Team Papers Essay
Team PapersWorking on a project as a cohesive group can be just as daunting a task as the actual assignment itself. Group work is unsuccessful when team members are unevenly matched and one or two people are forced to carry the load for everyone, but team projects can be a positive experience when members are able to motivate and use each others strengths to the highest advantage.Teams are beneficial to the proofreading process because it gives the written paper more of a well rounded view.
People’s ideas on the main point and fluid transitions can differ and gathering the perspectives of the mass gives the individual many options on which path the paper should take. (Colorado State University)Conflicts can be avoided in group work when everyone is allowed to contribute ideas and have their work counted in the overall project. Group members need to be prepared to disagree with certain ideas. Critiquing work is an essential piece of creating a good product as long as it is done appropriately. Team members need to remember that questions to their work are not a direct insult, and others need to keep in mind that they cannot hold on to their personal stance too tightly. (Colorado State University) Above all conflict resolution techniques, and the fair treatment and equal amounts of input from everyone will ensure a smooth experience.
The team identity in the paper should be established before the writing process even begins. The writers need to decide if they are going to write the paper from one point of view, or include a discussion of conflicting points of views and conclusions that could be drawn. It is important to decide if the paper is going to be written in the same style throughout and to then choose the style that everyone is most comfortable with.
This choice will decide if the paper will sound as if one person wrote it, or the multiple voices of the group are going to stand out.Group work can be an exhaustive thought because an individual often feels that they do their best work when working alone, it is too hard to meet up with a group when people have different schedules, and some members of the team are inevitably not going to be as intelligent as others. (Middlecamp, C.) In order to alleviate team project stress it is helpful to remember why a particular assignment is being given as group work, and the positive outcomes the process can yield.ReferencesColorado State University. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from Writing Guides: Working inGroups Web site: http://writing.
colostate.edu/guides/processes/group/index.cfmMiddlecamp, C. Students Speak Out on Collaborative Learning.
Retrieved February 5,2009, from Teaching Stories Web site:http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/CL1/CL/story/middlecc/TSCMD.htm
