Working in Groups

I like groups sometimes but at other times they just seem really pointless and even hurt the project being worked on. Groups should only be assembled when the work being done actually needs multiple minds working together. Also, if there is one weak link in the group, a lot of the work will suffer due to there lack of effort, talent, or any other countless detriments that an individual may have.

I have been in some really good groups. I think the best group work I have aver been involved with was last year in POE class. I was in a group with Matthew Tomaw and Matthias Wellington Hughes in an effort to build an accurate ping pong ball launcher. Basically, Matthias built a prototype on his own and it worked. Then we tested it together. Our tests are where our teamwork shined. We all had our own job, and each of us did it efficiently. Matthias launched the ball, Matthew measured the distance, and I recorded data. The data was recorded digitally, and then our results were put on a graph. It was very efficient and we ended up getting a good grade on the project. In fact, we were the ONLY group that got an A. I really believe that we deserved that A. We worked very well.

Another favorite form of group work for me is Scholastic Team. I love being captain because I can decide who has the right answer, and I still get input from everyone.

However, I have been in some bad groups. Last year I was a part of the team quest competition. It was the first year that we had a sophomore team, and we felt that we had a lot to prove. We, sadly, ended up getting last place. I don't know what it was. I guess that, individually, we were all very productive, but when we were thrown together into a group, we froze up. The team consisted of 4 members: Matthew Tomaw, Samantha Anderson, Tareyn Powel, and myself. When it came down to it, we really failed ourselves, our coaches, and our school.