Riders in Project Work
-
DS told me this after reading the posts here.
" Mom, it is common, it always happen to me. My classmates will always push all the work to me and I am expected to finish the project. They just give me some pictures and I will have to do the rest. Like powerpoint, writing etc etc…"
I asked him why he didn’t get them involved and he told me,
" Oh, they said they don’t know how to do powerpoint and they are not computer saavy like me
"
The main point is DS wants to complete the project and has to do it irregardless he likes it or not.
Like he said, if everyone keeps pushing to everyone, the project won’t be completed on time and he will get ZERO.
As long as the work is submitted, he doesn’t mind doing most of the work.
Ds said this," The more I do, the better I am, as for my friends, if they choose not to do, then too bad for them." -
//Editor's note: Topic selected for http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/managing-free-riders-group-projects.
Group work has its pros and cons.
Some students and parents may find group work a chore and a waste of time, especially if they have to contend with team members who are lazy, irresponsible, aggressive in their ideas (everyone must listen to his ideas) and those who practise NATO (no action, talk [a lot] only).
In the end, it is usually the responsible team member(s) who spend more time fire fighting and coordinating the work than producing quality work itself.
However, that is not to say that group work is not without its benefits and learning values. Here are some of my thoughts of group work.
Objectives of group work:
1. Teaches the students about teamwork and team spirit.
2. Teaches the students to express their ideas clearly and at the same time learn to listen to the ideas of their members too.
3. Learns to respect the opinions of others. A group work is a team effort, and it is not about the ideas of one person.
4. Learns to come to a compromise, especially if there are conflicting ideas and points. It is ok to disagree in opinions but do it in a nice and non aggressive manner. In other words, agree to disagree amicably.
5. Prepares the students for the real, working world – where they have to learn to get along well others, and manage fellow colleagues who are free riders in the adult world too.
6. Encourages peer learning – this is important as members learn from each other.
7. Helps students to understand the application of theories and concepts to the project work or theme. It is a very enriching and rewarding experience when a group is able to successfully work well together.
Winning formula of a good project team:
1. Appoint a team leader/ coordinator
- This person makes sure that the group members adhere to the schedule/ project timeline.
- Is usually the contact person that coordinates the meetings and groups activities.
- Is usually the most organised person in the group.
2. Prepare a project schedule
This will help to remind everyone to keep the project tasks on track.
3. Team members who can work well together
The work is fairly distributed or divided and everyone does his or her part of the work.
4. Appoint an Editor
- This is someone who is competent in English.
- He will be the one who compiles and edits the works of all members.
- Deadline to submit work to editor must be strictly enforced. The editor needs the time to review and edit the draft work of members.
- Submit final draft to all members for their review.
- Once members are agreeable, the final draft becomes final report and it goes to print and binding.
5. Agree on the formatting
It is hard work for the editor to compile and edit everyone’s work. One way is to agree on the format of the report. For example, agree on the font size, font type, page margins. This helps ease the workload of the editor who has the unenviable task to format and edit everyone’s work to be ready for final submission.
How to handle free riders, et al?
If the students are given free reign to choose their own team members, then the hardworking students will tend to group together, leaving the free riders to fend for themselves.
If the teacher/ lecturer pre-assigns the groups, then students have no choice but to work with members who have poor work attitude and study habits. So what can be done?
1. Inform the teacher/ lecturer early
Let the teacher/ lecturer know that so-and-so is not pulling his weight mid-way through the project. DON’T wait till the last minute. It is too late for the lecturer to counsel the recalcitrant student.
Keep a log of meetings. This will provide \"evidence\" to show proof that some team members are not doing their part. Otherwise, it will be your word against theirs.
2. Request for peer evaluation
Inform the lecturer that you would like to do a peer evaluation, assessing the other team members for their contribution, or lack of.
3. Be fair and objective
Be objective when giving feedback to the lecturer or in the peer evaluation form. You don’t want to come across as whining and overly complaining. It may backfire and the lecturer thinks that you are the problematic one who lacks team spirit.
4. Need to handle free riders firmly
Don’t threaten them (again, it may backfire and they may complain about you to the lecturer or see you as bossy). But need to firmly tell them the consequence if they do not put in effort.
5. Don't let the free rider do all the important work
If there is a \"known\" free rider in the group, avoid distributing major/ important work to this this person. It may help to strategise. For example, give them the easy bits, like get them to work on introduction or background information; or do the easy questions. The rationale being that since these free riders are doing \"less important\" work, the damage control is minimised if they don't do their part at all.
However, if this is a new group and one is unable to determine if there are any free riders in the beginning, then the responsible group members have to be firm with the free rider when the issues emerge.
At the end of the day, it is important to remember that this is a GROUP project, which means that the all the ideas/ answers in the report must flow in a logical manner. Too often, students treat group work as a collection of individual answers being compiled as a single group report. Hence, the role of the editor is important as he ties everyone's points together.
Hope the above pointers help, and good luck!
-
kiasimom:
Hi kiasimom,
Ds said this,\" The more I do, the better I am, as for my friends, if they choose not to do, then too bad for them.\"
I applaud your son's positive work attitude. :rahrah: At the end of the day, he will be the one who will benefit from all the learning.
However, one must also be mindful that we don't allow free riders take advantage of those who are hardworking and willing to put in effort.
Cheers
-
ChiefKiasu:
What jedamum? Look me no up issit?
Chief is lecturer???jedamum:
[quote=\"Blobbi\"]
There are quite a few lecturers on this forum, including Chief Kiasu? Maybe they can add their experience?[/quote]By night
-
schweppes:
Group work has its pros and cons.
Some students and parents may find group work a chore and a waste of time, especially if they have to contend with team members who are lazy, irresponsible, aggressive in their ideas (everyone must listen to his ideas) and those who practise NATO (no action, talk [a lot] only).
In the end, it is usually the responsible team member(s) who spend more time fire fighting and coordinating the work than producing quality work itself.
However, that is not to say that group work is not without its benefits and learning values. Here are some of my thoughts of group work.
Objectives of group work:
1. Teaches the students about teamwork and team spirit.
2. Teaches the students to express their ideas clearly and at the same time learn to listen to the ideas of their members too.
3. Learns to respect the opinions of others. A group work is a team effort, and it is not about the ideas of one person.
4. Learns to come to a compromise, especially if there are conflicting ideas and points. It is ok to disagree in opinions but do it in a nice and non aggressive manner. In other words, agree to disagree amicably.
5. Prepares the students for the real, working world – where they have to learn to get along well others, and manage fellow colleagues who are free riders in the adult world too.
6. Encourages peer learning – this is important as members learn from each other.
7. Helps students to understand the application of theories and concepts to the project work or theme. It is a very enriching and rewarding experience when a group is able to successfully work well together.
Winning formula of a good project team:
1. Appoint a team leader/ coordinator
- This person makes sure that the group members adhere to the schedule/ project timeline.
- Is usually the contact person that coordinates the meetings and groups activities.
- Is usually the most organised person in the group.
2. Prepare a project schedule
This will help to remind everyone to keep the project tasks on track.
3. Team members who can work well together
The work is fairly distributed or divided and everyone does his or her part of the work.
4. Appoint an Editor
- This is someone who is competent in English.
- He will be the one who compiles and edits the works of all members.
- Deadline to submit work to editor must be strictly enforced. The editor needs the time to review and edit the draft work of members.
- Submit final draft to all members for their review.
- Once members are agreeable, the final draft becomes final report and it goes to print and binding.
5. Agree on the formatting
It is hard work for the editor to compile and edit everyone’s work. One way is to agree on the format of the report. For example, agree on the font size, font type, page margins. This helps ease the workload of the editor who has the unenviable task to format and edit everyone’s work to be ready for final submission.
How to handle free riders, et al?
If the students are given free reign to choose their own team members, then the hardworking students will tend to group together, leaving the free riders to fend for themselves.
If the teacher/ lecturer pre-assigns the groups, then students have no choice but to work with members who have poor work attitude and study habits. So what can be done?
1. Inform the teacher/ lecturer early
Let the teacher/ lecturer know that so-and-so is not pulling his weight mid-way through the project. DON’T wait till the last minute. It is too late for the lecturer to counsel the recalcitrant student.
Keep a log of meetings. This will provide \"evidence\" to show proof that some team members are not doing their part. Otherwise, it will be your word against theirs.
2. Request for peer evaluation
Inform the lecturer that you would like to do a peer evaluation, assessing the other team members for their contribution, or lack of.
3. Be fair and objective
Be objective when giving feedback to the lecturer or in the peer evaluation form. You don’t want to come across as whining and overly complaining. It may backfire and the lecturer thinks that you are the problematic one who lacks team spirit.
4. Need to handle free riders firmly
Don’t threaten them (again, it may backfire and they may complain about you to the lecturer or see you as bossy). But need to firmly tell them the consequence if they do not put in effort.
5. Don't let the free rider do all the important work
If there is a \"known\" free rider in the group, avoid distributing major/ important work to this this person. It may help to strategise. For example, give them the easy bits, like get them to work on introduction or background information; or do the easy questions. The rationale being that since these free riders are doing \"less important\" work, the damage control is minimised if they don't do their part at all.
However, if this is a new group and one is unable to determine if there are any free riders in the beginning, then the responsible group members have to be firm with the free rider when the issues emerge.
At the end of the day, it is important to remember that this is a GROUP project, which means that the all the ideas/ answers in the report must flow in a logical manner. Too often, students treat group work as a collection of individual answers being compiled as a single group report. Hence, the role of the editor is important as he ties everyone's points together.
Hope the above pointers help, and good luck!
ChiefKS,
Don't know if this is possible/allowed, but can/may I nominate Schweppes' response/pointers for portal publication :D. I believe parents will benefit from this and be able to guide their children and prevent them from facing or when they face similar problems in grpwork.
This 'rider' issue is a inherent problem, and pupils (particularly in pri and sec schs) who are doing project work need to know there are alternative avenues for them should they wish to do something about it rather than suffer in silence.
JMHO
-
autumnbronze:
aiyoh... I feel so paiseh. Thanks :oops:
ChiefKS,
Don't know if ordinary members have a say , but I'd like to nominate Schweppes' response/pointers for portal publication. autumnbronze:
If it does happen. Sure!! It's my pressure. Oops, I mean, pleasure... :lol:Schweppes, if this gets published, you owe me one
-
schweppes:
Hi Schweppes/ChiefKS,
aiyoh... I feel so paiseh. Thanks :oops:autumnbronze:
ChiefKS,
Don't know if ordinary members have a say , but I'd like to nominate Schweppes' response/pointers for portal publication. autumnbronze:
If it does happen. Sure!! It's my pressure. Oops, I mean, pleasure... :lol:Schweppes, if this gets published, you owe me one
I just thought your piece is good and timely, what with parents seeking guidance in preparing their kids for pri and sec sch nxt yr
P.S Opps you quoted my unedited piece!!! I had edited my request. Thought my first request sounded too presumptuous ......
-
Thanks, Autumnbronze, for your kind words. Glad that you found the suggestions useful. :lol:
Anyway, my suggestions can also be applied to students who are in higher education too, like in \"A\" levels, poly and uni. These days, in addition to exams, part of the assessment criteria also include a lot of group projects. They form a major component, sometimes as high as 40% at the poly and uni level. Sometimes, the group project score can improve on the student's overall grades, especially if they don't do so well for the exam component.
Still, knowing how to manage and work in a group is one thing. The other important thing is luck - to get good group members!!
-
schweppes:
:goodpost:
1. Teaches the students about teamwork and team spirit.
2. Teaches the students to express their ideas clearly and at the same time learn to listen to the ideas of their members too.
3. Learns to respect the opinions of others. A group work is a team effort, and it is not about the ideas of one person.
4. Learns to come to a compromise, especially if there are conflicting ideas and points. It is ok to disagree in opinions but do it in a nice and non aggressive manner. In other words, agree to disagree amicably.
I think it's a natural expectation that everyone in a team should be allocated EQUAL amount of work. Schweppes' post reminded me of something I told my DD - that not everyone are created the same and we must recognize that individuals have their own strengths and weaknesses. A good team must optimize and exploit the combination of strengths.
Sometimes, riders settle into the role because they could be too shy, weak in the topic or simply forced into it by unfriendly teammates. I had participated in groups where I was allowed to be a low profile rider albeit temporary and similarly in groups, where I volunteer (or was volunteered) to take lead due to certain expertise. So I would place some responsibilities on the team leader for allowing riders to happen. For every stone I throw at the riders, I would throw another at the team leader.
To digress for a while, I want to share a real life example from my DD. One day, she came home complaining that she had alot of project work to complete and her teammates werent helping. 2 \"troublemaking\" boys were not contributing because they were not deemed to be serious and the girls decided to leave them out. At some point, they started struggling due to lack of time when they were stucked between completing the research and moving on to the presentation slides. Since they had not much choice, they contacted the boys to help. Fortunately the riders, who happened to surf the Internet alot, knew where to get complementary pictures very quickly for the slides. Eventually, they only obtained a B grade because of the incoherent submission.
I asked my DD to reflect and learn.
1. She was the team leader and must be the 1st person to take the blame for poor leadership in not organizing the team and encouraging riders to surface.
2. As a person, she was too quick to make a judgement on teammates without giving the riders a chance to contribute
3. Do not blame the world for riders (coz it happens in real life), she should have managed the riders by talking to them and escalating to her teacher if necessary. She chose wrongly to accept the riders and hence, suffered the consequence of a crippled team.
She told me there is another lesson, \"Aiya, next time kenna this kind of team, be prepared that it will be a B grade lor! Dont need to work so hard and be disappointed\" :faint: -
autumnbronze:
Thanks for your recommendation, autumnbronze! In fact, if members of the community request for articles to be put up in the Portal for posterity, we'll take those requests even more seriously.Hi Schweppes/ChiefKS,
I just thought your piece is good and timely, what with parents seeking guidance in preparing their kids for pri and sec sch nxt yr
P.S Opps you quoted my unedited piece!!! I had edited my request. Thought my first request sounded too presumptuous ......
Thanks schweppes for a great article!
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login