All entries for Monday 29 October 2018

Back to Kindergarten

A big part of my decision to join WMG rests in unique learning style offered by the Management for Business Excellence (MBE) program. The formative assessment style does not focus on marked examinations or presentations rather it focuses on feedback on individual and group performance to enable healthy growth and improved overall performance.

In practice I have observed, at an individual level, the ability to take calculated risks and focus on experimentation during my class with presentations and activities. This in turn has allowed me to think outside the box and explore possible unorthodox and creative solutions to conventional problems.

In contrast, when I discuss with my colleagues about their experience during class, I often get to hear how they’re having difficulty adjusting to the various styles of the group members and how the threat of marked presentation creates an edgy atmosphere which often results in mini-conflicts. In MBE however, without the risk of losing marks, there is a more collaborative environment and group-thinking is prevalent rather than the individual desire to outshine other peers. In fact, all my peers and I encourage each other to improve upon our weaknesses rather than building on existing strengths. An example of this is the how we prepared for our presentations. Some of us lacked research skills, others lacked speaking confidence in another language, and therefore we created enough room for each other to faulter without having to think that we are dragging the group behind. In doing so, we encouraged each other to take a bare minimum part in those activities in which we felt we lacked. By the end of the module, each of us grew more comfortable not just with the people around us, but also with what we previously feared doing the most.

To summarize, I believe the way the MBE program is designed along with the feedback based formative assessment method allows the personal space to all those involved in the process to learn from each other, grow personally, and challenge themselves to explore their potential without having to fear about failing. As our Course leader Mr. Paul Roberts emphasizes that this is our year to experiment, make mistakes but most importantly to learn, in a safe space, so that we don’t make these mistakes in our future lives.

Naufal Ahmed : 29 Oct 2018 20:59 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem