Early on in Dr. Haycock’s presentation he draws a comparison between a novice swimmer warily testing the waters by the side of a pool to a student’s tentativeness at the beginning of a group project. The analogy is apt on number of levels. At base is the fear of the unknown, or, as Enid Irwin notes in her presentation, a “lack of control,” in a strange and unknown environment.
Both Haycock and Irwin offer laundry lists of potential reasons why students experience dread when faced with group work. A feature central to both is the lack of trust, in our fellow team members (“others won’t contribute/will take over”), in the process (“it’s a useless exercise”), or in ourselves (“I have nothing to contribute/I will get it wrong”). This seems to be exacerbated by the very nature of online work, where one does not have the benefit of visual cues and communication when dealing with peers. As difficult as it might be in the initial stages of group work, bringing to the table a clear-eyed sense of one’s own strengths and weaknesses (the product of what Haycock refers to as “courageous conversations” with ourselves) can go a long way in building trust and in developing an effective group plan.
Understanding one’s own work practices and habits is important in any pursuit, but essential in online studies. The double-edged sword of a flexible schedule can either make or break you if you do not possess effective time-management skills. The reference materials offer a number of practical aids –keeping a calendar of work, making a regular “check-in” time for classes, establishing a regular and consistent method of saving assignments and backing up information.
In addition to some of the practical suggestions of approaching work, I am trying to keep close to me two ideas from the group lectures: Irwin’s reminder that we start our careers when we start our classes—true in how we approach our studies and our peers, and Haycock’s assertion that we “value collaboration but do not value conflict.” This last statement is a reminder that in shying away from respectful disagreements or in voicing differing opinions, in group work but also in online discussions, we are robbing ourselves and our peers an opportunity for growth and understanding.
firefliesatnight 