marlyn go,
A lot of us dread the moment when teachers say that we are to be formed into groups, especially when they are the ones to pick out our groupmates. However, we can’t escape this fate of ours as students, because group projects and activities happen in all our subjects.
All of us have experienced the different kinds of groups: the group consisting the smart people, the group made up of our friends, and the group with the people whom we always prayed to avoid.
And in every problematic grouping there will always be the freeloader who just sits back and relaxes while letting the leaders and others work on their own. The distribution of responsibility is the main drawback of all group works that go wrong. There are some group members who perform the majority of the work while others get a free ride to success. This is called the “Free-rider effect” that is very common among us, especially when we have that group mate who is notorious for doing the work all by him/herself or responsible and nice enough to finish the task given to the group.
Being assigned to these types of groups is truly frustrating, especially for some members. It is either they get no jobs at all or they would have to work more than the task assigned to them.
For those who are like this, they may not notice the effect of their actions on the group. The mindset of taking one for the team to make the output better should not be tolerated. Working alone wouldn't prove the purpose of having a group work and would make things harder for the group to achieve the goal together.
But sitting back and letting others do the tasks given to another person shouldn’t be allowed as well. There is a reason why these kinds of requirements exist. Group projects help the students develop skills that will allow them to tackle more complex problems than they can on their own. It also helps the development of socialization between co-workers that would increase camaraderie among them.
There might be problems within ourselves that may be the reason why this happens. This would be because we don’t know what to do, or we are too intimidated by our classmates, or we have priorities other than the assigned tasks. These problems would do no good to you or to the group.
First of all, it would be such a waste when the ideas that you could have contributed to the group would be left unsaid. Don’t be afraid to voice out opinions and ideas. If you don’t know what to do, to simply stare and gape at your work should not be your next option. Ask for help, ask anyone to guide you through your work to see if it’s correct. There is no shame in asking. However, don't just observe what they are doing. Instead, follow along and eventually, you will find yourself doing the same task with little or no help required.
And once a task is given to the group, concentrate on it and don't slack off. You may be working with the best people but it is a team effort, meaning, every single member must contribute to achieve the goal.
It’s called ‘group work’ because it is a collective effort of individuals that could harmonize as one team. This has been conducted to benefit the different aspects in the students’ lives especially their future when they would face harder challenges to achieve their goals with a different team.
Yes, it may be easier to let someone else do your job but being a free rider won’t benefit you in the future. You're just giving your members more opportunities to learn, therefore leaving you with none. But hoarding the whole task and letting the others do nothing wouldn't give you honor as well. You may be getting all the knowledge and learning experiences, but you would be missing out the most important lesson taught by doing group work: teamwork. //by Marlyn Go
Opinion: It's a Team Effort
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| Photo Credit: Gail Clemente |
A lot of us dread the moment when teachers say that we are to be formed into groups, especially when they are the ones to pick out our groupmates. However, we can’t escape this fate of ours as students, because group projects and activities happen in all our subjects.
All of us have experienced the different kinds of groups: the group consisting the smart people, the group made up of our friends, and the group with the people whom we always prayed to avoid.
And in every problematic grouping there will always be the freeloader who just sits back and relaxes while letting the leaders and others work on their own. The distribution of responsibility is the main drawback of all group works that go wrong. There are some group members who perform the majority of the work while others get a free ride to success. This is called the “Free-rider effect” that is very common among us, especially when we have that group mate who is notorious for doing the work all by him/herself or responsible and nice enough to finish the task given to the group.
Being assigned to these types of groups is truly frustrating, especially for some members. It is either they get no jobs at all or they would have to work more than the task assigned to them.
For those who are like this, they may not notice the effect of their actions on the group. The mindset of taking one for the team to make the output better should not be tolerated. Working alone wouldn't prove the purpose of having a group work and would make things harder for the group to achieve the goal together.
But sitting back and letting others do the tasks given to another person shouldn’t be allowed as well. There is a reason why these kinds of requirements exist. Group projects help the students develop skills that will allow them to tackle more complex problems than they can on their own. It also helps the development of socialization between co-workers that would increase camaraderie among them.
There might be problems within ourselves that may be the reason why this happens. This would be because we don’t know what to do, or we are too intimidated by our classmates, or we have priorities other than the assigned tasks. These problems would do no good to you or to the group.
First of all, it would be such a waste when the ideas that you could have contributed to the group would be left unsaid. Don’t be afraid to voice out opinions and ideas. If you don’t know what to do, to simply stare and gape at your work should not be your next option. Ask for help, ask anyone to guide you through your work to see if it’s correct. There is no shame in asking. However, don't just observe what they are doing. Instead, follow along and eventually, you will find yourself doing the same task with little or no help required.
And once a task is given to the group, concentrate on it and don't slack off. You may be working with the best people but it is a team effort, meaning, every single member must contribute to achieve the goal.
It’s called ‘group work’ because it is a collective effort of individuals that could harmonize as one team. This has been conducted to benefit the different aspects in the students’ lives especially their future when they would face harder challenges to achieve their goals with a different team.
Yes, it may be easier to let someone else do your job but being a free rider won’t benefit you in the future. You're just giving your members more opportunities to learn, therefore leaving you with none. But hoarding the whole task and letting the others do nothing wouldn't give you honor as well. You may be getting all the knowledge and learning experiences, but you would be missing out the most important lesson taught by doing group work: teamwork. //by Marlyn Go
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