Please Dont Make Me Work In A Group Analysis

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Recommended: How the ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky influence current educational research and practice

“Please don’t make me work in a group!” is the first thing that enters my mind when an instructor announces a project. More often than not, I am distracted and irritated by my group members. Harsh, I know, but my experience has always been that one person, usually me, ends up doing most of the work. I like to be in control, but I do not like picking up others’ slack. I am also an introvert, and I think more clearly and purposefully when I understand the task but am permitted to sort things out on my own. There are plenty of times, though, when interaction with a more informed individual or talking out a problem with peers sheds some light on some things that may have not been clear. The theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky provide ideas …show more content…

I have students who are polite to a fault; they are taught that questioning an authority figure is disrespectful. These students rarely ask questions in class. This effect could be detrimental to their learning. I am sure because of some influence from my own childhood, I resist working in groups. Even when I am looking forward to working in a group, it is important for me to think about something before interacting with others, although collaboration and social interaction pertaining to the topic enhances my learning and furthers my understanding by giving me multiple points of view (Powell & Kalina, 2009). For example, I was hired to write curriculum for an immigration unit. I knew nothing more than the basics about historical immigration, so I read some literature and viewed some documentaries related to the subject prior to the first day the committee met. My confidence was high because I knew I brought more to the table and would be able to immediately begin discussing the lessons once we had a plan in place. If I was confused by the topic or still uncertain about some things, I had the chance to develop questions. When the committee met, my own constructed learning was enhanced as I and become enlightened by other committee …show more content…

Lisa, for example, has a higher IQ than most students and is an intrapersonal learner (Fogarty, 1999). She is sometimes picked on by her peers and dreads group work. Even though most of my students will be working in groups, I will allow Lisa to sit at my desk and begin the assignment on her own. Eventually, I will interact with her and ask questions or provide a different point of view. In order to ensure she is getting the benefit of social interaction with peers, I will have one or two kind, responsible students share their group experiences and newfound knowledge with her. But it is usually she who will enlighten the others; becoming “the teacher” happens more quickly for her and deepens her understanding, but also helps the other students since their internalization of the information may have happened at a slower rate (Powell & Kalina,

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