▶ Your Answer : In the reading passage, there is ample
support for the author's claim that making people work in groups has a positive
effect in their achievements. However, the professor in the lecture gives
several reasons as a rebuttal to the author's statement.
First, the professor emphasizes how the
recognition that is earned by the group achievement is shared equally by all
members of the group no matter how much each member contributed to the group
work. Even if some people are just free-riders, when the group project goes
will, they are rewarded just like the actual contributors. As a result, those
members who put a tremendous amount of effort for the group project become
unpleasant after the project ends. This refutes the reading passage's assertion
that an experience of participating in a group project may be valuable to
members because they get chances to get their contributions and ideas to be
revered.
Second, the professor mentions about how
working in a group takes a lot of time. Since people have to continue to make
agreements on numerous matters when they work in a group, it takes a longer
time for them to get the work done compared to the case where they work
individually. This rebuts the reading passage's claim that people can work more
quickly because they posses a wider range of knowledge and skills.
Finally, the professor contends that
fascinating ideas may be ignored in group projects. When working in groups,
there usually are some highly influencial people within the group that decide
the direction of the whole project. If these people consider a particular idea
absurd, that idea is very likely to be dropped out of choice, even though that
idea might be a highly meaningful one. This casts doubt upon the reading
passage's argument that people can make risky choices when working in groups.
For
these reasons, the professor in the lecture successfully illustrates how group
projects are ineffective. |