[nabs-l] group projects issues

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi Ashley,

Do you talk with people outside of class?  In classes where my friends
are they're usually really good about asking me if I want to form a
group with them or something, but in classes where I don't know anyone
I'll make an effort at the beginning of the semester to talk with
people before class and find at least 2 or 3 people in the class in
that way.  This has helped me make group situations easier as well as
helped to form study groups outside of class.  It may sound silly, I
think it's silly myself, but even though you see yourself as outgoing
and approachable most of the students probably don't if all they see
from you is class participation.  They might know that you know your
stuff, but socially they might not know you that well.

On 1/30/13, Ari Damoulakis <aridamoulakis at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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-- 
Kaiti