Jace Ruined Everything. (But Not Really.) This Group is Our Group: A Reflection

STORMING IN MCKELDIN

Tonight, I told fellow group member Jace Evans that I’d begin this post with, “Jace ruined everything.” We both laughed about it, and discussed doing homework on a Saturday. In a sense, the fact that we have such conversations attests to the fluidity and friendliness of our group overall. In reflection, our group worked well academically and socially, and our logistics were only slightly lacking at some points. We gave a successful, dynamic presentation, and I got to know my peers better over a few weeks.

Our group formed when Andi assigned us according to majors—a major bonus to our group was our unanimity of majoring in journalism. Norming and conforming occurred continually as we worked to find out our work ethics and schedules. Storming took place throughout as well, but in the lighthearted making-fun-of-Jace sense. We performed by presenting in class, and adjourned after that class. We were a work team, with a regimented agenda set out for us before even being assigned into a group.

Thankfully, my fellow group members observed the necessary requirements for a group participant, namely: being knowledgeable, not allowing domination, and recognizing that rejecting ideas is not rejecting the individual. We all spoke, listened, and performed the proper group maintenance tasks respectfully, positively and actively. Our group communication network was “all-channel,” a decentralized system that allowed us to bounce ideas off each other and achieve higher morale and satisfaction. I assumed the role of group leader, but “less the role of director and more that of a participant,” as our book states on page 289. All participants brought about the actions of our group. Our work was neither completely unfocused nor unimaginative.

Individually, I contributed a number of elements to our group. As I’ve stated, I informally elected to lead our group, and we frequently joked about me being the “captain” of our group—that the others would be lost without me, which we all knew to be humorously untrue, thankfully. I created the Google Docs that would develop into our virtual workspace. I find that I usually assume the role of informal or formal leader in most of my group work. I have an assertive personality and usually have a clear vision of how I want to complete a project or task. Had this been an individual project, I would have devoted time and effort into creating a successful, researched presentation. As a group member, I dedicated the aforementioned personality traits and actions into the benefit of the group as a whole. My work ethic, promptness, and vision did not influence my group members to work harder—their own strong personalities encouraged them to do so without my urging.

Rarely do I assign group projects such glowing reviews. However, all of my fellow group members were enthusiastic, intelligent, self-reliant, communicative, and other wonderful adjectives listed in Professor Narvaez’s lecture about group operations. My peers worked similarly to me to complete the project. Quinn Kelley had the brilliant idea of using a group Facebook message to talk throughout. Our only troubles were in finding places and times to meet—McKeldin Library's second floor was perfect—and the final logistics of printing out outlines and bibliographies. The added days before presenting eliminated the stresses of these decisions. Some group members had trouble attending our meet-ups, but for justified reasons.

Ultimately, I feel that we had a fun time creating the dynamic class session and a successful time presenting it. As students and friends, we mastered the art of group participation. Great job, group!