Spaghetti and gumdrops

In class on Monday September 19th we were given the assignment to make structures out of spaghetti and gumdrops. We were going to be graded on 3 criteria; height, strength, and aesthetic value. This was the first time we worked with our groups project groups, the groups that we are going to be in for the entire semester.

I would say the project went well within our group. We all had no trouble communicating and we all got along just fine. Everybody came in with their own ideas and we all collectively chose which ones to do, and the split up the work.


I think the purpose of this assignment was not just to build the structures, but to see how well the group members meshed as a team. In class Dr. Goates talked about Tuckman's stages of group development. As we talked about these stages I realized that our group went through all or at least most of them. When we first got together we were very polite and went through the forming stage. The storming was next which is where group members tend to take a role in the group, leader, follow, etc. Then comes the norming stage where the group realizes as a whole what needs to be accomplished. Performing is next which is where the group does what is expected, in our case building the structure. Adjourning is last, it is where the group dissolves because the goal was met. I do not think this stage applies to our groups for this class since we will be working in them the entire semester.