Importance of Group Work - Essay Example

Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Importance of Group work Group work is the process where a number of people come together to undertake a particular task. This takes place in many places. In businesses, it occurs in board meetings and committees. In sports, it is observable in teams while in schools it emanates from discussion groups. When a group of students come together, they can get the work done effectively. We came together as a group and we encountered different experiences. It is against this background that we discuss the importance of group work. Coming together as a team enabled us to break complex tasks into parts and steps. Some disciplines like mathematics, have different exercises that can be tedious if done alone. Art and science projects that tackled in groups are easy. We discussed the project among ourselves. We then broke it down into small components and tasks. Every student in our group had a part where he/she was most comfortable with and this made it easy. Those who had questions about their tasks sought help. It was easy to take on the project in this manner. This increased the overall productivity of a particular task and I made the work more efficient and effective. Teamwork helped us to plan and manage time. The group leader gave us deadlines to carry out our projects. Every student had completed their work before the deadline. We discovered that projects broken down and allocated to people were easy to submit in a timely manner. Each student did his/ her part fast. This would have taken more time if every learner had to begin the project from scratch. Most would have been stuck at the initial part of trying to understand what the project entailed. This would have been tedious. Our project which would have taken a week if done individually took two days when delegated. This group work refined our understanding. When we came together to discuss an issue, every student contributed. There were times when there was conflict of ideas but we discussed and referred to books in a bid to seek clarification. This exercise imparted knowledge to the students who had not researched on the topic. We explained all the questions that arose from the discussions. It was easy for us to grasp concepts because we shared our different perspectives. The views were very diverse and this ensured that we gave it our best. The project was good because we amalgamated our knowledge and skills. This also helped to enhance the skills of the weaker students since they learned by observing what the others were doing. It was easy to learn effectively from each other since we communicated in the same language. Some learners would get impatient with the slow ones but we always ensured that we did not shun them but rather encouraged such individuals. Group work helped us to give and receive feedback on our performance. An individual was able to gauge their performance when he/she compared themselves with other members of the group. Those who were lagging behind were able to catch up. In our group, each member was accountable for a certain task. Those who could give a good account of their contribution were those who did well in the group and had the best performance. We held meetings where we reviewed how far we had gone when compared with other groups. Active group members were applauded by the group leader. Those who were inactive saw this as a challenge and promised to contribute. It ensured that the students developed stronger communication skills. Before the project, some learners would not speak in public. Since the teamwork involved a lot of communication and voicing of opinion, these students had to learn to speak out. If a group member was not contributing to a discussion, the other members pointed him/her out. This was a challenge to the quiet students. This helped to improve their grammar, diction and public speaking skills. It encouraged students to voice their opinions as individuals and it improved listening skills. Listening develops tolerance and an individual understands that the opinions of other people matter. Group projects helped the students to tackle more complex problems. It strengthened their confidence such that they would attempt other projects alone. The learners encouraged each other. This ensured that there was support and they could take necessary risks not only in the classroom setting but also in their lives. We are now strong enough to deal with issues that affect us. According to (Frey, Fisher, and Everlove 2009, p. 253) group work cements the relationship of students by increasing their inter-personal skills. They establish an identity and if used positively, it is a great asset in their lives. They can use this to improve their well beings, take part in team building exercises and relieve stress. Some individuals found mentors and people to emulate in the group. This ensured that their grades and performance improved. In the event of conflicts within the group, the group members learned how to solve them amicably and maturely. They learned that conflicts should not compromise their relationship as a group. The chairpersons of the different groups acquired leadership skills. These will be instrumental in their lives if they will be in leadership positions. However, we discovered that assigning groups to students is no guarantee that these effects will be attainable. Some groups needed supervision and inspection. When the right group members came together they needed to collaborate and put their differences aside for the greater good. One way of ensuring that they would come together was how our supervisor assigned us complex projects that kept us busy. Group work is common where a class has many students. If there are a limited number of projects for the instructors to hand out, the teachers divide learners into groups before distributing the work. Group work is effective if the members learn to share tasks, communicate, contribute, co-operate, respect each other and make an appearance. The students should ensure that there is effective communication to ensure group cohesion (Benson, and Benson 2009, p. 11). In conclusion, our group had a few problems in the beginning but with time we were able to combat them. Our group leader was very active and ensured that we all had different tasks to deal with. We were able to help the weak students to ensure that they did not lag behind. When every member got serious and contributed, we were able to accomplish the tasks. We strengthened our friendships and majority of us are still friends even when we are not having a group meetings. With the right systems in place, it is possible to get the best out of a group. Reference List Benson, J. and Benson, J. 2009. Working More Creatively with Groups. New York: Routledge. Frey, N., Fisher, D. and Everlove, S. 2009. Productive group work. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Read More