Page 250 - Learning to Learn

READING EXPERIENCE 9: PERFORMING WHEN BEING EVALUATED
250 L EARNING TO LEARN: BECOMING A SELF-GROWER
the communication will occur and the length of time allowed for the communication are important issues
which influence the remaining steps of the Communication Methodology.
Our team knew they had ten minutes to deliver their presentation—which is, as Jennifer pointed
out, actually quite a bit of time to stand in front of a group of people. They knew theirs was a “smart
room,”well equipped with audio-visual resources (“if we present our research in a variety of ways it will
make it more interesting,” Fred pointed out). They were also all in agreement that a high grade was a
common goal. (“That means telling Professor Arbuckle something he doesn’t already know,”Ken said.)
Step 3—Set Objectives and Criteria
Use the previous steps (identify topic, purpose, and scope of your communication) to help establish the
objectives for your communication. Your objectives should also include specific criteria used to assess the
message and the effectiveness of the communication.
Sam pointed out that Professor Arbuckle had already given them a set of learning objectives for
Teamwork.
• Appreciate and begin to use team roles in a collaborative learning environment
• Make appropriate use of team reports
• Apply SII Assessments to team outcomes
Sandra nodded and mentioned that the objective of their presentation should be to demonstrate
that they’d mastered the learning objectives for Teamwork. Ken said that he thought the criteria
for their presentation would have to be a kind of “proof” that they’d met the objectives; the
presentation should make it clear that they had become familiar with using team roles, that they’d
worked together to explore the roles, and that they’d successfully used a collaborative process to
create their presentation.
“And,” added Jennifer, “that we used SII Assessment to improve our ability to work as a team.”
Fred grinned and said, “Well, correct me if I’mwrong, but the five of us getting this presentation put
together will be proof of all of those things...?”
Sandra agreed but added, “I think we need to make sure we do incorporate assessment along the
way; we shouldn’t just wait until the end.”
Everyone agreed that this made sense.
Step 4—Gather Information
Prepare to construct your message by gathering information relevant to the topic. Begin with identifying
what you already know and then determine what information you still must obtain. It is very helpful to
use the Information Processing Methodology to increase your knowledge of the subject area and enhance
understanding of the language used to communicate effectively.
Over pizza, the team had a brainstorming session led by Sam. Books were kept closed as he
quizzed them about what they had learned about teamwork over the semester.
“Our knowledge now represents our baseline,” he said. “Most people in class will know as much as
we do. Now, how can we push our knowledge of teamwork further?”
Fred laid his half-chewed pizza crust down on his oily paper plate. “Urr Edmuffd Hlurm,” he said
around a mouthful of crust.