Working in "groups"

[luckystar112]

Anyone else work better by themselves?
I absolutely HATE working in groups. It seems like every group I''m ever put in, whether it be at work or in school, I end up doing the brunt of the work and picking up the slack of those who obviously don''t care about the outcome.

Example: I''m taking an online class right now. The prof gave us TWO DAYS NOTICE to get a 3000 word report done on the effects of ephedra. After emailing and posting numerous bulletins trying to get the other group members attention, I finally ended up having to write the whole paper myself. Luckily I cc''ed every email and every bulletin TO my professor, and something can be done about this.

I am a leader by nature, but the type of leader that wants someone else to be just as enthusiastic. If I feel like I have to baby a bunch of adults to get a project done, I go insane!

Last semester I had another project where, again, I ended up doing the brunt of the work. The one part that someone was willing to take over on was a powerpoint presentation. This person claimed to "love" to do them, so I let her. Our presentation was supposed to be 20 minutes long at a minimum, and on the day of the presentation not only does she show up 15 minutes late, but her pp only has about 10 slides on it.

Actually, we were supposed to go over the powerpoint the night before the presentation, but she ditched me...wonder why!

I have a whole bunch of stories similiar to these. Why do bosses/professors think working in groups is a good idea? WHYYYYY??????

 

[TravelingGal]

I''m like you...I tend to lead and expect people to do their part. They don''t always.

I love that I pretty much work alone now at home and make my own destiny. But you''ll find that this mentality will continue on in the "real world". Companies love team building and being a team player (and it is important, IMHO) ...and oftentimes the best results are from the effort of a great team. However more often than not, you''ll find that the idiots you see in your class somehow make it out to the corporate world and expect to slack along for the ride.

 

[KimberlyH]

I attend an online school, a huge mistake looking back, but the best of 3 bad options at the time I had to choose, and 30% of every class grade we earn is based on learning team projects. It''s my version of hell. I am a control freak, and a perfectionist; working with people who can''t write complete sentences makes me want to scream. Oh wait, I have actually screamed on several occasions over the past year and a half. I am finishing up a class and will have three left, I can''t tell you how glad I''ll be when it''s over. I love to learn, and intend to return to school after I complete the program I am in, but I will most definitely be attending a different school.

 

[Haven]

I DEFINITELY prefer to work alone, Lucky, and for all the same reasons you stated. It is so difficult to work productively with others, especially with people you don''t know--that just sounds painful! The end is coming soon, right? Do you have much school left?

I think that''s one reason I enjoy teaching so very much--I get to work alone ALL THE TIME, it''s actually a very solitary job outside of the classroom. When I taught college it was even more solitary, and I have to say I enjoyed teaching college more than I enjoy teaching high school.

Kimberly--You''ll love teaching! It works well for loners like us! (I think you''re preparing to teach, and if you''re already teaching--CONGRATS! And if I''m completely off, sorry!)

 

[Elmorton]

Devil''s advocate: I love working in groups - when I get to choose the group I''m a part of. Being assigned to work with people who are unmotivated or unwilling to participate is a giant pain in the rear.

Smart move to keep your prof updated. I think that the outcome of the project/group productivity is highly contingent on how teachers assign/assess group work. For group essays, my students choose their own groups, then create a group contract, make a plan for the project, have work logs that another group member must sign off on, and finally, they write a reflection where they must assign and explain a grade for each group member. In this reflection, no one can be assigned the same grade, and the writer cannot give herself the A (clearly, I do NOT assign their grades based on the reflection alone). If a group member does not pull his weight, he is not allowed to claim the work as his own in revisions. Of course, there is always a slacker, but most of my students realize that they are very, very accountable for their work. When instructors assign a group project as they would any other project, I feel like there is an underlying message that the instructor simply wants less work to grade, therefore the students should put less time into their project. Boo to laziness.

My mentor would say that this is all due to personality type, and that your instructor should have figured out types before assigning groups (and that there are certain personality types who are better suited to work alone).

Interestingly enough, I had dinner with my parents tonight (both educators as well), and I don''t know how it came up, but we were discussing group projects - I said that my best group projects (and my students'') have involved actually getting together with my group members and writing together (one person at the computer typing while the other two throw out ideas, then switch). Divvying up sections and expecting each person do to their own work is never fully productive and ends up with a very disjointed, unfocused project....in other words, the fact that the class is online is probably not doing you any favors.


Okay, seriously, PS has been sparking all sorts of issues in my field lately! Stop it! Now I want to go read research about online pedagogies....I wonder if there''s any sensible methodology out there for cyberspace group work!

Anyway...sorry you''re having a bad experience. I hope you have a better situation next time!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 11/20/2007 9:05:14 PM
Author: Haven
I DEFINITELY prefer to work alone, Lucky, and for all the same reasons you stated. It is so difficult to work productively with others, especially with people you don''t know--that just sounds painful! The end is coming soon, right? Do you have much school left?

I think that''s one reason I enjoy teaching so very much--I get to work alone ALL THE TIME, it''s actually a very solitary job outside of the classroom. When I taught college it was even more solitary, and I have to say I enjoyed teaching college more than I enjoy teaching high school.

Kimberly--You''ll love teaching! It works well for loners like us! (I think you''re preparing to teach, and if you''re already teaching--CONGRATS! And if I''m completely off, sorry!)

Hijack Warning!!!

Haven, if all goes as planned I''ll student teach in the spring and complete my M.Ed in May. But I am substituting in the meantime, so I can relate to what you are saying. Trouble is, I''ve fallen head-over-heels in love with special education, so now I want to go back (AGAIN!) and earn a master''s (grammar fanatics, where does my apostrophe go? and should the m be capitalized?) in special education. It''s on my list of things to do, but first things first, finish this degree and then go from there, I can''t be in school forever. I figure having two credentials is never a bad thing, especially considering the burnout rate of educators, especially in the field of special education, although I can''t imagine ever being tired of working with those kiddos. I''m trying not to overplan, and just let things fall into place.

 

[HollyS]

Working in groups is an exercise in frustration, futility, and often, fruitlessness. I know . . . I''m a corporate gal. And speaking as a middle management flunkie, I can say with all sincerity, if you want something done, do it yourself.

Groups are like peer pressure; they don''t work. This is evident in every "Apprentice" show. One or two people will do the work. Period. And no one ever fires the idiots who don''t contribute. (Well, THE DONALD will, but it''s TV, not real life.) They keep getting paid regardless.

And God help the company that has a group of men handling any one project without help from the female contigent. Nothing will be accomplished by deadline. I know this because I''m still waiting for our new dealership to be finished a year after it was to be completed; we still have to apply with the state for a dealer license number, hire employees, purchase vehicles, etc. before we can open our doors. Guess how many females were involved in this snafu - - yup, none.