The five stages of team development include forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. When I think about the final stage,adjourning, I immediately think of the first team of teachers I taught with. More specifically I think of the four who supported me throughout the year. I found this group to be one of the hardest to leave because we had experienced such as horrible year together. We depended on each other to get through. No one else will ever truly know what it was like to be on our team during that time will all the obstacles that we faced. It was sort of like a teaching sorority in the at way we were bonded by our failures and successes. As far as closing rituals go, we had one last outing together as one team at a local bar for happy hour. The usual commiserating occurred before we said our last goodbyes. Of the six four of us left the school at the end of the year. We promised to stay in touch and we have. About year later everyone who was still living in the area got together for lunch and we reminiscence. That was about three years ago. Few of us still get together every now and then.
I imagine that the adjourning stage of the group I have worked with during this course will occur in the same fashion as previous courses as a norm has been established. We will share our thank yous and lessons learned from one another on our blogs and maybe send individuals more specific remarks on our time together. I believe that this adjournment is significantly less emotional simple because we haven't met in person or spent time getting to know one another on a personal level outside of our course requirements. I believe it would be much more challenging if our class met in person. Regardless adjournment is important because it is an opportunity to share any last remarks, mend damaged relationships, and to thank others for their time. It is a way to leave things on a positive note. You never know when you might meet up with someone again and possibly even have to work together.
Good Job on your posts as always! I have never really thought about a group project being so technical until I started taking this class, but it all makes sense.
ReplyDeleteNice job on your blog. I can truly relate to your post because I was placed in the same situation. Being a first year teacher with my own class and having an awesome assistant who had my back and we both supported each other. We went through a lot together, but we never went against each other. I was truly hurt when we got separated and was placed in other classes and schools because we were great together as a team. I then learned I have to learn to work with different people who may have different attitudes.
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