Usually I'm very competitive, and outgoing. Always the first person to break the ice or jump into a conversation. However when the class as a whole attempted to make a decision last week, I just sat back and watched the show.
When the class tried to get the best out of the professor, there was chaos until someone jumped in and collaborated ideas onto the blackboard in an organized manner. However this didn't even phase me because I still believed that there was no chance of getting what I wanted. I also believed everyone had their own agenda so they wouldn't be too open to compromise.
After about a half-hour, when just about all my hope was gone the class amazed me. They compromised and collaborated to satisfy everyones needs ( without my help of course .)
It was only after I read the class slides that I realized that I was actually handling this particular conflict through avoidance. I withdrew from the class collaboration when I felt that there was "no chance of winning." This however is absolutely not like me, and next time I need to handle a conflict where there seems like there's no chance of winning I want to be more engaged in the groups efforts. I almost feel like I owe the class an apology, ( but everybody including me still got what they wanted! )
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Althought I did not choose the same approach, I feel as if you did help the class and do not owe any apologies. Imagine if all 80 students chose collaboration and compromise. We were on a time constraint and I think if everyone tried to actively collaborate then we would have achieved much less so I feel the only people who did not contribute were the ones who did not show up rather than those who did not participate
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Terence. You don't need to feel bad at all. I also observed the class discussion though avoidance and our professor said that it is a normal behavior that some people need to withdrew while others are fully engaged. In such a large group, not everyone can contribute because there is simply not enough time. We needed to have a silent portion. The only ones who should feel bad are the ones who did not show up since they supposedly don't get the new grading system and extra credit option :-P
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