Valerie Fuentes 1,000 word essay

  

    As our first assignment in this course, professor Sherri encouraged us to educate ourselves in groups of 3 in which we discussed several topics.  Each group was to cover a different chapter and create a presentation to share new information to other groups. all three groups were able to created well-put-together and insightful powerpoint slides and did a great job in communication what they learned. in this paper i will be speaking on what struck out to me and what my experience was like during this assignment. 

   The first topic introduced in group 1's presentation was culture. Culture, to put it briefly, is system of shared values, beliefs, and norms within a group of people. Culture is developed through similar life experiences among a group of identifiable people. It sets the tone for what is considered appropriate and guides this group of peoples way of life. we as humans must acknowledge different culture existing within us, us as in students in America more specifically, miami where we are privileged to live and learn among so many people from different parts of the world. It unbelievable to think that discrimination still exists in our world today, and in this presentation we were urged to embrace rather than to hate or bash one another for being different. there is nothing more beautiful than a mic of cultures living peacefully and respectfully within each other. Group one did a wonderful job in covering topics like race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability sex and gender. All are topics that can be deemed as controversial but group 1 definitely stressed the importance of acknowledging these differences in beliefs and values. After all, our values are what make us human and make the world such a wonderful place to live.

    Next up is group 2, covering chapter 9 which consists of communication within groups. this presentation mentioned all the different types of groups in which we belong to. these groups being families, social groups, support groups, interest groups, service groups, virtual groups, work and team groups. groups have to be united and follow healthy characteristics of communication. Group 2 briefly discussed what kinds of conflicts may occur within  said groups and how to resolve and avoid them. we learned that differences within a group are normal and can actually benefit and help to achieve a groups goal. group too emphasized that there must be trust within a group for it to function. being able to trust one another with different parts of the plan will make it easier to reach a common goal and take the workload off one anotherThey stressed the importance of embracing differences and various ideas from every individual and the characteristics of a healthy group. Group 2 went on to explain the different stages of  development, those being forming, storming, norming, performing and so on. This chapter is essential in our daily lives whether we realize or not, we are always communicating whether it be with an educator, among peers or right at home with our families. 

    Our final group presentation was from group 3 covering chapter 10. In this chapter we discussed group leadership and problem solving. we used skills from our own chapter to help put all of our ideas together. we were even able to add a lighthearted theme from the sitcom "The Office".  We worked together to create this team and were able to effectively communicate not only within our groups but within our presentation as well. We worked hard to teach our chapter in an entertaining yet insightful way. Our group covered topics like leadership and the different roles including formal, informal and shared leadership roles. we also discussed how systematic problem solving can be beneficial to a group and how to effectively use these skills to come to a solution and meet their goals. in my section spoke about the importance of communicating group solutions to the problems they may encounter and how is it helpful to share results with other teams. 

    Overall each group did an amazing job in presenting and thoroughly explains their chapter. each group went above and beyond in including examples of the topics they were covering to only from the book but in real life. Although we are just getting to know each other  i noticed our group already had some great communication skills and prior knowledge on how to use those skills. Not only was this an assignment but it was also a teaching moment for the whole class. communication is definitely a life skill the should be taught to everyone because not only does it make life easier but it connects us as a whole. i personally, learned a few new skills to keep in mind when communicating with my peers. i learned about the importance of differences among groups of people and how great it is to embrace other cultures and learn something new from everyone. this presentation project laid down the structure for what it yet to come from this class with professor Sherri. i look forward to applying these newly learned skills into our future assignments and plan on taking them with me when i am practicing in my career.