Readings + Class Process

During the last class, I felt that we had made some progress with trying to come to a group conclusion, but we still have a long way to go before we are doing something like this properly. However, it was nice to see some improvement from the last time that we attempted something like this. In addition to our own previous experiences, we can use the readings to try and improve what we are doing.

Reading 18, I thought talked a lot about some pre-concieved notions that people carry around with them. I believe that that is a huge part of the problem that we are facing when trying to come to this decision. Each group came up with an idea that they had because they thought it was good and that it would work. Obviously every group came into this thinking that their idea was the one that should be used. And then when their idea didn't get picked, obviously it is going to be a shock and make the people in the group a little disapointed. That disapointment could make the people in each group a little more resistant to accepting the other ideas.

With the reading regarding the white supremasist families, you could see some of the things that the families did happening within the class. Many times, people would not say what they wanted to say out loud because they were worried about the way that their ideas may have been taken. It is not uncommon that in the heat of the moment, an argument can be shot down, and not always in the most considerate way. Instead, people would say their ideas to the people in their group, the people that they knew would think the same way that they did, and if not agree with them, at least support them.

I think for another activity like this, we need to be MUCH more structured if we even want to come close to being successful. I think there needs to be some type of moderator. There is always a problem because people start talking over one another and arguing with each other and no one can actually communicate with each other. There has to be a set of rules and if, after a while, people think that the rules are no longer working, they need to voice that opinion, and we can look into changing the rules. All in all, I just think having it be more structured would help greatly in making it successful.