Portfolio: Final Exam Frame II

In this passage the writer states his beliefs that group work will produce more creativity among students, and also improve their writing. The writer quotes another writer, who says that talking to other students about things you have written or things you don't understand will help you a lot, even if they don't agree with you or they don't understand what you've written. As long as they're not close-minded, he emphasizes.

I can definitely relate with what the writer is saying. The two things that first jump into my mind is Writing 101 class and History 121 class. A specific example of this in my writing class is the 'peer review'. Instead of just getting feedback from your teacher, you can get the feedback from several students, who will probably each notice different things that stood out to them about your work. In my experience, the students will read other students' work with an open-mind, just as the writer of this passage emphasized as being essential. It is very effective not only to improve your writing and obtain different view points, but also to get a feeling of togetherness.

In my history class, we sometimes analyze documents in small groups, which is actually my favorite thing. The reason for it being my favorite aspect of the class is because how much of a greater understanding I achieve than when I just had read the document by myself. Sometimes I might run across something I don't understand, and perhaps the others in my group had difficulty with the concept also, but when there is group participation and discussion, then, suddenly, things make a lot more sense. It is just as Elbow, quoted by the writer of this passage, said. He said, “If you are stuck...trying to figure something out, there is nothing better than finding one person, or more, to talk to. If they...have trouble understanding [also], so much the better...”

So, I agree with the writer and his claim that group work helps students. However, I also think that you must teach the students how to work effectively in groups. In writing class, we were taught that effective peer review is not saying “Good job, your writing's great.”, but to offer them helpful criticisms that apply specifically to their writing. We were also taught to take our peers' feedback with a grain of salt. In history class, leaders of small group discussions were given specific questions to ask their group, and they may ask additional things also. Without a few guidelines, I believe that too many students would be inclined to only make remarks like “I don't get it.” and “It was boring.” With some nudging, all students have great potential, and, as the writer of this passage said, “Group work...highlights the interactive nature of creativity.”

So, group work is very effective in discussion and reflection, but what about a few students working on a big project together? In writing class, we also had to work together as a group to make a formal outline for the debate. I am still not sure how effective that sort of group work is though. There are plus sides to it. The work is being shared, so each individual doesn't have as much of a load. Also, since group discussion does heighten creativity, as I quoted earlier, one can probably come up with better ideas in a group. Though sometimes ideas in a group may clash. One student thinks of something that he/she thinks is a brilliant idea! Then, another student comes up with a contradicting idea. There's a couple different problems that could arise with that. The two students may argue, each thinking that they have the better idea. Or, one student will be passive and give up their idea, but they will no longer put their heart into the group work, feeling beat down.

Another problem that may arise with group project work is that when the situation gets stressful, everyone has a different way of handling it. In my experience with the group project we had to do in writing class, one of my group members was a very serious and anxious individual. Another member was cool and optimistic. When I would communicate with the stressful individual, I would have thoughts that everything was going downhill. However, when I would communicate with the cool individual, I would feel optimistic about our project. With this confusion, I did not work nearly as well as I feel that I would have if there was more of an atmosphere of group unity.

Although it can be terribly stressful, group project work does have more upsides than downsides. Even if I'm not enjoying myself doing this sort of work, it does get me better prepared for life. In life, we don't always choose who we work with, and some situations will force you to work with others, for better or for worse. Overall, any sort of group work will be more effective than individual work in several ways. It is good life practice, it expands creativity, and, if a group works together properly, it is a generally a more efficient way of getting things done.