Throughout this semester I have found myself becoming more comfortable with group work. In this class it is a strange occurrence when we don’t get into smaller groups. We are already a small class, but I have definitely seen the benefits of dividing up into groups to have discussions. I think that this method of starting off small and then collaborating each group’s conversations as a whole class is very effective because it gives us more opportunities to unpack the varying interpretations that we all have. Today in class we were commended for our growth throughout the semester when it comes to contributions in class, and I think this has been possible because we have all embraced the necessity for collaboration.
I talked a lot about interpretations in my last post but something that Claire said in her post “Many Worlds, Many Meanings,” got me thinking about it again. Claire wrote, “it can be unsettling to imagine that you as a reader are in a world alone with your interpretation of what you have read. However, I think that as readers we should learn to overcome this fear and accept the heterogeneity of our interpretations, so long as no one’s interpretation could prove harmful to another individual.” I hadn’t considered how interpretations can make us feel lonely, but I can understand how this might be the case if you keep them to yourself. A remedy for this can be to “accept the heterogeneity of our interpretations” but I would take it one step further and say to not only accept that they are different but also to share them with others. This transforms the loneliness that occurs when you keep interpretations to yourself and presents the opportunity for interpretations to grow into something greater. Bouncing ideas off of others forces you to continue to think about your own thoughts on the interpretations and then take into consideration the comments of your peers. While it is completely possible to learn and grown alone, the process is expedited when others are included in the process. We are all capable of forming in-depth interpretations and ideas, and it’s best to share these with each other so that we can help one another grow.
I feel as though the group blog posts we did a couple weeks back were a turning point for developing our discussions into not just basic observations but deeper analysis. I was pleasantly surprised by how well my group’s blog post turned out, and it did because we respectfully listened to each other’s interpretations and collaborated them into an argument. These group blog posts forced us to work together and pinpoint exactly what we wanted to say, and ever since then I feel as though our discussions have been much more specific. We are able to explore many branches of thought but still be focused enough to unpack each of them.
Group work is not easy–In the past I have been adamant on doing work alone as much as I could because I know my own abilities. It’s difficult to put trust in group members to put effort into making meaningful contributions. But when I do It brings clear results: I grow, and my peers grow with me.