NAME: MORATA MMANTOKO
STUDENT NUMBER: 223038963
MODULE: TEACHING STUDIES 3A
ASSESSMENT: FINAL ASSIGNMENT
DUE DATE: 08 MAY 2025
1.1PART A
Groupwork is one of the effective teaching methods that can be implemented. However as
effective as it is there are different factors that affect the effectiveness of a groupwork these
include communication styles/ skills, individual differences, emotions, assumptions, trust and
belonging, power dynamics, information flow, decision making, discussions and consensus
reading. These factors determine the challenges and the benefits of the groupwork when they are
used in order so that required outcomes can be achieved.
According to Shruthipk (2016) the effectiveness of a group is seen in communication styles and
skills, when there is poor communication results of the group will show, and when there is better
communication, the group achieve more better. For a group to benefit in groupwork all members
of the group must contribute their opinions/ views, by communicating thoroughly with other
members of the group. Different perspectives create an environment in communication where all
areas of an activity are considered. For example, during our last term groupwork, my group
members we had a challenge in communicating to each other and as a result we created a group
chat on social media, The Health Foundation (2012) Communication channels. where
communication would be easier for us all, after creating it, each member of the group finished
their tasks on time because we were able to communicate to each other, by clearing confusions
that other group members had.
Other factor that impacts the groupwork, include the differences of people. People are different
and have different ways of doing things, different preferences. These differences are based on
personality and character. In a groupwork where members share a common trait it will be more
effective than a groupwork where members are totally different. In our recent groupwork my
group members were amazing, I could relate with them on several things like excellence in terms
of schoolwork, and they made everything much easier for me despite some challenges were onemember was responding late to messages, all was good, and they made me love groupwork.
It is important that group members have a sense of belonging, trust and shared power dynamics.
A sense of belonging give members of the group freedom without thinking that there is person in
the group who is contributing more than other, and it erases bossy attitudes from members of the
group. It makes others to share their ideas and know that it is also for their marks, and they must
contribute. This is where trust is also built according to the Neuroscience of Trust (Zak, 2017),
when members of the group feel a sense of belonging in the group, then it is easy for them to
trust each other with the work each member has been distributed with. In groups that I did, my
group members made me feel more welcome, and this made me to be able to talk to all of them
without fear of sharing ideas, I knew that they would consider my ideas that I come up with
because they created an atmosphere that was conducive for me to share my ideas.
As helpful and effective groupwork it is, there are challenges and benefits that it comes with.
One of the challenges of groupwork is that it is time consuming and when other members on the
group do not have the free time that others have, it results in delays because each one of the
members had schedule their times and adjust them so that they accommodate one person whom
the times were not favoring. Unequal participation is also one of the things that pose a challenge
to groupwork. When one person is distributed a lot of work than other in the group, because of
the nature of the task, that group member may have to take their time beyond schedule and write
the work.
In these challenges also there are benefits of the groupwork, these includes improved
communication skills, more productivity, different perspectives, and teamwork. A groupwork
make people to develop good communication skills, because in a group you get to speak to as
more peoples as you can you are different from you. Before I participated in groupwork I was
used to just not talking to people that much, but in a groupwork it has made me to communicate
to people who had different perspectives regardless of not thinking what people would say
because I had my part to play, this made the groupwork to be productive and finish on time as a
team. This taught me that when I speak, I must avoid assumptions, J Cummings (2017).
There are ways that make the groupwork to be effective, this depends on the kind of the
assignment that it is given, a groupwork is effective in research like assignment and where
members of the group focus on giving their opinions. Other ways to improve the groupwork is to
have members of the group choosing their own, for students this is more interesting and enables
them to develop groups with people they relate with. However, in my teaching I would establish
groupwork in home activities that would require them having concrete evidence such as having
to do interviews to different people.
1.2 LETTER.
Dear First Year Mantoko.
It has been a long time since I left you, but I am proud of the person you have become and that
you are becoming each day. However, there are some useful ways of communicating that I wish
you knew when you arrived in UJ.
It has been 2 years and a few months now and between this time there has been mistakes in
communicating, that you kept on doing that I wish you knew how to master them, according to
what you have learnt in TST3A. These aspects of communication that I recently learned this year
they are skills required for effective communication. Communication is a daily activity and
determine how you relate to people and determines how far you go in life based on people that
you communicate to. I wish you knew that Mantoko when communicating you must maintain a
posture of respect, patience and always be more willing to listen to people so that you learn
more, I wish you knew that communication makes you relate with people better. I used to be
very quiet because of lack of knowledge of communication skills. I wish you knew that when
communicating with people do not agree to anything even though it does not make sense to you,
however, be willing to always ask questions and seek clarity. I wish you knew that credibility
and trust in communication makes it more effective, do not speak from a wishful thinking,
always be real and express your emotions because you are a person, do not try to hide your
emotions in words because at the end they will always come out. Do not assume that people
know how you are feeling, avoid assumptions, J Cummings (2017) How to communicate better
by avoiding assumptions because they are costly.
I wish you learned earlier on that just because a person is saying something that seems to be
more fun and joyous that does not mean that they are, but always look at the faces of people
when you talk by Maintaining eye contact and confidence in any level of communication. I wish
you learned that there are different ways of communication, and this includes verbal and nonverbal communication. When you are talk to a person and they do not respond or reply as you
have expected that is communication in the form of silence, and also when you talk to a person
and they communicate using either a pic, voice, or even a text that is also other form of
communication. I wish you knew earlier on that you must consistently improve your
communication skills, by talking to as many people as you can because different people mean
different responses and that determines where you must improve. I remember this other day first
year Mantoko were very shy to talk to people in your first class and this made you develop
friendships in a long time, and when I think of it know it is funny because you have developed
strategic friendships.
My advice to you is that invest on your communication skills.
Yours sincerely
Third Year Mantoko
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