New Ideas and Reinforcement ~ Post 7!

"What new idea did you find in either of the readings? Did it change or reinforce your prior notions?" 

     The new idea which I gained this week was one which I already addressed within one of my forum posts. Coming out of Brookfield's 1995 work, it focuses on the idea that while there is an obvious class hierarchy in society, there is also a much less blatant hierarchy even within personal relationships and every day interactions. In his seventh chapter, Brookfield quotes Tiswell 1993) in saying "so while conversation can foster values of diversity, democracy, and openness, it can also marginalize and close down certain groups and perspectives". I don't think it is necessarily a new idea, but more or less something I had simply never considered before. "Structured silences and neglect of certain voices and perspectives" (Brookfield, Kindle Location 1960) is something I found myself noticing prominently while examining my experiences with a retrospective lense. Group work, generally speaking, usually consists of one or two core people leading and doing most of the work, while the others within the group tend to essentially stay quiet and do the work that these leaders allocate them. Often these leaders are the more charismatic and confident members of the group; personal knowledge doesn't always play that large of a factor. These other group members are marginalized and largely ignored because they don't have certain traits that are seemingly 'necessary' to lead.

     I guess the next question worth asking would be "where do these traits come from"? In my experience, it tends to correlate strongly with socioeconomic background, which was a large theme in this weeks readings. It seems that most of these charismatic and leader-oriented individuals I've encountered throughout my academic career come from a privileged background - and this makes sense. Privileges breed opportunities to socialize, and through this gain social ability and an overall confidence. Individuals from homes which aren't as well off financially may be less comfortable in these social and group settings, so when push comes to shove they are more content to sit back and allow another group member to take the wheel, even if they believe their knowledge base would be beneficial. They would rather keep it to themselves than risk entering the eye of the group; they simply aren't as comfortable.

     Knowing this, I want to make sure I try and make all of my group members feel valued going forward. I'm self-aware enough to know that I often grab hold of the leadership role in a group setting. I've done numerous extracurricular throughout my life - I'm extremely confident in my ability to speak out and lead in a group setting. Without doubt, I've likely unintentionally marginalized a member of my group in one situation or another - a realization which pains me. I hope to take the lessons learned within Brookfield's chapter this week, and apply them moving forward.

Thanks for reading, 
Cheers!