[nabs-l] group projects issues

[Ashley Bramlett]

Carely,
Gee, I guess personality comes across different in email.
I really don't see me as you said. Further, you did not give specifics as to 
what educate means so its not exactly helpful.

As I said before, I asked around and everyone I asked was in a group. People 
did not come to me Carley, that is the problem.
In class it happens so fast; if you look around before you know it people 
are already grouped and
you are looking for one while they are chattering about the assignment. In 
other classes, I found simply talking to neighbors worked as some of you 
mentioned. They don't group themselves  as this class does, but simply work 
with those around them.
Keep in mind that you have classes with people and rarely see them again. So 
its not like they can see you in class A and remember that you were a 
cheerful contributing person, and then see you in class B and ask you be a 
member.

Now, educating is a great thing. But what I'm asking about is how you can 
socialize better and form groups without being the odd one out.
Finally, if I am being a good student as I am by listening and contributing 
to class by either questions or answering professor directed questions, I am 
being part of the class and including myself. I hope I am so called 
educating by being in class and saying things to contribute. But you can 
only do so much.

Ashley


-----Original Message----- 
From: Carly Mihalakis
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2013 10:42 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] group projects issues

Good morning,
Ashley,

Best way I found to "educate" is to demonstrate
just what we are capable of, through sheer doing,
and attitude. Sounds to me like you got a bit of
a chip on your shoulder and, I imagine that's why
building bridges linking you, and your peers
doesn't seem to come naturally. What do you think?
A suggestion would be to just act naturally,
letting them come to you, asking to be grouped
with you. It is true it doesn't happen
immediately, like everything, it does take some
doing. Don't be afraid of that doing.
Car, you wrote:
>Ari, Thanks; great points. at work we will know each other and be a 
>cohesive team, not strangers put together for a 16 week term to learn a 
>subject. I talk to students around me; sometimes it helps, but sometimes it 
>doesn't help me get included in a group discussion. I will have to ask the 
>professor to assist me in finding a group to work with. Additionally, she 
>has group discussions most class periods and then asks each group leader to 
>speak to the class as to what they answered. Often I enjoy group 
>discussions; but this time it’s a bit frustrating. Why? Because, I have 
>to find a group and ask neighbors. I  am put in the position to ask, Amy, 
>Susie, can I join your group? This means I have to usually interrupt them 
>since they're already looking at each other and/or getting started. Also, 
>it’s a crowded room and I find the noise level too much. I cannot get a 
>sense of who said what in the group or even what question we're on. I'll 
>explain what we do. The professor gives us like four or five questions. She 
>says get in groups of about five people. One student is the scribe. He/she 
>is responsible for writing down the answers to questions. He/she also will 
>place everyone's name on the paper so we all get class participation 
>credit. Finally, after we discuss as a class, the scribe hands in the 
>completed copy to the professor. One student is the spokesperson for each 
>small group. So when we discuss as a class, there are five or six people 
>speaking and she goes around the room systematically. Sometimes she asks 
>for volunteers as well; so then a group member calls out and shares their 
>stuff. For the group project, I am not looking forward to it. It is an 
>assignment where we have to make a skit for a mock tv program illustrating 
>sociological concepts. Well, I have no clue where to even begin. I do not 
>watch much tv; and certainly not reality tv shows! As to the other 
>suggestions, I did those. Kaiti, I do ask students around me, but as I said 
>before, they are already paired in groups for the project. Brandon, asking 
>students around you does not always work if they already know who they want 
>to work with. They might even recognize people from another class, in this 
>case sociology 201. I don't know who is sitting by me all the time; it 
>changes from time to time. I cannot link voices to names as I do not hear 
>them often! I don't have the  benefit of recognizing people by face. As for 
>educating and interacting with people outside class, um forget it! People 
>don't interact much outside classes. I'm there as continuing education 
>while I look for work. These additional courses such as business writing, 
>intro to business and technical editing will boost my resume as a way to 
>demonstrate I studied writing. It also shows I'm a good writer from writing 
>samples and professor recommendations. I know it’s a commuter community 
>college;  no sense of community. I tried and tried to form study groups to 
>no avail;; only in one class did I get a study partner and that was cause I 
>asked him. we chatted before class and he seemed mature and friendly. 
>Frankly, I go to school to study and learn, not to be a ambassador for the 
>legally blind community. If I wanted to educate my whole life, I'd work for 
>a blindness agency doing outreach work or something of that nature. I will 
>answer questions about blindness or braille or whatever if they ask. But I 
>want to be myself and talk about lots of other things besides visual 
>impairment. I have a lot of other opinions and things to share about me 
>than the characteristic of partial vision. So, I do not buy this line that 
>if we go out and educate people that they will accept us. If people get to 
>know me, they will accept me for who I am including my personality, values, 
>and me being legally blind. I don't make a big deal about being almost 
>blind. Besides students simply study there and leave for home; very little 
>time to interact outside class unless you are in a club. Thanks for  the 
>thoughts and I'll work on getting a group to be in next class. 
>Ashley -----Original Message----- From: Ari Damoulakis Sent: Wednesday, 
>January 30, 2013 1:17 AM To: National Association of Blind Students mailing 
>list Subject: Re: [nabs-l] group projects issues Hi Ashley I couldn't agree 
>with you more on group projects and the issues people have with them. There 
>are many blindness-type related issues. Like you, when it comes to being an 
>individual and participating in class, I do participate and get 
>complemented, but their are many blind issues with group projects that I 
>can think of. The first issue is when group projects are announced. Lecture 
>rooms are so huge and so many people are in the classes that the first 
>problem is finding the people you know from that class. What normally 
>happens with me is that because obviously you can't look and find your 
>friends in class, you generally have to wait after class to SMS them to see 
>if they have a group and whether their group has room etc. If it is a class 
>where you don't really know anyone, I think your idea is right, just find 
>people nearer to you and try ask if you can join. The next problem you then 
>have is if you actually do do that, because most of the time, even though 
>they know you might be smart in the real class, somehow many people when 
>having to try actually talk to and interact with a blind person somehow has 
>a problem. When your group members are discussing what tasks everyone 
>should be doing you have to ask one of them "what would you like me to do?" 
>or say "I can do x or y." If you don't you stand the risk that they just 
>ignore you. It is interesting to see that your group members interact 
>virtually. Mostly whenever I've done these things we meet somewhere to 
>discuss. You are right that most times people don't do things and so on, 
>but to be really honest with you when it comes to group work at university 
>I wouldn't really be too worried because this is probably not how things 
>will work in later life. I'm not talking about the people doing nothing 
>etc, I'm rather talking about when you get a job. If you get a job and have 
>to work together as a group you probably won't have to worry too much 
>because you'd be working with people you would work with everyday, and they 
>would over time become used to seeing you as being a capable person, 
>therefore if you have group projects in the work place they'd help you 
>more. With university you probably just meet people and work with them 
>once-off, so don't be too worried. Lecturers probably can also see who 
>worked in the group and who didn't, but I also don't think they take group 
>assignments as seriously as individual ones, because intelligent lecturers 
>are not blind to the problems that university group assignments entail, I'm 
>not talking about specifically blind here, but sighted people in the group 
>have many of these problems as well, such as others not doing work etc. For 
>group the advice I can try give you is don't overstress yourself, just 
>relax and do the best you can, because luckily in the real world the 
>university form of a group assignment where noone knows anyone else will 
>probably not be bothering you much. Ari 
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