Something crucial to consider over summer

"In every group the participants soon tend to identify certain individuals that they like more than other members, and others that they like less. These subtle relationships of friendship and antipathy – the sociometric patterns- have an important influence on the group’s activities. Some research indicates that people tend to agree with people they like and to disagree with people they dislike, even though both express the same idea."
- Jaques, D. and Salmon, G. (2006) Learning in groups: a handbook for face-to-face and online environments. 4th edn. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis

Looking back over the first year of the course: 

can you recall moments where you listened to the person rather than the point they were making? 

Be honest: did that affect how you received what they were saying? 

How will this affect the ways in which you approach the second year of the course - what you say, how you say it, what you hear and take on board or reject, who you choose most often to listen to, talk with, work with, and why?

How might  thinking about this information make your second year and the work of the group even more positive , investigative and creative ?

In fact, when viewed in a positive light, conflict can in fact be used as a tool for development of ideals and refinement. When forced to defend your ideas, you are often compelled to deepen your understanding of the problem at hand. Convincing yourself that you’re right isn’t all that hard. Convincing someone who doesn’t initially agree with you is much more difficult and requires a bulletproof argument. Successful partnerships are the ones where the partners are able to learn not just from their coaches, but from each other. Just make sure that in the course of argument you’re defending your good ideas, not just your pride. 

Busbin, C. (2014) Shut Up and Dance: Conflict Resolution in Dance Partnerships. Available

at: http://christopherbusbin.com/shut-up-and-dance-conflict-resolution-in-dance-partnerships/