to better self confidence because in a group I was forced to speak up. Another was I have learned to work with other people. Learning to work with others has lead to me gain conflict resolution skills. These are a few aspects and skills learned with cooperative and collaborative learning. Cooperative learning involves students working together to complete an assignment. Collaborative learning is a kind of cooperative learning that involves students working on an activity in small groups. These individuals are nose-to-nose and each person in responsible for their share of the work and the work of the entire group is important as well. The enfaces are on small groups because this provides an opportunity for students to use their strengths and work on their shortcomings. This happens because small groups give each student the chance to express their opinions and ideas more easily. I am not a big fan of working in groups but I do understand how important working in groups is. Working in groups develops interpersonal skills, which everyone knows are extremely important to have. Interpersonal skills will help you not only academically but through life as well. These small groups also enable respect to be afforded to everyone in the group. If everyone in the group feels respect then learning will take place more easily and effectively.