Steam Co.
I have been in 2 groups during the
mid-stage of this unit, 1 being a group of about 9 and we were to set up an
event for steam co. (refure to Who’s most likely to succeed (WMLTS) : 05-04)
and the second was a group of 4 and we were doing experience in a primary
school (refure to Year 5 : 02:05).
As I mention in the WMLTS post this
exorcise seemed very let’s say half sided with many members of the group of 9
not really contributing, there was 4 of us bouncing ideas and coming up with
some good ones, however I did notice some members having ideas and not speaking
up so often I tried to get the quieter half to talk and make sure their
opinions were heard. I was doing this because it was group work and everyone
should be given the chance to be heard, some people find it difficult to get a
word in when the ideas are flowing in a smaller groups so I allowed for others
to get involved as it’s important to get everyone to join and for them to feel
accepted. I did take a step back when the conversation started to go towards
having an end product, it was annoying to hear because it is what we have been
learning not to have as it limits the creativity of the learner. By the end of
the first day of ideas we had nothing concrete and everything was in the air
because most ideas had been knocked but the tutors. This made me feel like what
we had all contributed was just not good enough and even though I understood
they know we can do better there were no out there ideas, I couldn’t think of
any as I was thinking of the restrictions for example, the size of the room and
the fact we couldn’t do this activity outside, even though I was trying not to.
More frustration came when the group was not communicating over social media
about the dates in which to meet.
I met with 3 member of the group to
talk about this viewing and I decided that if we were to use most ideas that
came up in the discussion and compile them together that the end idea involved
everyone contribution and therefore no one feeling left out. With there only
being myself and 3 others to talk to there were high amounts of stress and
annoyance as it felt like we were the ones doing the bulk of the
work. I feel I worked well in the development of the ideas as I
contributed and tried to engage the rest of the group. I could have not jumped
in and spoke over some people’s ideas even though at the time the ideas were
end goal specific and not necessarily contributing the right information. I
wouldn’t say I was the leader as there were other strong voices as well but I’m
glad I was heard within the group.
Primary School
For the primary school, I was in a
group of 4, we were given the opportunity to create a 1 hour workshop with the
Year 5 class that I have previously been in. I feel like I didn't play such a
big part in this which I'm disappointed with, also I don't feel like I
contributed enough with the ideas as I want too busy with the other project
that I was helping to create and organise and put on. I did however, when I had
the chance to read the idea which was all 2D biased and about butterflies and
caterpillars, I suggested that the children should be given the choice to use
3D objects as well as they don't seem to get much chance to be that creative. During
the set up one member who had over powered us all already had got all the
materials without us knowing or without us knowing, she had bought butterfly
foam pieces and placed them on the tables for the children to use. Even with us
3 saying it wouldn’t be a good idea they stayed and what was annoying and sad
to see was the children using these shapes and not their imagination. Some
children did decide to create them out of bottles or cardboard
tubes which I'm happy about, they just needed some encouragement. I feel that
the children being given a butterfly shape limits the child's creativity
and learning because it is giving them an easy way out if they cannot think of how
to create the animal in another way. It also doesn't allow them to make
mistakes and to learn from them.
Working in the
collaborative group in which there where 3 of us, was rather interesting, fun
and at times very annoying. It was a brilliant experience because it is very rare
for students to be given a chance to create an event and be given the space to
display our creations and make it happen. The event gave us an opportunity to
start us a collaborative group, I was able to create workshops with a wide age
range and we were able to get into the community and make something people who
love to come to again. It also fell on at a time that I could use what I was
learning from unit x to influence/change my approaches towards the workshops
and the event itself, for example I changed from having a big messy workshop to
manageable, quick 10 minute workshops and used the children’s art in the event.
Annoyingly when it can to making of all the props and signs for the event it
was left to myself and another girl. We got everything done to a good standard
and in good time, bouncing off of one another with ideas and the end results
were great. The annoyance was when it felt like it was just the 2 of us
creating everything and putting in all the hours for a project that was the 3rd persons
main idea, little communication towards the end and timing issues for the final
touches, along with the possibility of myself and the second person having to
put up and do the hole event without aid from the 3rd member.
I’ve learnt to just get on with my task as it is important to have it finished
regardless of whether others have done theirs. It also means less stress on my
behalf and I can lend a hand for anyone behind. I also learnt that rolls should
be determined at the beginning of any project and that I need to find likeminded
people to work with. The event was a huge success and the family’s feedback was
amazing.
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