Sustainability Progress Reflection 4 - Planning

"Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other." - Edmund Burke

The exemplar project we looked at in class differed from my expectations in two main ways. The first being their outcome, everyone in class (including myself) had the impression that our outcome should be something active. A case study, to me at the very least, was an outcome you would use for an independent project. The second way the exemplar deviated from my expectations was the way it was structured. My group has been using the mark scheme to organise our plan and the exemplar didn't to that. By looking at the exemplar plan, my group and I managed to spot some points that we thought they missed base on the mark scheme. Due to this, we are doing yet another edit on the draft of the project plan.


As a group, we have decided to set the dateline of our group project for the 15th of December. We wish to get the plan done before the school holidays, so that when we come back, we can get started on achieving our outcome. We have pretty much completed most of the plan, everything (but the timeframes) has already been written down some time ago. We only have to finish our Gannt Chart. Over the weekend, we worked on it we it is very much still a draft and we will continue to edit next week.

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams

sustainability Progress Reflection 3

"RECONSIDER, v. To seek a justification for a decision already made." - Ambrose Bierce 

Today, we discussed the aspects the draft of our written plan did not meet the mark scheme. We discussed what was missed and had to be added. I also clarified some understanding problems Jia Yi had. Then, I set the editing and revision as homework. 
After which, we set about reviewing the T-Shirt designs and gave Jia Yi feedback on how to improve them. There were several bumps that I hope we can clear up by tomorrow's lesson. While Jia Yi continued to edit the designs with Wen Wen acting as artistic examiner, Mia and I brainstormed possible questions we could pose to the Nexus community. 


While we worked efficiently during the first part of the lesson, I think that with hindsight, the second part of the lesson could have been much more organised. I think we wasted a lot of time focused on the designs and all voicing our opinions at once to poor Jia Yi. Anyway, I will keep that in mind for next lesson to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." - Rodin

Belbin Team Roles Reflection

"No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes a whole orchestra to play it." - H.E. Luccock 

Team worker (MIA) - People

Strengths: Most supportive, diplomatic, flexible 

Weakness: Indecisive in dynamic situations

Monitor evaluator (ALL) - Thinking

Strengths: Objective, strategic, values accuracy over speed

Weakness: Too critical

As a group, we are prone to over-analyse.This is probably the root of our long discussions and decision making. While we think about the details and consider a problem from all angles, it has the potential to go a bit too far.

Solution: Put time limits on discussions.

Since we all have a critical eye for detail and have a tendency to be overwhelmed by the nitty gritty, the time limits remind us to stay on track and not deviate too far from our original goal.

Plant (JIA YI, MIA, WEN WEN) - Thinking

Strengths: Creative, imaginative, problem-solver

Weakness: Absent-minded, lack of attention to detail

Solution: All Plants (ignores detail) are Monitor Evaluators too (critical and detailed).Therefore the two traits even each other out.

"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in" - Andrew Jackson

Shaper (JACELYN) - Action

Strengths: Dynamic, considerable drive, thrives under pressure 

Weakness: Abrasive / Insensitive 

Solution: Remind Jacelyn to tone down a bit when she starts to get scary. And, chill when under pressure.

A shaper and team worker balance each other's extreme qualities. It also helps that in our team, everyone pitches in to remind Jacelyn not to get to out of hand and to include Mia in the decision making. 

Complete Finisher (JACELYN) - Action

Strengths: Meticulous, conscientious, searches out errors and omissions 

Weakness: Worrier, nit-picker, reluctant to delegate 

Solution: Remind Jacelyn not to take it too far. It will be a useless group project if only she does majority of the work. And, if she gets too anxious, the others need to calm her down.

Implementer (JIA YI, WEN WEN) - Action

Strengths: Organised, disciplined, reliable

Weakness: Inflexible 

Solution: A team worker's flexibility makes up for an implementer's inflexibility. In addition, both are monitor evaluators and therefore can be reasoned with. 

MISSING!

"In every obstacle there is an opportunity." - Anon

Specialist

Strength: Deep knowledge 

Weakness: Limited contribution

Result: We think the limited contribution of a Specialist outweighs the potential of expertise. We feel that we can do without. I think, knowledge is gained by learning and while helpful, it is not necessary to come into a group with a preexisting well of knowledge.

Resource Investigator

Strengths: Networker, enthusiastic

Weakness: Over-optimistic, easily bored

Result: We shall have to make do and take the initiative to find and contact the people related to our project. 

Coordinator

Strengths: Motivator, clarifies goals, facilitator 

Weakness: Manipulative, Over delegates

Result: We have to rely on each other to motivate us when needed. We will also have to clearly state our work and goals at the end of every discussion to ensure that everyone has a clear idea of what we are doing.

"Forethought we may have, undoubtedly, but not foresight." - Napoleon Bonaparte

An entirely valid point that Wen Wen brought up was, that she thinks the "labeled" roles, are very subjective to the mood of an individual at the time of the test, therefore these problems are more "possible" problems, clashes and conflicts that we might face rather than "fact".

I completely agree with her and in hindsight realised that we merely stated our top 3 roles. We did not include the strength of the of the role. In addition, some of the traits attributed to a certain role was the opposite of another, and an individual "supposedly" had both these conflicting characteristics. 

For complete notes of the discussions, go to: http://u-nicorns.blogspot.com/2011/11/reviewing-team-roles.html and http://u-nicorns.blogspot.com/2011/12/reviewing-team-roles-continued.html

"It is the responsibility of leadership to provide opportunity, and the responsibility of individuals to contribute." - William Pollard

Sustainability Progress Reflection 2

"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going." - Earl Nightingale  

Today, we received the mark scheme for the Group Project. I really like it because now we know what exactly is expected of us, we won't be groping around in the dark anymore.

In terms of the group element, I learnt that the Project Plan contributes a large portion (half) to the total mark. I think that because of this we should really spend more time on planning and make sure we meet all of the criteria. This refutes my initial assumption about finishing the plan by the end of next week. I understood the time frame element of the plan better. It must realistic and appropriate. Miss Gita said that your time frame proposal should acknowledge when things could change because of events out of your control. I now feel more confident in tackling the proposal of timeframes. 

In terms of the individual element, I learnt all of is basically evaluation and reflection. I realised that when evaluating, I am expected to provide evidence and explanation of my learning and contemplation of my learning. In the evaluation of the group project plan and process, I became aware that I would also need to give "well-considered" suggestions for improvement of the project, plan or focus. 

"Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines." - Brian Tracy

Sustainability Progress Reflection 1

"He who fails to plan, plans to fail."

During the lessons, we started transcribing our planning to a formal document. Miss Gita suggested a deadline of 3 weeks, but my target is to finish it within 2 weeks. However, in hindsight, it might take longer because with the exception of myself everyone else in the group has and will have time constraints this week. Mia was absent on Tuesday and Jia Yi and Wen Wen will be in Langkawi tomorrow. Anyway, since I distributed the writing of the plan to everyone, I asked them to at least spend some time reading what the others wrote and determining if they agree or not. We will then discuss it. Theoretically, by Monday afternoon, we will have an agreed and edited version of the plan (with the exception of the proposed time frame part).

In terms of research and information, I was the only one who completed the set homework (a preliminary research about solar panels in general). To compensate, everyone chose a specific type of photovoltaic cell to research for homework due on Monday. Meanwhile, I will be looking at the uses of photovoltaic panels in Malaysia. During our regular Wednesday lunch time meeting, we also decided that we would send out a survey about Nexus as a green school by next week. I hope that with schedules back to normal next week, our collaboration will be more productive.

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." - Ryunosuke Satoro

Peak Oil Self - Reflection

"The brightest light moving away from us, unless it be reflected, is darkness to us."

1. What have I contributed to the group project?

As the group leader, I have striven to efficiently and effectively organise our group work evenly and to assign work to the strengths of each member. In terms of contribution to the outcome, I wrote the part of the script for the video.

2. What would I do differently next time?  Why?

I would motivate others in my group to do their work. I will constantly keep in mind to not be overbearing and to encourage my other members to contribute. 

3. What have I learnt about working together?

I learnt that as a group we need to be aware of the time we spend on discussions as we tend to get carried away and we need to constantly remind each other not to get distracted or go off tangent. Generally, our communication seems to be fine but we had a slight bump during the mock project so I'm making a conscious effort to ensure that I state things clearly in the future. 

4. What has been good / challenging about working as part of a group?

Outside of class time, hardly ever meet together. All whole group discussions are limited to those lessons. Therefore, we work at a slower pace because it is hard to find a convenient time to meet. 

5. What have I learnt about;

• deciding on and planning a project?

I have learnt that deciding on a focus while pretty straight forward, took longer than strictly necessary. I didn’t learn anything new about planning a project but I discovered more effective ways of doing so. 

• planning and producing research?

I learnt that as a group, it is a good idea to do an initial, general research before deciding on the aspects of interest for each member to concentrate on. 

• reading and presenting my ideas?

I haven’t actually learnt anything new about this. I merely had to articulate my thoughts into written words that I shared with the group. If anyone need clarification or a summery, I would just orally respond. 

• time management?

I learnt that as a group, we will need to keep that in mind because we all are easily distracted. However, Miss Gita has suggested some ideas that we might implement to ensure that we do not waste precious time.

6. What would you do differently to develop these skills?
I would make "check points" to ensure that keep on track with our work and time. I would also be firmer with Jia Yi and Wen Wen because they tend to get distracted together. 

7. How did I approach my individual contribution?

I approached it with my strengths and interest in mind. I chose to contribute with a piece of writing about an aspect that interested me. 

8. What are the most valuable points I have learnt? Why?

I learnt that we take a really long time to plan. This is important because now that we have identified one of our weakness, we can work to ensure that it does not become crippling. I also learnt that we, as a group we are easily distracted. Now, we just have to work to remember that. 

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." - Leo Tolstoy

Peak Oil Group Reflection

"People of the world don't look at themselves, and so they blame one another." - Mevlana Rumi

1. What area of study did you choose? Why?

Our area of study was the future. Our project focus was "What would happen if oil ran out today?" We chose it because it was appealing to all of us especially me (Jacelyn) because I watched a documentary. Then, I intrigued the rest of the group by recommending the said documentary. We also decided to do it because we wanted to do something that did not involve money and a lot of time.

2. What did your groups hope to achieve? What was your proposed outcome?

We hoped to discourage people from living excessively and encourage them to live sustainably; with our main focus being the use of plastic bags. We planned to achieve this by creating a video and presentation to be shown to all secondary learners during an assembly.

3. How could you critically evaluate the success of your outcome?

We would have had a discussion; sent out a survey and use the feedback to consolidate our evaluation.

4. What were your specific group roles and responsibilities? How did you organise this Was the allocation effective?

Jacelyn - Shaper, wrote video script.

Jia Yi - Secretary, IT expert, to create video.

Mia - Informal transcriber, wrote and edited script.

Wen Wen - Odd-jobber, found videos, pictures, and edited script.

5. Did your project have enough scope for every group member to play an active, full time part in the group work? How could you improve this?

We had enough scope for everyone to play an active role in the group work. We all contributed ideas equally. The distribution was pretty ideal so there isn't much room for improvements.

6. Was the workload manageable in the time frame given?

It was manageable, some tasks were finished ahead of schedule, others were delayed. 

Improvements: Set a timer to help us keep track of time, since we take ages to make decisions because of the discussion involved. 

7. How effective were your minutes and agendas?  How did they help you?  How could you improve them?

Our agendas were not extremely effective or helpful, except to remind us of what we did in the previous lesson. I (Jacelyn) personally, haven't even seen them. We didn't take minutes as such but we took notes of ideas and decisions made during the meeting. Sometimes, flow of conversation was also recorded. We found our notes we found more useful especially in our reflections and in distinguishing the exact dates things occurred. 

Improvements: Make our agendas like our notes and have both minutes and notes. 

8. How did you gather information and opinions / viewpoints from a personal, national / local and global perspective?

We researched on the Internet. We used our personal experiences to decide on the best form of communication to our target audience. (our age group)

9. How did/could you ensure you consider all these perspectives in your project?

He made a fish bone diagram that encompassed the perspectives. Improvement: Checklist.

10. Would your outcome need to be accompanied by some additional explanation or elaboration?

A little bit. We would have needed to explain how our final outcome links with our focus; explaining the thought process.

11. How could you make sure you include cross-cultural views?

Compare our target audience (secondary learners) in different schools (National, Chinese, Tamil, International).

"Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From quiet reflection will come even more effective action." - Peter F. Drucker

Peak Oil Progress Update 5

"Democracy means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking." - Clement Attlee

After much talking, discussion, evaluation and our daily dose of debate, our group have decided to pack up our plans for the mock project and move on. We shall take the skills and knowledge we learnt from this mock project to begin anew our real project. We decided to stop here because we feel that the mock project no longer has much to offer us in terms of developing our skills and it will merely take up valuable time we need for our real, sustainability project. While we feel that it is a waste of effort in terms of what we have completed in the mock project, we think the deadline of January / February is too close to delay our real project. So we close a chapter of our lives, turn the page and begin a new one.

"Begin today. Declare outloud to the universe that you are willing to let go of struggle and eager to learn through joy." - Sarah Ban Breathnach

Gantt Charts

"Time equals life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life." - Alan Lakein

What is a Gantt Chart? 

A Gantt Chart is analogous to a horizontal bar chart. The x axis is a timeline upon which bars representing specific tasks are layered and linked. It is a visual method of representing any particular project or work schedule.

Why should we use them?

We should use them because they are a great organisational tool. In addition, because it is a time management tool, it allows for 1) multitasking, 2) optimal use of time and 3) efficient management of resources.  

Tips For Using Gantt Charts

1. Distribute workload of the group evenly

2. Colour code tasks to signify different people

3. Keep the chart simple and easy to understand, 

4. Limit the tasks to less than 30 activities for greater reliability

5. Allow slack in the time schedule for unforeseen events

6. Those who have completed their task should be encouraged to refer to the chart and 
assist those who have incomplete tasks

"The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it" - Shoppenhauer

Peak Oil Progress Update 4

"A group is a bunch of people in an elevator. A team is also a bunch of people in an elevator, but the elevator is broken!" - Bonnie Edelstein

I was sick and away the last time my group met up. During my absence, my group members decided to narrow down and focus on a specific aspect of our original project focus.


"Main outcome is to encourage people to use less oil-based products --->  discourage the use of plastic bags ----> encourage the use of recycle bags ---> give out recycle bags to people to use. (Possibly even buy. If we have a sponsor, we can just give them out)" - An extract of the notes taken during the discussion on the 14 October 2011

In the following meeting, where I was present, I pointed out, what I deemed, a glaring flaw in their plan. As Mia summarises, I said, 


"A sponsor for a project we will not be graded on seems useless. Since this is not a real graded project, she suggests something that will not require money. She suggests instead of giving out recycle bags, we promote the use of recycle bags. Once again, the idea of the amount of effort to put into a practice project comes up. Finance is a big problem too. Spending too much money on a project we will not be graded on seems foolish." - An extract of the notes taken during the discussion on the 17 October 2011

After that, we conversed about the method of promoting the use of plastic bags. We decided that it will be best to create a movie to discourage secondary learners from living excessively and making a live presentation to encourage learners to live sustainability and specifically, use recycle bags. 

To reach this point took approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. I assume from that you can gauge just how long it took us to debate and decide about the methods of achieving our outcome.

"If things seem under control, you are just not going fast enough." - Mario Andretti