I am glad to have had the opportunity to take the bull by the horns and participate in such a fast-paced online course. I have met many new concepts and have had a very short time with them; so as is the case with any good pursuit, I have many more questions than I started out with. I hope to take another online course in the fall so I can be a student once again. I know that learning can take place online, but that both teachers and students will need to learn different tools to be successful in the medium. Teachers will need to rethink how to deliver their curriculum and stay fresh and inspired. Students will need to rethink their idea that an instructor will simply pour knowledge into them. It’s been a real treat to be in this class with other teachers, because a lot of learning took place in the blink of an eye!
This week went by really fast and focused on online group work. We were put into groups of three to four and our task was to create a group project for an online class in a matter of days. What an amazing feat this was, and for me how frustrating, given the lack of time to feel any sort of process or ownership of the project. Within that microcosm we experienced all the fun of group process! Looking back over the week’s discussion board, I saw the director, the encourager, the peace-maker, the negotiator, the facilitator, and the listener and often roles would morph. It was as though we were following an agenda at a meeting, we reiterated goals, did brainstorming, made a fast write, and finally produced an action list. At times I thought we were going with democratic process (majority rule) but in the end it felt more like consensus. Consensus is where everyone’s opinion is valued and heard, but ultimately a decision is reached that fits the need of the group. Consensus decision-making does not mean a unanimous resolution is reached. In fact, any member of the group may agree to a decision that they disagree with, but they give permission for it to pass rather than block it. Rob Sandelin of the Northwest Intentional Communities Association puts it this way: “As people are encouraged to speak their feelings with good intention, the group will likely find much less energy going to false agreements and uncompleted tasks. If you want to create a sense of togetherness, then making space for feelings to be expressed is a key.”
I better understand the quote by N. Maier in the Psychological Review way back in 1967: "Groups can be ineffective decision makers because of group process losses that can outweigh group process gains." I’m not sure we came up with a project that we would have had we: 1) had more time and 2) been in face-to-face conversation, but I think overall the process was a social one even more than a pure academic one and I am glad for the experience.
What I learned as a teacher is what I need to pay attention to:
Patterns of Communication/Coordination – do the students attend sessions regularly and is democratic participation encouraged?
Patterns of Influence - are the students striving towards consensus building and are they open-minded and kind?
Patterns of Dominance – is there shared power - who is leading and who is deferring?
Balance – are the task focus (getting job done) and social focus (taking heed of feelings) balanced?
Effectiveness – what is the level of group success?
