ETL504 Assessment 2 Part B – Reflection (500 words)

The case study group work was a great experience for me to learn about leadership skills that could be used in an informal working team temporarily formed for the project. In my blog post titled “Working with my group for case study 6” (Chen, 2019, September 28) I talked about the importance of communication and building trusting relationships when team work is patchy due to competitive priorities. Belbin (2010, p. 100)’s outlines the first step which is to set up a team goal that states the purpose of the team. Group 12’s communication was slow for the first case study (case study 3 online group response). No one posted their personal responses until three days before the group response was due. I followed Belbin’s strategy and sent out an email asking group members what they wanted to achieve from the group work and how they wanted to organize the group work. Communications started to flow after that.

Belbin (2010, p. 105) set out the steps of team building including identifying needs, finding ideas, formulating plans and following through. These steps provided a clear pathway for Group 12 to build up the team and sustain the team work. I plan to use these steps for managing my school library team. I discovered that effective communication and following the team building procedures are the key to promoting team morale and a more cooperative team thus underpinning future collaborations in the school.

As a teacher librarian, I have been involved in the collaborative team working on projects in partnership with the teachers. This type of team is similar to the group we formed for the case studies. In my blog post titled “Working with my group for case study 6” (Chen, 2019, September 28), I discussed some inspiring ideas of how to improve my collaborative work with the teachers. I had the misconception in the past that only people with personal relationships with co-workers or people with other common life experiences can work well as a group. As a new teacher librarian in the school only for a little over a year, I thought I was not in an advantageous position to collaborate with the teachers. Collay (2011, p. 116) asserted that collaboration is more compelling when it is beneficial to all partners especially when that partnership is successful in producing real outcomes which then becomes a strong foundation for other work. Personality is a factor but not the key factor that makes or breaks a team. I need to make successful collaboration by knowing about the subject contents the teachers are teaching and mapping out a plan with scheduled timeframes which are also flexible to accommodate changing conditions, for example, change of syllabus or teachers’ time tables. Purposeful planning is the key to successful collaboration.

The case study group work was facilitated by using the online communication tools including blog, Wiki and online discussion forum. I have learned the advantages and disadvantages of online learning in a group setting (refer to my post titled “what I have learned from the group work for the case study” (Chen, W. M., 2019, October 15). I plan to create an online learning portal with Google Classroom to reinforce inquiry learning and enhance communication and collaboration when I provide training for teachers to use the library’s databases. I believe the online learning portal will encourage Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and consequently enhance teachers’ knowledge and classroom practice (Goodnough, 2005). I will provide authentic learning experience by asking teachers to use the databases to solve problems their students would have when conducting research for their assignment topics. Group 12 members use their different work experiences to provide analysis to the case study. Sharing expertise is the key benefit of collaboration. In my database training, I will create opportunities for staff from different faculties to share their experiences in research processes in their respective subjects.

References:

Belbin, R. M. (2010). Team roles at work (2nd ed.). Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central.

Chen, W. M. (2019, September 28). Wen Chen Blog: Working with my group for case study 6 [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/wenchen0319/2019/09/29/study-case-6-reflection/

Siegel, E. (2010, November 10). The physics of global warming [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2010/11/the_physics_of_global_warming.php

Collay, M. (2011). Everyday teacher leadership: Taking action where you are. Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central

Goodnough, K. (2005). Fostering teacher learning through collaborative inquiry. Clearing House, 79(2), 88-92. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.3200/TCHS.79.2.88-93

Sampson, M. (2014, April 1). On acting collaboratively. In Michael Sampson: Cultivating productive collaboration. Retrieved from michaelsampson.net/2014/04/01/on-acting-collaboratively/