I was able to easily recognize two examples of the paradoxes of engaging (Smith and Berg, 1987, Chapter 6), one from our class and another from my job. During the first weeks of class, we were told to write the "Where I'm From" assignment, and, if we were comfortable with it, to post it to BlackBoard. I initially thought, well, that's fine, I will do it but probably not post it. I just couldn't imagine sharing it with a class group. Smith and Berg point out "the most natural thing to do is reveal only those things that we are sure will be accepted" (p. 112). On the day that the assignment was due, I went to blackboard and saw that all three of my team-members had posted theirs. Not only did I enjoy reading them, I realized that in order to be a part of the group, I better post mine as well. So I did. This allowed the process of trust to begin among our group members. Did you encounter any examples of Smith and Berg's paradoxes the first few weeks of class? If so, which ones?
The other example is also one of disclosure, but it comes from my work. This time, it pertains to feedback, which is the benefit of having a group to begin with. As Smith and Berg point out, positive feedback does not lead to learning. Negative feedback has the potential to lead to learning. At work, I lead professional development groups (learning communities) with teachers. It is clear when leading the groups how few people are accustomed to giving or accepting feedback which is anything less than glorious. My big challenge to is create an environment of trust and disclosure which allows the teachers to learn how to give and accept feedback which leads to learning. This means making them comfortable with vulnerability and criticism. I do something similar to the example on pages 122-125, where we share common fears and lay groundwork for trust to be built. I use modelling, protocols and sharing to carry this out. The group spends about 90% of the time talking and I listen and facilitate. This works very well with small groups, but I am not sure how to scale it up to be successful for a large group. Have you ever had to lead a large group to face and move beyond fears of disclosure and trust? How did you do it? If not, how do you imagine that you would do it?
