EDUC-6165 Final Blog

Dear colleagues,

I am very thankful to have worked with all of you. I also appreciate all of the comments/feedback that I received from you all. We have all made it to the end of another course and I would like to wish all of you the best as we continue on to the finish line of this program. Keep up the good work and do not give up even if things get tough!

Best wishes,
Ashley T.

Team Development: Adjourning!

I think that when you are a part of a group/team in which there is excellent chemistry, it is hard to say good-bye. It is not necessarily the high-performing groups that are hardest to leave, but the ones in which everyone gets along, works well together, accomplishes things, and have a closeness, such as a family bond. In this kind of group/team, there is a great team leader.

The group/team I left which was the hardest for me to depart was my team 6-2 Cluster. When I taught 6^th grade, there were 2 teams (6-1) and (6-2). There was a teacher for each subject and our students rotated to each of our classes daily. There were 100 students. There were days when my team met to discuss our goal of working very hard to make sure our students passed on to the next grade. We laughed and cried together throughout the year, but in the end we achieved our goal. To celebrate our accomplishments, the team leader set up a dinner for me and the other two team mates. At this dinner, she recognized each of us separately, and then as a group/team. We all reflected on our trials and tribulations throughout the year and how things could improve for the next year. “The team leader should ensure that there is time for the team to celebrate the success of the project and capture best practices for future use” (Abudi, 2010). On the very last day of work, our principal treated the entire faculty and staff to lunch. At this lunch, he announced our “new” teams…The 4 of us looked at each other with tears in our eyes as we learned that our team was being torn apart.

As for adjourning from my colleagues in this course, I do not think it will be hard to say good-bye. I say this because I think it is much harder to say good-bye in person with those I have actually had contact with face-to-face and bonded. I enjoy working with my colleagues and when we say good-bye at the end of each course, I feel a sense of accomplishment instead of sadness.

I think that adjourning is an essential part of teamwork because it is a time for everyone in that group to recognize others and to also be recognized. I think it helps build confidence and a sense of accomplishment. It helps us to know that we have achieved something and it is time to move on to the next thing.

References

The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html .

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

I have recently had conflict with my younger sister. She is 14 and she is not as respectful towards our parents as she should be. For example, the other day they told her to clean her room multiple times. She kept telling them, “okay.” I passed by her room and saw that she was sitting on her bed using her I-Pad and cell phone. I heard my parents talking about her behavior. I took it upon myself to make her do what my parents told her to do. I feel like I turned into her parent and not her sister. Before I knew it, we were arguing and were not being nice to each other. I now realize that this could have been avoided if I approached her in a different manner. I am glad that I learned about different skills to handle conflicts. The strategies I will use in future conflicts with her are the 3 R’s (respect, reciprocal, and responsive interactions) and the 3S Skills (See, Listen, and Speak) from the third side. Implementing these strategies while engaged in a conflict will help me help the situation.

 Does anyone think that these strategies will work in future conflicts such as this? If not, which strategy/strategies do you suggest?