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Looking back on my experience of NCLC 120 I would have to say it really
changed my views on so many things. I remember the first day of class when I
received the syllabus, and my reactions to some of the assignments. What stood
out the most to me from all of the assignments was the Poster Project. What terrified
me so much about doing it was the fact that I would have to be giving a
presentation, and if I was going to be able to work as a team with my group
members. By the end of the semester I was able realize that by doing the poster
project that I had dreaded from the start of class, helped me to become fluent
in two of the many competencies: communication and group interaction. I know
for a fact that I was able to build on my communication skills by interacting
more in class and presenting with my group on our Human Origins Behind the
Scene Tour. Also, going on various field trips with people from class really
helped me to work on my group interaction skills, since it gave me a chance to
become closer to them.
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| Before
doing the Poster Project one of my weakest competencies was group interaction.
In the previous unit NCLC 130 my group members did not contribute or work efficiently
as a group. So when I started NCLC 120 I was not looking forward to doing
another group presentation, because I felt as if I was going to be stuck doing
all of the work. Group interactions means to “collaborate effectively with
others. Effective group interaction means that students should be able to
create shared understanding and expectations, understand and choose roles and
tasks, make decisions and track progress collaboratively, and negotiate
consensus, compromise and conflict.” Meeting with my group for the first time I
was a bit hesitate on how our project would go, and hoping that this group
would be a better one. Luckily, this time around my group members and I were
able to work productive and complete our project. Working with them really
helped me to build my group interaction competence, because the more I got to
know them and put my guard down I was able to let people in again and trust
that they won’t let me down. This all shows, because our hard work allowed us
to win 1st place at the poster presentations. |
Communication
is key for any group assignment. In NCLC 120 communication is defined as the “process
of creating and sharing meaning through human interaction. A person who has
mastered this competence is able to speak, read, write and listen effectively,
understand and communicate to diverse audiences and their context, use
appropriate language, nonverbal and visual symbols, organize strategically
ideas and information, design, revise and produce work tailored to diverse
audiences.” I realized that I had mastered my communication skills after my
group and I presented our poster presentation. Communication before NCLC 120
was one of biggest weakness. I have always had a hard time presenting something
in front of a group. But because I was able to practice through class discussions
and group interactions I felt confident during our poster presentation. Also, if my group and I did not communicate
effectively then during our presentation we would have gotten confused and not
have been aware of each other’s parts. Since we were able to communicate so well
we worked together as a group and created an outstanding poster. |