In the beginning of the semester Dr. McCoy led discussions and us students were responsible to respond. As a class, we struggled to be participants. Dr. McCoy worked to pull thoughts out of us, and constantly asked us to unpack. I can remember when Dr. McCoy would say, “Jessica you’re nodding unpack.” It felt like pulling teeth at some points. Now we can elaborate and add to the conversation without que from an instructor.
The biggest test we had as a class was when Dr. McCoy left for a business trip. Due to traveling Dr. McCoy missed one class period. It was now our responsibility to get the energy going and to get involved. To my surprise we were successful at completing a discussion for the whole class period.
We all have grown so much. Earlier in the semester, only a few people were participating in class. Part of the problem was most of the ideas presented in discussion only branched off previous classmates. Now we know how to present an alternative or disagree with a classmate without fearing that we will offend anyone. I can admit that I would shut down sometimes when someone disagreed with me. I have grown to accept the challenges in group work. Generally, I am happy when people share their different arguments because I never would have thought of it otherwise! We should have different voices in groups and communities. One of the biggest lessons I have learned, is that the best breakthroughs come from a group rather than a few individuals.
The semester is coming to the end and our time doesn’t feel rushed or stressful like my other classes. Our final project is coming up and we all know that we can use our class time efficiently to get it done. Students usually dread group projects. I don’t feel this way about our group project though. I am confident that my group will work together to create a great letter. We have learned the strategies and techniques to work together despite who is in the group. I am thankful for how much I have grown and that INTD isn’t stress inducing as the semester ends.