My kiddos were working in pairs on an assignment last week. Here are some sprinkles of wisdom I've learned from them (not just limited to the classroom):
1. One person usually does more work. It could be because that person has more useful skills or talents or maybe the other person is not pulling his/her weight.
2. If a person can go unchecked without doing their share of the work, they most likely will. Even hard-working, well-meaning people will slack if they can get by with it. Especially if their outcome is the same, regardless of the work they did.
3. Just because you're a perfectionist or good at something, doesn't mean you have to take the project over. Some control freaks (myself included) think that no one can do it as well as they can. So they have to do everything. Thankfully, I'm letting go of that more and more.
4. Often, the point of the assignment is more about the task of cooperating with others rather than the final product. How you work with others says a lot about a person. What would your team say about you?
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