PBL 4 � day 3, team- and self-assessment: today was a bit different because the presentations won�t happen until classes in April when everyone returns from a classroom practicum block. But the consolidation session and team- and self-assessment session occurred today. We turned the peer- and team-assessment discussion into a self-assessment discussion, because it can often be easier to talk about one-self rather than another.
Being able to talk in a critical and improvement-focused manner with peers is often challenging and difficult. And this can also be the experience when trying to talk about oneself. Even if one has something to say, it is not always easy to start to speak. This is partly due to our (gentle, sometimes more intense) fear of being vulnerable, or showing a weakness and thinking we will be considered �less than� for ever afterwards, and sometimes a lack of practice at risk-taking. All very human, natural, and normal feelings and thinking.
One strategy might be to think of this scenario: in an interview, the interviewer will often ask for you to talk about a weakness. This is a very challenging question to answer and not feel you are leaving the interviewer thinking you are quite unfit for the position! But the �Mac sandwich� (from the McMaster Med School PBL process) of a) tell something positive about their contribution, b) provide constructive feedback on something to improve (this is the �weakness� part), and c) provide a positive example of how they can use this feedback going forward (tell the interviewer how you have learned and implemented improvement with respect to your �weakness�) can be a conversational way to finesse the question, still be honest and forthright, and ultimately be able to talk.
What math gets you excited! into Rich Learning Tasks (RLTs).
