In class, we got into groups and became reading detectives. We were tasked with finding clues in the grade 9 Crossroads textbook to solve the mystery about the arrival to Canada. Reflecting back on how we worked will help answer these questions about our group processing.
- How were decisions made in your group? Our group made decisions in a “democratic” manner. We discussed with each other about what we were supposed to do and which questions each of us were doing. We made sure to hear all of our opinions.
- Was a leader needed? No, I don’t think we really had a proper leader who took control over everything. We worked fine without one, but made sure to ask each other how we were doing.
- Was time lost organizing? Yes, I do think some time was lost organizing, but it didn’t effect our work time too much.
- Was it ineffective for everyone to talk at once? Yes, it was ineffective to talk all at once. We wouldn’t be able to hear each other, and that would just take up more time repeating ourselves so that others would be able to understand.
- Did problems arise because some people didn’t use their clues effectively? Yes, there were some problems with
some of our group members going off task, but we tried to keep each other focused on finding the clues. - Did any members ignore others contributions during the discussion? No, I think our group did very well in listening to each others contributions, and would politely express our own opinions if we had a different idea.
- Were attempts made to encourage the participation of all members? Yes, we did try our best to include all our members and make sure that they participated and had a part(or clue) to look for.
- Did anyone monopolize the discussion? Was this productive for the group? Yes, two of us did have a bit more control over discussions, although that was because the other group member seemed to go off task often. This made the group a bit more productive, however, if all members participated the same amount each, we would have been even more productive.
- Was it necessary to motivate others to assist with the task completion? If so, what strategies did you use? Yes, it was necessary to motivate others to stay focused, but we tried to get them to help to complete the task by assigning a certain question for them to do, and by communicating with each other about the work we got done.
- What kind of strategies did your group members use to assist other group members in understanding the content? We made sure we all understood the content by answering any questions each other had about the assignment. We shared our answers and where we found it so we could verify that it was the correct answer.