HECS 1100 Learning Together, Working Together| Learning Set Assessment Task | By Jodie Brown, Carole Fawcett, Debbie Fairhurst, Helena Judge, Helena Bonallie and Hannah Crowther| [Pick the date] | Learning Set Poster Assessment Task Within the Learning Together Working Together tutorials we were assigned to a group and given the task of designing an A4 poster which communicated information to a specific target group. The project the group chose was an A4 poster on ‘Recognising stress in carers’ aimed at carers.
The group interpreted the brief as non-paid carers having someone dependent upon them such as a mother caring for her baby or a young person caring for an elderly relative. The group originally chose the project on respect towards older people aimed at 15-19 year olds however, following a group discussion decided to change the project to recognising stress in carers. This was because the group felt that the carers topic was currently highlighted in the media and there was a large volume of literature available from a variety of sources.
The group also felt that the respect towards elders project was quite a broad topic which could be interpreted in many different ways which may have been challenging to convey on a poster. The group preferred a poster over a leaflet as they felt it could reach a wider audience when placed anywhere rather than someone having to physically collect a leaflet. The group also thought a poster would be more eye catching, easier to read and concise for stressed busy carers who wouldn’t want to read large volumes of text. 152 words
Initially the group did not assign specific roles to individual members as the group was only in the Forming stage (Tuckman1965), therefore, each member carried out their own individual research, gaining more knowledge on carers and the impact of stress. The team thought that different research approaches would cover all areas and allow equal input and workload from all members. The Storming stage (Tuckman1965) became evident as the resources individuals had gathered were discussed and the most relevant information was chosen.
From this discussion the set decided upon the information, design and direction. This then lead into the Norming stage (Tuckman1965) where strengths and weaknesses became apparent which enabled task allocation to be easier. For example, one member having had experience in mental health initiated an idea taken from Bramham’s vulnerability bucket (date) and another member having good IT skills worked on putting the poster together based on other members inputs.
These positive roles along with plant, shaper and other pos roles (138 words) Development of the group was very positive, the team progressed through Tuckman’s (1965) Stages without any conflict or problems which the learning set believed was an achievement as without this the poster would not have been produced as quickly and successfully. The main basis of the poster was decided early, giving the group plenty of time to improve and refine it with each meeting.
Each member demonstrated an adult to adult relationship (Thompson 2006) with excellent communication skills throughout. As everyone became closer and felt more comfortable, it was easier to express views, portray opinions and be able to negotiate, ultimately meaning better ideas were created. Also the group was extremely open to various individual ideas which, as a result, allowed the discussions of advantages and disadvantages to reach an agreement. 131 words) The most challenging aspect of the project was that the initial idea didn’t work well on paper as it was too crowded so, it had to be adapted, without losing the concept. This took considerable time and effort however, spending this time meant that the final poster was of a higher quality. (52 words) Within the learning set respect was demonstrated throughout. This was initiated by a list of rules that were formulated at the original meeting that set the basis of how each member should behave towards one another.
These were adhered to during the entire project. (Appendix 1) Acknowledgment of each members strengths and weaknesses was demonstrated the ensure that others thoughts, ideas and actions were encouraged and not dismissed. Every individuals perspectives were considered when making a group decision for example, information was shared within the file exchange on the virtual leaning environment enabled the opportunity for viewpoints to be shared. 100 words) Upon reflection on Action (Schon 1983, 1987), the group would try assigning roles to each member to see whether it was more effective. The roles could be rotated around so that each member had a go at each role. Another idea upon reflection was to formulate an Action Plan with deadlines so each person could have a step by step approach to formulate. The learning set believe these ideas wouldn’t alter the final product but could possibly improve the working style. (81 words). TOTAL WORD COUNT: 802
