LO5 Collaboration
Due to the transition from season two to season three of activities/service, a group of grade 9s replaced the grade 10s that we had worked with for the first two seasons of the year. We had not worked with the grade 9s before so we made sure to plan out activities and guidance before they came in order to be prepared for the last two seasons of the year. Since, as a group of grade 11s, we had gained experience and learnt how to collaborate and communicate, not only with each other, but also with the clients, this process was a lot easier, and it allowed us to transition smoothly.
It was relatively easy to work together as a large group because we were determined to continue to build a strong relationship with the clients at AMK Minds. However, due to the circumstances of COVID-19, we were not allowed to meet with the clients, but we still continued to prepare activities and brainstorm of better ideas to collaborate with them and enhance their basic hand-eye coordination skills.
In the first two seasons, we learnt a lot from the volunteers, about how we could improve our activities to best suit the clients. We were exposed to new ways of teaching and collaborating which allowed us to step out of our comfort zone, where we initially stuck to simple activities. Due to the weeks of time without meeting up with the client, we were able to develop ideas and turn them into simulations to see how they would work in a large group scenario.
Communication with AMK Minds stayed consistent, and we worked with them to discuss how best we could prepare for the future. After weeks of simulations, it was beginning to feel redundant, which was one of the biggest challenges we faced. Not being able to meet with the clients made it difficult to organise the activities into what worked and what did not.
However, we made sure to have meaningful discussions to ensure that we had the clients best interest, and to use our prior knowledge to come up with engaging and effective activities that could be implemented in the future, even if we were not the group to run them. Conclusively, although we might not be able to continue this service until the start of the next academic year, we have made sure to document our progress and video activities to ensure a smooth transition next year.
In this activity, collaboration is key in order to achieve our group outcome but also to keep in mind our personal goals. From the start of the academic year to know, huge progress has been accomplished by each member of the service. For me, I was initially uncomfortable when we first met with the clients, as it was a group of people that I had no experience working with. I was unsure of how to approach them and interact with them at ease. As a result, I was not able to collaborate effectively with them. However, as the season went on, I became more used to the group and I learnt from the volunteers as well as the other students. Most people were initially out of their comfort zone, so we made sure to have a discussion after each session in order to note where everyone was at and to support each other. It was important to communicate clearly in order to be successful in our outcome.
