From UMassWiki

February 4, 2008

Contents 1 Today's in-class activities 2 Homework assignments 3 What we did last week

Today's in-class activities

• Test #2.
• Name Game, courtesy of Angela. Thank you! (Whoops! Postponed until Week 3!)
• Return Test #1 and in-class writing from last week.
• Analysis activity: important questions (trios)
• fishbowls
• Writing activity:

1. observations of interaction
2. categorize as "content" or "process" (use the definition in your head for what you think these terms mean)

• In-class reading/activity (in trios):

1. Discuss your definitions of "content" and "process." Can you agree on one? Write your definition at the top of two columns - on a sheet to turn in.
2. Compare the observations each of you made of the interactions. Group these observations into "like kinds" and try to come up with a label for each "kind."
3. Read What To Observe in a Group by Edgar A. Schein.
4. Did you categorize your observations in the same way as Schein or in a different way? Explain.
5. Think back to the first class, and the way class proceeded when you were working without the teacher. Which of Schein's decision-making procedures were used? Try to recall exact examples.

• Large group discussion. (Turn in one "report" per trio.)
• Self Evaluations #2

Homework assignments

Please complete this first part on Monday night (yes, tonight!) or early Tuesday (tomorrow!) morning.

1. Complete both surveys concerning how your policy preferences match up with the presidential candidates: Candidate of Choice

• In a word processing document, write (and save) a description of the results on both surveys. Explain what surprised you and why.
• Be sure you are signed in to your own Wordpress weblog account.
• Return to Steph's post with the two survey links and find the "Leave a Reply" box.
• Copy and paste in your answer, click "submit comment." Ideally, your comment will appear automatically. If it does not appear, check again in a few hours. If it still does not appear, send Steph an email so I can check if you got intercepted as "spam."

1. • Is it only about the "leaders"? The ""followers" had questions too. Revisit the Schein article from class (the activity categorizing "important questions"). Identify which of the four spheres of activity does each part of the "followers" questions, concerns or quality's address:

a) interpersonal issues

b) patterns in group behavior

c) group task

d) issues of leadership

1. Read the "decision" about whether or not to go to the No Mas Farc protest that was posted by the three classmates' whose blognames you drew during class. Read and comment to their explanation: what type of decision-making procedure does their logic seem to support?

• You need to go to the Small Group Communication category page to find their posts.
• You need the article handed out during class, What to Observe in a Group, in particular the section on decision-making processes.
• You need to login with your Wordpress username so that you get credit for the post.
• ALSO - IMPORTANT! - each of you will need to find the "Comment" tab in your own weblog and "moderate" the comments received. They will probably not show up automatically. Once you "approve" them, then everyone can read them.

BUY or BORROW the first assigned book, After Dachau. The first 120 pages need to be read by February 19.

What we did last week

Do you remember? Did you take notes? Check out the photos and some results from the self evaluations.