In semester one,  ‘Working Together’ was one of the studied modules. This module highlighted the importance of collaboration within the workplace and taught of the professions that need to work together within a school environment to benefit those within. As part of the course we were put into set groups ( mix of Education, Social work and CLD students) with which we had to work weekly, go on a visit and produce a group presentation.

The day of our assessed group presentation stood out for me in terms of the module as a whole. As a team, we met early to go over our talk and notes. We encouraged and supported each other throughout the morning turning a somewhat nerve-wracking experience into a rather enjoyable one. There was a prominent enthusiastic atmosphere surrounding the group helping put us at ease.  It was this day that I realised how much our group had progressed.

In the beginning, our group started off quietly. We were all first year students in a new module with new people so were feeling slightly nervous. As the weeks went by, we continued to work together, learn from each other and bond as a working group. The progress we made from the start was astounding and I realised that we all felt so much more engaged in our work when we had a team atmosphere in which to complete it.

From this experience, I have learned about the importance of having confidence to talk and engage with new people. Perhaps if we had been more social earlier in the project we may have produced better work due to team ethic. However, by the end we were a well integrated group who worked together extremely well, gaining an A5 for our group presentation. I feel our collaborative practice was furthered thanks to reading such as  Huxham and Siv Vangen 2005 whose work emphasises the importance and necessity of it.

I also feel that I have made progress when it comes to delivering a talk. The idea of standing up in front of people and presenting something is somewhat daunting making many people ( yes, even teaching students) anxious and uncomfortable. The support from my group gave me the confidence to be vocal and an active participant throughout the assessment as we completed it as a unit.

While I feel this group presentation did help a great deal with my confidence, there is a part of my that is still reluctant to comfortably speak out in front of people. I should start to resolve this issue slowly by offering more answers during lectures and workshops. I have started to speak out more in this way especially in group 1 workshops as I am starting to feel more comfortable with the group as we spend more time together. My next step will be to offer more suggestions in lectures to ensure that I often speak in front of large amounts of people until it becomes a normal occurrence for me. This will benefit my greatly in the long run especially concerning my upcoming placement.

Reference to-

Managing to collaborate: the theory and practice of collaborative advantage – Chris Huxham, Siv Vangen 2005