What I have Learnt.
FACILITATING UPPER PRIMARY STUDENTS
I enjoyed running each session with the students. When I was facilitating them, they were more hyperactive and rowdier than I expected. There are many instances, where they would become so loud that we had to shout over them to get their attention.
This was where I learnt the importance of setting limits. Assuming appropriate authority is important, being welcoming but also firm, especially when they are disruptive. There was a disruptive student, Mufan who would constantly distract and argue with the other students. Hence, we had to actively limit his inappropriate behaviours, by reminding him about promises we made about cooperating and talking to him in private. I learnt the importance of not shaming students publicly as when we lightly reprimanded Mufan during one of the sessions he became unmotivated to participate afterwards.
Engaging students over a long duration is draining and hence properly allocating time to different group members to run certain parts of the programme made it a lot less taxing and allowed us to regain our energy and concurrently give everyone an equal opportunity to lead the students.
My group-mates were cooperative and very active in their roles. There aren’t many conflicts that arose and a big reason was that we often discussed and settled any issues that arose immediately, making the planning process smooth-sailing. This whole experience has taught me how to apply the group theories I learnt in class and working with others to ensure that the programme runs smoothly.
REFERENCES
An Overview of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI). (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.kilmanndiagnostics.com/overview-thomas-kilmann-conflict-mode-instrument-tki
Lindsay, T., & Orton, S. (2014). Groupwork practice in social work (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, LA: Sage.
