Observation Paper

 Was it a useful exercise?  What did you learn?  What was good about the project?  What can be improved?

The observation project was a great exercise that allowed us to go beyond the readings, notes, and discussions. As students, we were able to use our knowledge from the class and connect it to our daily lives. Doing the observation project made me realize how important an outside observer can be to a group. 

In the beginning, I thought that small groups only needed input from the other members in the group. Yet, with the help of an outside observer, the group is able to look beyond their strengths and weaknesses. Not only that, an outside observer also saves the group more time to finish the project at hand. Throughout this class, I realized that gaining more input and having diverse opinions can greatly strengthen a group. 

For my observation project, I decided to study a different football team in my league. The captain made a compromise with me. I was able to watch one of their practices and a few of their games in exchange for my notes that I took on their team. Based on my observations, the team was able improve on their communication with one another. Not only did I get my paper done, the players that I observed became a better team! 

This was a great project to do, but with a few improvements, it can be much better. I feel that not only should the observers focus on strengths and weaknesses of the team, but they should also write about one person (not only the leader) in the team. If there was a section in the paper to write about one person from the group, I believe this project could be a bit more interesting. Other than that, I believe this was an enjoyable paper to write.