Week 1: Leadership

What have I learned this week about leadership? About the role(s) I play in groups?

 I think in the past I have seen myself as a contributor within a group but also something of a quality controller in regards to the final product of the project.  In my own academic life I have had a long history of fighting against the idea of school as a game to play and goods grades the prize.  Up until recently I believed school to be holy, and the material taught to be sacred.  Thus, the process of learning wasn't something to be compromised.  My deeply rooted perspective and aggressive  approach was in pursuit of "upholding the continuity of conceptual integrity."  I have an amazing capacity to become obsessed with things, projects, people, ideas.  In a group this manifests as an inability or unwillingness to compromise the meaningfulness or intended learning outcomes. 

What were the highest and lowest moments of my learning activities this week?

When we wrote down a little summary about ourselves and talked about our successful and unsuccessful experiences with group projects I saw that I have been at different times the person in someone's group that made it miserable, or caused unnecessary problems.   I never intended to but was unable to rescue the situation before irreparable damage to the group had been done.  

                A high note from the class activities was when we got into the groups to make marshmellow-sphegetti towers and I was able to let go of making sure that our tower was built using sound principles of engineering.  I disengaged from my normal thought/behavior pattern and then immediatedly adopted  the role of includer and keeping up group morale.

What was the most significant thing that happened to me as a learner this week?

I learned that my obsession with being the perfect learner I effectively blocked or limited the learning of others. 

What was the most surprising activity/personal response to my learning this week?

I was surprised at my being able to disengage from my normal pattern of behavior with trying to fight the group members to 'uphold the contiunuity of conceptual integrity.'

Where have I observed my strengths in action?

 I used my individualization strength to figure out how to support different group members during the tower building exercise.

Of everything that I did this week, what might I do differently if I had a chance to do it again?

I cannot think of anything explicity that I would do differently.

What is one thing I learned about groups and group dynamics this week?

From our activity with building a tower (ours was tallest for a second and then started to 'melt' back down to the floor) and even though we ended up coming in last, we all made it into a joke and seemed to feel as if we both won the tallest prize and the coolest/most entertaining prize.  I think when the group members band together the outcome becomes more dependent on the group and not the environmental parameters.

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What do I feel proudest of accomplishing related to my learning/leadership this week?

I feel proud that I didn't ruin the tower building exercise.          

What do I feel most dissatisfied with about my learning/leadership this week?

There isn't anything that comes to mind that I felt dissatisfied with in my learning.