Reflection Task - Communication and Teamwork in the classroom
Part 1 – My experience with teamwork
1. Recently I did a history project on WW1 with my classmate Thomas which was a
success. At first, we asked each other questions, to decide on what to write on
the project. The best part was when we started asking each other reasoning and
thoughtful questions about the causes of the war. There was a moment when I
couldn't remember a fact, and Thomas helped me figure it out, and then later, I
did the same for him, this brought us to finish it in time before the lesson ended.
This group project made me realize that working together isn't just about doing
your own part, it's about helping each other so the whole project gets better.
2. Two years ago, in my old school we did a team building project that consisted in
recording a short play. My role was directing the play, that meant record and
help my school mates out. During our filming we struggled to shoot a lot of the
scenes because they couldn't stop laughing, so I had a thought: “Yelling at them
won’t work but I could think of a clever way to distract them”, and so I did. What I
did was helping them focus on something else while they performed. It worked
instantly. Overall, I learned that having the role to lead something isn't about
having the loudest voice; it's about being the one who stops and figures out why
there's a problem and finds a smart, simple way to fix it.
3. During the past 10 years, I learned that I tend to interrupt my classmates when
I'm excited, and that this can shut down my teammates' creativity. Therefore, I'm
now working on pausing to let others speak first, because I've seen that the best
ideas often come from the suggestions I would have talked over.
Part 2 – Communication and Behaviour
4. From my own experience, without clear and respectful communication, your
classmates won’t be able to understand what you mean or the instructions you
give them. Besides having good communication skills will not just avoid
arguments but also create a trust between students. This makes people want to
do their best work, which naturally leads to a much higher grade and a better
final product.
5. Yes, I have. In my old school, my science group and I used to get off topic and
joke around a lot instead of working. We ended up with a B-, but the grade
wasn't the worst part. I remember seeing the disappointment on my classmates
when we found out about the grade. Our time that we spend joking around was
fun, but it was also a sign that we weren’t taking the teachers assignment
seriously. I learned that being in a group means that your actions will affect
everyone else. It’s not just your own grade that’s being affected but others too.
It’s wise to take in consideration that it’s your responsibility to not be the reason
someone else fails. That probably was a much more important lesson that any
science fact we were supposed to learn.
6. Over the past years when I’ve done group projects, I’ve realized that one
person’s attitude or actions can change the atmosphere of the entire group.
However, I have seen the opposite sometimes. When one person is supportive
and caring I’ve noticed that it encourages others to do the same, this makes the
project feel more collaborative. This change in attitude is what truly makes work
fun and leads to better results for everyone.
Part 3 – Learner Profile
I showed care by being involved in the group work and demonstrating
that I have interest in doing it with different classmates.
I was principled when I gave my personal opinions and suggestions
respectfully that could have made the project better. Even though
sometimes I was rejected, I tried again by giving another suggestion.
I was a good communicator when I was able to answer to my
classmate’s questions and give a reasoning; for example, why I chose a
certain answer.
I showed open-mindedness when I thought of a solution to a problem or
a creative thing to add in the group work
I was balanced when in class we had a debate, that means I had to think
of the right words to give as an answer.
I was a risk-taker when there was a difficult phrase I had in mind and
added it in the essay I was writing, hoping of it being right.
I used good thinking when I had to do a math problem in class and tried
to reason myself why the question was right or wrong.
I was an inquirer when I asked questions to my classmates or teachers
about a think, I was curious about.
I showed that I know when I used to explain to one of my classmates
something they didn’t understand.
I reflected when there was a tricky question, for example when someone
told me something I have never heard of before or just learned about it,
but I forgot.
What do I need to improve?
I need to improve the things that are used in my daily life not only in school daily basis. I
should try achieving the goal of having different abilities such as: communications skills,
open-mindedness (getting more creative), being more balanced in what I do and improve
the fact that I don’t ask questions often. Personally, I think that I’m a very sociable person
and should focus on different aspects instead of communication skills. This is probably
what I’d like to achieve this year, just improving it slightly.
Part 4 – Moving Forward
7. I would like to change the way I approach other’s thoughts and give more
detailed opinions or information by practicing active listening. I will try to pause
and paraphrase their point before adding my own. This will ensure that the
classmate feels involved in the project and it will give me time to form a more
detailed option based on what they asked me or told me about.
8. To create a more collaborative environment, I would start by helping others and
hopefully teaching them something new as I will actively look for opportunities to
share my strengths in our class group projects. I believe that not only group
projects change the class environment but also the behaviour does. I hope that
this change in attitude and having a respectful and mature behaviour will create
a positive influence on everyone around me during the project and feel
motivated in doing it.