Critical reflection paper:
Weighting: 70% of reflection assignment
Due: Monday 2nd November, 11pm
Length: 1,500 words
Reflection and evaluation is essential when working in groups. This assignment facilitates your reflection on multiple aspects of group work.
Use the 3 headings in bold below to structure your assignment. Please include a short introduction and conclusion (of approximately 100 words each).
1. Working as part of a team (approx 475 words)- What did you enjoy/ not enjoy? What are your strengths when working as part of a team? What did you find difficult/ areas for further improvement?
2. Planning a group (approx 375 words)- What did you enjoy/ not enjoy? What worked well, what could have been done differently and why?
3. Facilitating a group (approx 450 words) – What worked well, what could have been done differently and why? As a leader, what are your strengths and areas for further improvement?
It is important that your paper provides a critical reflection on your experience of working in, planning and facilitating a group, rather than just descriptions. For example, rather than saying your team worked well together, say what in particular your team did well – give examples and back this up with the literature.
As this is a reflection piece, it is preferred that you use 1st person language (eg, ‘I’, ‘we’ etc).
The plan should be in size 12 Times New Roman or Calibri font and referenced in the Harvard referencing style.
It is important that you incorporate the literature on group work theory into your reflections to strengthen your arguments. At least 5 references must be used. It is also important to use specific examples from your group project/ experience of working in your team to illustrate your learning and strengthen your critique.
Example:
Working as part of a team
I enjoyed working as part of a team, however, there were a few times when conflict arose. This initially made me feel quite uncomfortable, however, Toseland & Rivas (2017) state that conflict is a normal part of working in groups and if dealt with effectively, can have positive effects such as… I found this to be true. Although some members had different preferences, we were able to listen to each other’s ideas and work through the conflict, resulting in.
