Majoring in Mathematics meant that I was spared of projects and group work. Our assessments are based on tutorials and tests, which are individual work. During the past semesters, I did not take any modules that required me to do a research project. Hence, the past one and a half month has indeed been a period filled with immense learning experience.
From brainstorming of the research topic to submitting the project report, I learned the importance of being a team player in a group. Nicole, Hui Ming and I worked on our own most of the time and met only during classes to consolidate our information and to comment on each others' work. This was possible because each of us was able to trust that our group mates were responsible and all the work assigned were completed on time. As a result, the project was done rather efficiently.
With clear communication, we were also able to discuss our points and decide on issues effectively. In times of a heated discussion among two members, the last member would become the mediator and help to settle the issue amicably. In such discussions, we had to learn how to listen and accept other people's opinions and to be willing to give in to better suggestions. It also taught me that indeed, 'more heads are better than one' as we often ended up with a combination of ideas which were for the better. It certainly took effort, but I believe it built our interpersonal relationships. Personally, I felt that I now have a better understanding of my group members.
As mentioned above, this is the first time I am engaged in a research project. Thankfully, Hui Ming has experience in research and report writing as it is required of her in her course. From her, I learnt how to make use of the NUS Library's E-Resources, how to go about searching for relevant documents and data. I am now intrigued by the vast amount of information available online that I am motivated to do more research projects on a level of personal interest.
I believe that the oral presentation will require us to work more closely together. Definitely, we will have to bear in mind the 7Cs while communicating in order to do so effectively. Specifically, I will emphasise on clearing our doubts in times of uncertainty so as to maximise efficiency. It requires communication to be clear and concise but surely, patience and understanding from the group members will facilitate such situations as well.
From brainstorming of the research topic to submitting the project report, I learned the importance of being a team player in a group. Nicole, Hui Ming and I worked on our own most of the time and met only during classes to consolidate our information and to comment on each others' work. This was possible because each of us was able to trust that our group mates were responsible and all the work assigned were completed on time. As a result, the project was done rather efficiently.
With clear communication, we were also able to discuss our points and decide on issues effectively. In times of a heated discussion among two members, the last member would become the mediator and help to settle the issue amicably. In such discussions, we had to learn how to listen and accept other people's opinions and to be willing to give in to better suggestions. It also taught me that indeed, 'more heads are better than one' as we often ended up with a combination of ideas which were for the better. It certainly took effort, but I believe it built our interpersonal relationships. Personally, I felt that I now have a better understanding of my group members.
As mentioned above, this is the first time I am engaged in a research project. Thankfully, Hui Ming has experience in research and report writing as it is required of her in her course. From her, I learnt how to make use of the NUS Library's E-Resources, how to go about searching for relevant documents and data. I am now intrigued by the vast amount of information available online that I am motivated to do more research projects on a level of personal interest.
I believe that the oral presentation will require us to work more closely together. Definitely, we will have to bear in mind the 7Cs while communicating in order to do so effectively. Specifically, I will emphasise on clearing our doubts in times of uncertainty so as to maximise efficiency. It requires communication to be clear and concise but surely, patience and understanding from the group members will facilitate such situations as well.
4 comments:
Hello Pei Yu,
It was indeed a privilege to work with you. I totally agree that trust was important when we are working as a team. This enables us to put in our best efforts knowing that the other group members are matching or exceeding the effort that we are putting in to ensure that the final combined effort would reward us with our desired grades.
The 7Cs in communication is something that i too have learnt to put into practice and this has helped us to build up on our interpersonal relationships between group members even during stressful times.
I look forward to the upcoming group presentation and hope that it will be as an enjoyable experience as it was writing the report
Hui Ming
It has been a pleasure working with you guys. ALthough there were at times some "heated arguments", it was this times when we had our ideas put across and any unhappy thoughts said out. This has enabled us to prevent any misunderstandings within the group.
Through this project, we have managed to build friendships, and learnt how to work together. I am also very thankful that I managed to learn how to use Microsoft Excel to plot bar graphs. Before I came into this course, I had no idea how to plot graphs using the computer. On exploring my macbook, I only managed to plot them using my graph software, this was inconcenient since other group members could not edit them.
IT was a wonderful experience.
Hello Pei Yu,
It was nice knowing that you finally know how to use the library resources after you had gone through the processes of this written survey.
Furthermore, it is good that there will always be a mediator in an event of a "heated argument". This is really necessary as the three parties need to work together and co-operate to complete this project.
I do agree that trust is very important in this project, since most of the groups need to divide the workload among the members to get so much things done in such a limited time.
I believe that there would be no hard feelings between members of your group after this project. =)
All the best for your oral presentation!
Binglin
Hi Pei Yu!
Participating in group projects is really a collection of ideas and abilities. It is an added advantage to have abilities and strengths that complement one another and also make up for the weaknesses in others.
Being a good team player can be difficult when our schedules are so packed. We have to play our part by doing our best for the project and be responsible for our allocated tasks. It is good to have a mediator in times of conflict. However, after the argument, the members have to discuss the situation and come up with a "win-win" solution to resolve the conflict.
Hope you have had an enjoyable time and all the best for your oral presentation!
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