I found that after analyzing the spaghetti and gumdrop team activity, that it was actually very beneficial. In the beginning I found the exercise a bit irrelevant. When the class went over the initial interactions of the groups, everything that was said explained my group’s interactions. When my group met in the beginning to start constructing our spaghetti structure, we didn’t start by throwing out ideas. We started by introducing ourselves. Also, because our group didn’t know each other when we began working on the project, we all didn’t want to put our hands in there and work together because it would have been awkward. This exercise really helped to analyze a group’s first interactions, and why they happen.
I also did not see a point to this exercise until after we discussed it afterwards. I think that everything we brought up concerning the initial interaction between the group members was completely true. I found it very interesting how you could analyze such a simple group activity to have a better understanding of how groups work together.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. At first I thought to myself that the task was a waste of time. Once we got our spaghetti and gum drops I started seeing where the role of working as a group came in. I knew only one person in my group and found ourselves talking more to each other. But over the period of the activity I got to know my other group members and we all came up with an idea we all thought would work the best. Once we started physically making the tower everyone threw in their thoughts about how to make it stronger and sturdier. Our completed tower was built from ideas and thoughts from everyone and thought we all worked great together.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of your group, I thought the project served as a good beginning. We introduced ourselves within the group, and now we can start working immediately in any upcoming activities. The in-class project also showed us how to make some improvements within the group already, so I think it was a very worthwhile activity.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the project seemed a bit ridiculous at first, but once everything was flowing I saw the true objective behind this activity. Everything was a little awkward at first, and I even knew everyone in my group. However, once the first person in the group stated their idea, then the rest of the group started to contribute their ideas, and agree or disagree with those of the other group members. All in all, I also felt this activity was very beneficial. It served as an early indicator of how well the team will work together on the semester project. Also, the activity singled-out and conflicts between group members' personalities, and provided the group with ample time to work on this issue before the project is due.
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