Originally posted by: T.
Schools and Universities have begun to place a major emphasis on groups and teamwork.
Advantages:
1) you learn to work with other people and it prepares you for the "real world", where you will be working in a division or a department under a leader.
2) group work, if done properly, can bring about quicker results where people can specialize at what they do best and work to reach a certain goal. One person is not burdened with a large task.
3) Promotes team spirit
Disadvantages:
1) Difficulties in coordination and communication (especially with large groups).
2) Some people may not perform their tasks efficiently.
3) The group is evaluated as a whole, so there are those who do absolutely nothing and free-ride off the work of a few people.
Here are some questions:
Have you worked in Groups/teams before?
If Yes, what is the largest group of people you have worked with?
Do you think group work should be encouraged? Why or why not?
What are the best ways to get a group to work efficiently?
Saying this from personal experience, i don't think it is at all favourable to have group assignments.There are 2 sorts of groups, some which u are given a choice to choose yourself. When this is done, one always tends to pair up with friends, and its always more fun and less work when it actually comes to the project.
As for the groups your teacher assigns for u (ie,when u have to do with the people she chooses) , there are a different set of problems alltogether. You might not get along with the other group members for instance. Communication/meeting up/talking with ease is what will lack, while u can always be yourself and say whatever u want to with friends. Also certain people tend to work well only when teamed up with certain people, and the teacher may not understand that.
Another major problem in these group things is that the person whoz giving u the project always tends to make the strongest and most responsible member of the group the "leader" so to ay, and the others are sleeping, while one person ends up doing all the work, and the others get the credit for that. Happens to me all the time. Im the only one working in the groupπ, just because my teacher thinks im responsible and i dont want to let her down
Coming to your questions:
Have you worked in Groups/teams before? Yep, loads of times
If Yes, what is the largest group of people you have worked with? About 7-8 ppl.
Do you think group work should be encouraged? Why or why not? NO...have given my reasons aboveπ
What are the best ways to get a group to work efficiently? Nothing! Honestly i think most of the time its hopeless. Its either one person acts responsible and does all the work,and the others get the marks they didnt work hard for, or none of the group members act responsible and lose the marks alltogether..
-Eisha
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