I haven't always been so lucky. There was the group project in college where I worked with three or four guys I didn't really know. It was a management class. They decided it would be a great addition to our project to show clips from Full Metal Jacket. (Yes, that movie - language and all!) I didn't stand up for myself or the integrity of the group. I learned a valuable lesson in that class. Working with a group means you need to work as a group. I didn't...I let those guys take over, and in the process did not earn their respect and lost a little of my own self-respect. (This also caused me to always want to be in charge, but I am working on that issue!)
As a classroom teacher, I like to have my students work together on projects. It frustrates me when I see one kid doing all of the work and the others just riding the coattails of that student. Some of them don't care, but others understand that to create the best project, everyone needs to be at their best. I like to sit back and watch as they navigate through group dynamics. We talk about it some before the first group project, but watching them learn to work together makes me proud to be their teacher. Some learn how to step back and let someone else lead. Others learn how to step up and lead. Some never learn and continue to take over or do nothing at all, but it's a process :)
Group dynamics...it's not easy when you have a bunch of leaders and no followers. Isn't that what seems to happen? The go-getters always want to work together, but then they don't know how to work together! I am in charge of prom at my school. I coordinate the fund-raising, work with the vendors and contract for the venue. I also keep track of the receipts and expenses. I am in charge of ordering supplies and shopping for items to use as decorations. It's a lot of work. I don't like to share the responsibilities, but over the years, I have had to learn how to be a leader and team player at the same time. I have had to learn to step back and let others take over where they have a strength that I do not have.
Learning to work with a group or learning to collaborate is one of the best lessons I could ever teach my students. Whether they go straight to work after high school or to college, at some point they will have to collaborate with others to accomplish a common goal.
With all of that being said, I am so grateful for my group for this group project! I don't know how I got so lucky, but working with Scott January, Joseph Cantu, Lindsay Matlock, and James Coates has been an incredible experience so far. James set up a shared Google drive and Scott created our shared document. We have a group chat going in Facebook where we discuss the project and other life lessons. We have used Google Hangout twice now to collaborate and discuss this project. I wasn't sure at first how the roles would be divided among the group. I tend to want to be in charge, but I have learned over the years to sit back and listen and watch before deciding what role I need to fill in the group. Because I have such a great group, everything just fell into place. It doesn't matter that we are separated by great distances, technology has brought us together. It may sound cheesy (and believe me, our project has a lot of cheese), but I am so excited to work with this group!
I am copying part of our proposal for our group just as a teaser for the final project.
General Information
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Name(s)
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Becky
Brandon, Joseph Cantu, James Coates, Scott January, Lindsay Matlock
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Project
title
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“Signore
Fractioneri vs The Denominator Pizza Pie”
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Purpose
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Our
purpose is to educate fourth grade students on how to compare fractions.
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Audience
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Teachers,
Students and Parents
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Program
length
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Two
minutes
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Costumes
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Regular
school-appropriate clothing, Italian pizza chef attire
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Sets
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Group
members’ kitchens
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Props
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Regular
school materials, pepperoni pizza
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Locations
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Various
group member locations
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Crew
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Director(s)
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Scott
January
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Scriptwriter(s)
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Becky Brandon,
Joseph Cantu
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Talent
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James
Coates, Joseph Cantu, actors from James, Scott and Lindsay’s families
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Camera
operator(s)
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Scott
January, Lindsay Matlock
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Editor(s)
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James
Coates, Scott January
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