From all the groups in which I’ve participated during orientation, what have I learned about the way groups form in the beginning?

From a somewhat objective perspective I see that certain people appear as more willing to talk and to lead, and others to assume a quieter, follower role. Over a day or two I see some of the latter — the watchers — start either to move out into the open or to show frustration at being invisible, while the doers seem to maintain their outgoing roles without noticeable withdrawal.

Tentative alliances form. I couldn’t tell to what extent these cross or adhere to cultural and age backgrounds,  but I did note at least one example of a pair of young girls — both Asian — forming a bond that manifested by their being together in and out of classroom, and having their arms around each other a lot of the time, in solidarity, and in part to the exclusion of others: a mini-clique.

In this particular group I’ve seen, for the most part, a lot of open-minded curiosity about each other’s origins, ideas and experiences.

And there is the one who seems unhappy with the program so far.  His struggle, in my humble opinion, relates to his difficulty in finding a role in the group. That translates into his judgment about others, his making disparaging remarks about the qualifications of others, and a general sense of anger that seems related to his inability to find a comfortable place in the group. He is an interesting person to observe. Initially he joked around with everyone with a familiarity that surprised me. And by week’s end he was agitated, making frank statements about his exasperation with the week’s activities and his colleagues’ lack of knowledge. “I’m tired of these groups. I don’t want to talk any more. I just want to get a master’s,” he said. As an older student myself, I can partly understand his Attitude: how does one fit into a community of young people when one was a lifetime of experience? Interestingly, he is interested in the international students, but not in those of us who hail from the US.

From a personal perspective I find myself struggling to discover my role both in the group as a whole and in individual subgroups. I try to figure out how I can contribute without dominating, how I can be heard about the things I know without being drowned out, how I can be quiet when I need to step back.

Also from my own experience, I’ve learned how crucial is physical appearance during group formation. I’m very aware of who comes from another country, for example. And others are acutely aware of my age, which I keep forgetting is obvious to the outside world. On many occasions I’ve seen people, on initial contact, trying to classify me (“are you a teacher or student”) based on the way I look.

In spite of blossoming alliances I’ve seen a great deal of fluidity in friendships as the teachers move from one group activity to the next, with the group as a whole or subgroups within it. The activity fosters new connections. People who may be quiet in one group can find a voice in another that, in theory returning to the whole group with a new voice.

Research the Environment Activity

What role did you play?  Describe it.

In the very beginning I contributed to the group discussion of what to do and how. Then I dashed off and, very uncomfortably, asked a handful of people in the philanthropy department about their favorite restaurants. Then I returned and we discussed our findings. Then I was the driver. During our stops I took pictures, though we’d decided against using them in the interest of time; it made me feel I was doing something, though. In fact, this task wasn’t complex enough to require a group. Someone needed just to grab a menu and maybe find out about hours of operation. Finally, when we returned to the campus, I tried to direct the information design but felt slighted, and backed away from that task, letting it unfold organically.

Did you choose it or was it ascribed (given to you) by the group?

I chose my various roles based on what I felt needed doing. I withdrew from my role when I thought it was unappreciated, even though they said it helped.

How did you feel (emotions) about it?

• Embarrassed at having to go around the campus asking strangers stupid questions
• Bored by the assignment
• Willingness to do it anyway
• Gratified that my driving made a contribution
• Otherwise useless
• Frustrated at not being acknowledged or supported when I had a good idea
• Hurt that my skills were unappreciated at worst and glossed over at best
• Resigned that I’d be quiet and make the best of it

How did it contribute to the group’s completing its task?

My driving was a clear help. No other of my roles made a difference.

How might it have hindered the group’s completing its task?

I don’t think I hindered. When I felt I was getting bossy I apologized and pulled back. In fact, the others assured me that my assertiveness was helpful in moving the poster-making forward. Still, I remained quiet, and resumed the role of follower, asking the others questions: “What about if I do this” rather than saying “Let’s do this.” Sometimes people would ask me a poster-making question and I deferred to whatever they wanted.

What role did the other members of your group play?

• The Vermont native was the tour guide. In that role he took charge until we returned to campus. Even when we learned about many restaurants he hadn’t heard of, and even when he didn’t know where one of them was, he remained bossy. And stayed that way after we returned to poster-making, when eventually he stepped gradually back and contributed at the same (appropriate) level of leader-ness as everyone else.
• The New Yorker took notes at the various restaurants: hours of operation and key facts.
• The Russian came along cheerfully, without a specific role but supporting us by being pleasant person to be around.
• The South African chatted with the restaurant owners, about project-related things and more. Impatient, the New Yorker and this ex-New Yorker tried to move the action back out the door and on to the next stop.

At poster making, two individuals went into their own worlds to create pieces of the poster. One heard that we needed a header for the whole thing, so she set to that independently. The second just started making things, with some but partial awareness of how it might fit with the rest. The other two and I interacted a little more about what was needed before going about their work. At that point I would say there was no leader, excerpt for my brief attempt to come up with an information plan before beginning.

Chapter 1, “Becoming a Group”:  For each of the sections (1.1 through 1.7), find and write in your journals one or two examples of these principles being carried out in any of the MAT orientation activities of this past week.

1.1: What is a group (interaction, distinct unit, commitment to the unit, share purpose or goal, endures for period of time, internal structure (roles, rules of conduct, entry into/out of group, stable relationships & hierarchy)

Even when we first convened, having never met one another, we were a group by one definition: sharing a goal, which is getting an MA. Within that the PIMs and MATs form subgroups. The morning “circle” groups comprised another subset. And within the MATs were the various groups formed around an activity or goal.

Upon reflection, it seems that, of all of those, the one that held the least meaning for me was the “circle” group. Even though I want to know people from the PIM program, our lack of a shared goal or purpose or other containing or driving force kept me from feeling a sense of “group.” I doubt I’ll remember in a week or two who was in that circle. In fact, even after several meetings i still don’t recall everyone’s name. And I had a hard time remember from day to day which “group” I belonged to.

In contrast, the MAT group does fit the definition of “group.” We have a quite profound shared goal: to complete our degree program. We all know we need to do it together. None can do it in isolation. That became more apparent as the days passed. I noticed that sense of group even before orientation began, when we went out for beer the previous night. The most common refrain I heard was, “Are you a PIM or a MAT.” So our group, at its broadest level, was defined in scope (but of course not personality) before we arrived.

1.2: Initial emotions (self-doubt, people one doesn’t know, observation of each other, unstable hierarchy, on guard, ideal images to each other, hide weakness; uncertain about how they’ll benefit)

I have to resort to my own experience to answer this question, because I don’t know much about what others felt deeply. I was full of anxiety, feeling I couldn’t keep up with the others. Being 55, I think I was able to present more of my real self than I would have thirty years ago, but I did try to behave. I didn’t pepper my speech with four-letter words, for example, which I usually do among friends.

I didn’t have questions about how I’ll benefit; it was immediately apparent to me that there would be numerous ways. But I saw another student struggle with that issue, wondering why he was here, feeling he was among the wrong group. He acted the way I was afraid I would act: sometimes defensive and with Attitude. A month ago I was terrified I would do that. I’ve been alive a long time and seen many things, and feared that I’d enter the group with judgment and a feeling of superiority. Luckily that didn’t happen. That’s probably because, though I have rich life experience, I have little in teaching, and feel I have much to learn from my cohort.

On a related note, one challenge for me was feeling like an outsider on the basis of my age. I felt different just walking into the room and seeing all those young people, but every time I’d start to forget this difference between us, I’d be reminded with questions about my role: are you a teacher? That was uncomfortable; I don’t like being classified. I purposely avoided the other person in my age range initially because I didn’t want to align myself along lines I feel are superficial.

One thing that made me feel better in this unstable phase (well, actually, it’s still unstable) was to talk to others and tell them how confused or tired or overwhelmed (or whatever) I was feeling at the moment, and almost invariably I found I was not alone.

1.3: Intermember relations (group formation: likes and dislikes between people, attractions based on personality, hobby, economic status.

As mentioned above, in the first week I saw one particularly strong alliance form between a young woman from Nepal and a young woman from Korea. They were inseparable, clinging to each other and giggling whenever the group took a break. They arrived together (both live in a dorm) and left together. Interestingly, this week I haven’t seen this behavior from them, though both are in the same SLA class. Now they sit separately and I haven’t seen any Velcro between them.

In one of our “circles” we did a name/memory game in which we had to say the name and the interest of all the people whose turn was before ours. Mike likes playing with his 11-year-old granddaughter. Someone else likes to cook. I said my name and something I like (though I later thought of many things I like more). The next person in line was Genevieve, who likes to hike. We’d been in the same room for days but I’d never met her. But when I heard she likes to hike, I immediately sought her out after the group session ended, and struck up a conversation on this shared interest. We’ve been friendly ever since.

1.4: Promoting acceptance (learning about each other, proximity, contact, interaction, success on whole-group tasks)

Our “explore the neighborhood” was an example of a task with a concrete goal. It was interesting to me so see how I struggled to find an appropriate role for myself (as described above) and how others handled that either by being domineering (the one male took charge initially; was that a gender bias, or solely because he’s familiar with the neighborhood?) or independent or collaborative in their participation.

1.5: Importance of teacher’s and each other’s knowing names

Visit UNL site for name-memory tips.

I have only one example of this: I was walking across the parking lot on our fourth or fifth day when I passed Alex. “Do you pronounce your name ‘Gina’ or ‘Ginna'”?  he asked. I was surprised and touched at the question. Not only did he know my name, but he cared how he pronounced it. It made me feel visible, which is so important.

1.6: Icebreakers (name games, ensure everyone talking with everyone else, sharing personal info, pair-work, small group work, large group work), allowing students to try various roles, action, promote cooperation, humor & fun)

The Raging River exercise served many functions: it was challenging, involved a goal, promoted cooperation, and was funny and fun. It was intriguing to watch the dynamics in the whole group initially, which subdivided into different “camps” to discuss different strategies. A few people (I may have been one of them) were more vocal than others in proposing solutions. Others stayed quiet and later revealed they felt frustration at the lack of a more cohesive, inclusive approach. It was another interesting example of people trying to find a role: made more difficult by the large number of people involved. In Real Life, there would have been mutiny.

In second phase of the exercise — the actual crossing of the “river” — the group’s character shifted, as the overarching plan made by a few in the classroom dissolved as individuals relied on the person next to them to succeed in getting across the stones. It was more anarchy than organization at that point, as onlookers shouted encouragement and advice, and spontaneous innovation replaced the plan. I enjoyed that the most: seeing how important is fluidity in a group., to adapt to real versus theoretical situations.

1.7: Moving students around (learn more about the variety of people, making friends)

I enjoyed the racing-across-the-room exercise. I don’t know why we did it. Was it for humor and kinesthetic satisfaction or some other reason? Anyhow, it was funny: a nice way to air out our bodies and brains. Actually, my answer refers only to the physical aspect of “moving students around.” There was no time to make friends or learn about people. I’ve covered that in other sections.

D. What questions are you left with?

Frankly, my main question is: can I do this work? Can I keep up? Can I succeed in the program? Can I learn enough about teaching before the internship so that I don’t blow it?

And finally: how will I do in this “arranged marriage”? That’s what it feels like to me: meeting people I know nothing about and realizing I have to be closely involved with them for a year — and that I can succeed in my program only if I can succeed in my relationship with the group.

Another question: will the person who is having a difficult time feeling part of the group learn to take his place in it with satisfaction ? I hope so.

If a group is defined in part by a clear hierarchy, what will that be?