A Self-reflection essay
A Self-reflection essay
Introduction
Learning in group has its own advantages and disadvantages. But, one should always focus on the positive aspect of it. It is suggested that working in group for project enhances certain skills in students which help in professional life later (Caruso & Woolley, 2008). It is true as after joining a company or organisation for job, one has to work in teams towards a specified target. The mutual understanding, temperament and organised teamwork becomes important. While working for the assignment on ‘People might be know but no one really knows’, we realized the significance of working in a group and its several advantages. This essay is aimed at illuminating our experience during the assignment. It has been done through the answers to the following questions:
1. How motivated were each of the members of your group about the assignment? Give examples for each member.
Our group comprised three members- Zixuan Zhang, Chang Jiang and NaiQian Wang (myself). All of us were very excited about the project. The topic chosen for the assignment is interesting as it explains some mystical and mysterious beliefs and facts. The work was divided
three of us. I chose to work on finding a brief introduction and information on the ‘Scary
Monsters from the World mythology.’ Zixuan Zhang covered the topic of Unidentified Flying
Objects. And Chang Jiang completed a brief research on the Top 10 mysteries of the world.
Each of us was motivated to work for the assignment. The topic assigned to each student was worth researching on. So, each member showed dedication towards the assignment.
2. Were the members in your group a pleasure to work with or was it torturous, or somewhere in between?
It was a pleasure working with my friends on the assignment. We divided the work equally between ourselves and completed it well. Moreover, due to the positive attitude with which the members worked made the experience pleasurable. The excellent coordination made our team work easy and efficient.
3. How reliable were the members of your group when it came to meetings/emails/phone calls? Did they show up to meetings? If not, did they email or call to inform the group of this ahead of time?
The members in our group were reliable and in contact through emails, phones and meetings. We planned to meet every other day and showed the work to each other for discussion and completion of work. In case, any member was unable to come for meeting, he/she used to inform through phone call. Also, when a member could not attend a meeting, he/she used to compensate for it working for extra time the other day. There was no dependence on one particular member but interdependence on each other. We accomplished it through planning and organising an easy yet proper schedule.
4. Did the members of your group meet deadlines set by the group? Were things completed in time?
After mutual discussion, we divided the work in some stages and set deadlines for each stage. Fortunately, each part was completed in time. All of us worked together on the maintenance part. We contributed equally. The roles were divided between three of us equally. Chang Jiang and I collected the information of the various mythological characters, UFO’s and
mysterious findings. Through internet and certain books, we searched about the mythological characters from Indian, African, Celtic, Islamic, North and South American mythologies. We looked for pictures as well as data on UFO’s from Internet databases. Then, the Top 10 mysteries of the world were searched for. The third member, Zixuan Zhang worked on the PowerPoint
presentation. Hence, we contribute together for an effective assignment. Fortunately, there was no member who did not work hard or engaged him/herself in any disruptive activity. We are friends and hence, working together became easier.
5. How knowledgeable were the individual members of the group about the assignment? Did everyone understand what was expected from them?
The individual members of the group were knowledgeable about the assignment already because of interest in mysterious facts. But it is true that no one knew in-depth enough to complete the assignment without proper research and study. We chose three sections namely- Scary monsters from World mythology, UFO’s and Mysteries according to our respective interest. And then, we studied about it through some sources to create an outline and content.
Yes, each member understood what was expected from them. Whether it was looking for information or finding appropriate pictures, each member delivered the expected results.
6. What is your overall opinion of the group? Was this presentation good or bad, in your opinion? Why?
My overall opinion of the group is very positive. We worked together and contributed equally in the group. The presentation is good in my opinion because it is different and gives an insight into the mysterious as well as mythological stories in the world. The presentation does not mean to encourage superstition or illogical beliefs but only intends to illuminate the various beliefs prevailing in myths. Like monsters, UFO’s also have been a subject of disbelief by some scientists. So, we chose to elucidate some proofs of it. The last section of presentation explained some interesting mysteries of the world like the red snow. The experience of working together has been very positive.
Conclusion
This self-reflection essay is meant to explain how the working in group proved to be beneficial for the three of us in creating a good presentation. It also explains how the distribution of responsibilities among the members and dedication helps to complete an assignment in time. The experience has been very good fortunately. It shall help us to learn and adapt to teamwork in future.
References 1
Caruso, H.M., & Wooley, A.W. (2008). Harnessing the power of emergent interdependence to promote diverse team collaboration. Diversity and Groups. 11, 245-266.
