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21 Reflecting on Group Work

Cascadia College COLL101 Team

Introduction: Why We Reflect

You’ve reached the end of your group project in College 101. Congratulations!  🎉 Hopefully the tools you learned in the past two chapters helped your group sail through the project. This is your moment to pause and look back.

 

Reflection is one of the most valuable tools for learning. It helps you connect what happened with what you learned and identify what you might do differently next time. Reflection has been studied by countless researchers over the years and research demonstrates that learning increases when reflection takes place.[1] Moreover, students who engage in reflection are more likely to achieve their goals (Dweck, 2006), and there’s even a connection between reflection and self-confidence.[2][3]

 

So, reflection is not busy work, it’s a proven part of how you learn, grow, and get better at what you do.

What to Reflect On

So, what exactly should you reflect on? Think of this as the director’s commentary on your group project. You’re looking back not just to rewatch what happened, but to analyze it and find what worked, what didn’t, and what role you played in the story.

Here are a few areas to think about as you reflect:

  1. Your Contribution
    • What strengths did you bring to your group?
    • Did you take iniaitve? Stay orgnaized? Support others? Solve problems?
    • What role did you play in your group project? Did your role shift overtime or stay consisent?It’s not about bragging. It’s about recognizing what you already do well, so you can build on it next time.
  2. The Group Process
    • How did your group divide the work? Do you think the division of labor was equitable or not? How did that affect the group experience and project outcome?
    • Did your communication plan work well?
    • What were your greatest challenges working in this group? What were your greatest rewards?Reflecting on these questions, even if your project went great, is useful for identifying what you want to do again.
  3. What You’d Do Differently
    • How did you grow as a participant in this group project?
    • How do you think these new skills will affect your future decisions when working on a group project? For example, what will you do differently to improve your performance and your group’s performance?

You’ll have an opportunity to more deeply reflect on questions like these when you complete the Small Group Reflection in College 101.

Looking Ahead

You’ve completed the project. You’ve reflected on what happened. Now the question is: What’s next?

 

This reflection isn’t just about what your group did, it’s about what you want to do differently next time. That might mean speaking up earlier. Or organizing things better. Or practicing your anti-procrastination skills.

 

You don’t have to get everything right on the first try. That’s not how learning works. What matters is whether you take what you’ve learned during this project and use it next time. Group work won’t end with this assignment, or when you finish college. It shows up everywhere: In jobs, relationships, volunteering, gaming, sports, pretty much anytime you must get something done with other humans.  

 

So, as you look ahead ask yourself: What kind of teammate do I want to be and what’s one small step I can take to get there?

 

Up next is the Small Group Project Reflection – a short activity where you’ll tell the story of your group project, highlight what worked and name what you want to try next time.

 

This isn’t about writing a perfect answer. It’s about being honest, specific, and thoughtful, so that the next time group work shows up, you’re ready for it.

  1. Conrad, N.J. (2013). Practicing what is preached: Self-reflections on memory in a memory course. Teaching of Psychology, 40, 44-47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628312465863 ↵
  2. Yancey, K. B. (1998). Getting beyond exhaustion: Reflection, self-assessment, and learning. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 72(1), 13–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098659809599378 ↵
  3. Cavilla, D. (2017). The Effects of Student Reflection on Academic Performance and Motivation. SAGE Open, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017733790 ↵

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