Introduction This reflective essay is based on our group/ team work presentation. I will be using analysing our group formation, performance and what I would do differently in future. This reflective piece will be described using Driscoll (1994) model of reflection. This model helps me to evaluate myself, our group performance and consider what I will change or improve on in the future to better my understanding.
I will follow the three stages of Driscoll’s reflective cycle systematically to structure my reflective essay. What?In the class of 12 student s, our tutor divided us into three sub- group of four students. The purpose Was for us to do group presentation based on our chosen topic on health promotion project. Each member in the group has to actively participate in order to demonstrate collaborative team work. In the beginning , my group seems to be lost and confused, I was worried and concerned. I was thinking where are we going to start from. I did not know my colleagues well prior to us beingin one group. My initial reaction was how I am going to work with other people that I do not know well? So I decided to get the know them in order for us to build a working relationship where we can identify the strength and weakness of each member of the team.
I was overwhelmed by what need doing and at the same time thinking of what other team members Would say about me. I found it difficult at first to interact and speak up because I did not know them Well prior to the group. It also made me question myself about the group as they were very quiet.
I had to ask my tutor many times, I was not sure how this was going to work since no one wasPutting any input.I have seen that in order for us to move forward we have to assign each one with a task for research about our project. We had one evening where we rehearse and feedback all the information before we can finalise for presentation. We also had to voice any concern during the project whether we disagreed or agreed on several announcement, all in all it went well and was successful. I found that I have contributed a lot to the extend that surprised me. We all got to know each other at the end on personal level.
Even if some of my group members were quiet at the beginning of our session, they become moreActive as the time goes by, in the middle of group session, members started contributing. I thought then that the group initial quietness was a manifestation of my inner feelings of being undermined by the group. The whole group went well and everyone was able to contribute, for me the feeling ofbeing undermined were more profound after the other sub-groups were reunited into a much larger group of 12. This threw me off guard including members of my group because I was already used to my group of four.Good communication is the major effect, because I am able to effectively communicate andcoordinate tasks to the group. Levin, P. (2002). I have learned that forming group takes time and the members often go through the recognition stages as they change from being a collection of strangers to one united group with a common goal.
also within my group I think we are all polite, although some were anxious this is because we did not fully understood each other. Bruce Tuckman has identified four tages that define group development .understanding it would help determine what is happening with the group and how to manage what is occurring.
The four group development are, forming, norming, storming, and performing. Information adapted from: Komives, S., Lucas, N., McMahon, T. (1998).I understood working with other professional group has given me and the group benefit from a Number of different ways and a wealth of knowledge and experience. The presentation made us Made us more equip than we would have been if my group was to be only with other health promoters.
being from different cultural background I feel that I understand the topic of discussion better than anyone in my, this has given me more confident on what needs doing in collaboration with the group.
