Topic 3

In the midst of writing my exams we entered topic 3. I had to able to manage my time well and make sure to make a worthy contribution to our group work after all this week was dedicated to GROUP work.

This topic intrigued me from the start. It was interesting to learn how to ensure effective group work amongst students. I was excited to hear what my fellow PBL 12 members had to say.

The meeting brought about a range of sub topics about group work but at the same time we all seem to have similar concerns when come to students group work. The challenges experienced with students in group work were students not contributing enough, working in synergies, embracing diversity to mention just a few. The different roles participants played in a group. There were some remarkable discoveries.

Listing these challenges highlights that no matter what cultural differences that exist between us in our group we all have or experienced the same concerns when it comes to students working in groups. Therefore, we decided to look at our own group and evaluate what makes our PBL 12 work. This was interesting because we now had to step back at look at our group from the outside. PBL is a diverse group that accepts and respects each other and we also together collectively. We also set the ground the ground rules form the start that also contributes to the effectiveness of our group. We can also take these lessons that we learn and use it our own practices. ONL is certainly allowing for us to learn and practice simultaneously. Also reading the other communities insight and experience on group work has been fascinating. The benefit of ONL helps you to develop your skills form a range of different perspectives.

There has been a wealth of information discussed about the topics and the group members have provided a number of resources that certainly enhances my knowledge and practice of working in groups.

Topic 3 certainly made me re- evaluate my own practices as an academic most help me improve my methods of creating a lesson.

Now I eagerly await Topic 4….