The decision making activity was nothing short of frustrating. With such a large class & so many voices trying to be heard, I took the "avoidance" route. It wasn't that I was uninterested in what was being discussed, but it was because the whole process was so chaotic and I wasn't sure if I wanted to waste my breath. I sat back and listened to the stubborn arguments being made. The people that wanted their way and their way only were the ones screaming and shutting out any other possible alternative. Raising my voice & joining in wouldn't have benefited the situation. Instead I listened, and if I heard an idea that I agreed with then I would occasionally chime in with the "yeah!". My side of the classroom seemed to follow the same path of avoidance. It was probably because we were all the way to the far left of the room and felt that our voices wouldn't be as loud as the others sitting in the center of the room.
The "compete to win" behavior was what I noticed more because those were the louder people in the class. If people disagreed with them then they would get angry and try even harder to force their ideas down our throats. The biggest argument started over the question of whether we should have an essay portion to the next exam. The people who didn't want the essay were more of the "compete to win" people. The people who wanted the essay took the "collaborating" approach by explaining how we would never get a unanimous vote on no essay so the best idea would be to agree on the formatting of a possible essay. The leader of the decision making process followed the "compromise" behavior because she tried to mediate the whole process and it seemed like she had no underlying agenda.
If we were to do the whole process over again I wouldn't know what approach to take. The only thing I can suggest is getting the goals written down on the board faster so that the group can physically see the options. We started doing this far too late and so instead people felt they needed to scream their ideas. If their opinions were presented on the board then they probably would have been quieter haha.
Overall, I agree that the discussion was frustrating. When a few people take the compete to win approach, a lot of people's opinions are overshadowed. It would have been better if the class had implemented rules for the discussion. For example, only one person can speak at a time, a person must raise their hand to be able to speak, and if you speak out of turn, you will be punished!!!
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