[nabs-l] group projects issues

[Ashley Bramlett]

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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