"Class: you submit with 100% agreement, by the end of session, a proposal with respect to how we should address the results of the 1st exam. I'm offering not additional direction. Ready... GO!"
Wow... with a class size that large, there were a lot of opinions... but thankfully we were able to submit an acceptable proposal within the allotted time frame.
I feel that my role was that of the moderator. Although I technically could have expressed my voice/opinion, I felt strongly that we needed to have an appointed leader to successfully execute the task. I also felt that if that leader was to be accepted by the group and exercise 'authority' that I needed to forfeit my vote. I wanted to ensure was heard.
Admittedly, I could have done things a little more efficiently. Perhaps breaking out into smaller groups would have kept things organized, though based on previous activities I believe some larger conflicts may have arose in the process as well. I also wish that we had explored more alternatives. As a facilitator that was my responsibility, and in that I failed my peers by not pulling more from them.
When it comes to the 5 ways people act in decision making, I believe I exhibited both compromise and accommodation. I worked as a mediator for the "outliers" and tried to keep the group on a path. By putting my own needs aside, I showed the class their needs were my main concern which afforded me the ability to take command of the task.
My last appeal for those who may not have spoken up... I still feel that we posed the question of "better of the 2" when it comes to the mid-terms... And I recognize that option was somehow either not vocalized or was taken off the table due to a misunderstanding of the parameters. There is a first time for everything... so I hope our WONDERFUL Professor will amend the agreement to include this as well.
Now, I'm off to make another big decision... and though I hate to say it... I wont miss the commentary of my classmates during the process.
Cheers all!!
Seecr
You were great out there. I think you did a good job. It was difficult but you had a good communication skill. And you came up with some good ideas.
ReplyDelete"Admittedly, I could have done things a little more efficiently." - I completely agree with that. If only you were a little bit more efficient we would have had a take home exam.
ReplyDeleteBut in all seriousness I honestly think you did a good job out there and did it well. During the time you were up there "moderating" the class, you distinctively (in my opinion) showed an additional 2 of the 5 ways people act in decision making, than the 2 you mentioned.
The first one was towards the end when the kid on the right was insisting on not having the essay, you walked up to him and made him understand (spoke some sense into him). This is a very good example of "collaborating". Another method I noticed was "Compete to win". When the class was debating on the essay - you stood your ground and went with the essay. (I know you dont agree :P)
All in all you did an outstanding job and I am really proud of you :)
Yeah I think you did do a really good job mediating the whole thing. You were able to keep everyone under some kind of control and listened to everyones ideas and opinions in the audience, especially given the amount of time we were given. I'm glad you were able to talk to that last person and get the job done. Overall you did good and I am glad we got the essay and the curve and extra credit.
ReplyDeleteI almost wish you did not convince the last kid to give in. I almost wish he would have got his way or we all got nothing. I think I would take the hit but most importantly it would teach us all that if we don't do things right, like the chaos we had, then we don't deserve the positive result. I think the only thing the class could actually agree on is that you did a great job. #Winning
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think you did a great job, and I'm not so sure that you could have done it more efficiently or any different! In a large group where everyone has equal rights to impact the decision, people might get annoyed if one person act as if one way (his or hers) would be more efficient. For example, if you start divide people into groups someone else might think that appointing several leader would be more efficient and so on.. I think you handled the situation just right! Listening and communicating ideas as well as organizing the decision making process made people listen to you! Great job!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with John....(and everyone else!) That you did a great job up there! The fact that it didn't take more than two seconds to get up there and moderate the entire thing was great. You displayed the compete to win attitude, the collaborating attitude, and still managed to...manage :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone, you did a great job! One thing I seem people felt to mention however, was the amount of patience you had. This is definitely not a virtue I posses and would not have been able to keep my cool under so much pressure. I also give you credit for having the courage to get up there and take lead without fear of getting completely ignored, and you didn’t. I think your approach along with your tone of voice and accommodation to others was a great combination. Thanks for giving me a chance to speak amid all the chaos =).
ReplyDeleteSarah your my hero!! I tried in the beginning but I am way too frustrated for tasks like that. I would have ended up jumping on a table and telling every one to Shut up LoL
ReplyDelete(Insert congratulatory phrase here) Seriously though you handled the situation gracefully. We needed someone to play host to our chaotic exam game show. You did so in a way that would've made Ryan Seacrest take notes. I dont think you could have pulled more from your fellow students because time didn't allow for too much individual attention and some personalities over shadowed others (aka some people have bigger mouths than others).
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