Transcript Teaching Your Students How to Work in Groups

Hi, I’m Audrey
Audrey Markham Sloat, MBA, CHE
Lambton College
Teaching Your
Students How to Work
in Groups
Today’s session
Benefits
Overview
Resources
Group
Work
Q&A
How To
What we won’t get to
today
• Evaluation and Assessment
• I will try to provide some resources for you
• Phase 2 Workshop: Grading student
contributions to group work
Disclaimer
• Don’t try to do all of these activities in 1
class!
So
much
info,
so
little
time
Benefits
Why group work?
• Application of knowledge
Overview
• Learn from others
Group
Work
• Experiment in a safe environment
• Complete small and large-scale projects
• Develop More Solutions
How To
• Detect Flaws
• Build Social Connections
• More creative answers are generated
• Preparation for the workforce
Benefits
Research Indicates
that group work
enhances:
Overview
Group
• Communication
Work
•
•
•
•
skills
Negotiation skills
How To
Time management
Leadership
Ability to Delegate
• Collaboration
• Compromise skills
• Defense of an
opinion
• Assertiveness
• Contribution of
ideas
Hands up if you are a
lousy team player?
• Rarely admitted
• Frequently true
• Difficult to teach
the difference!
Benefits
Overview
Resources
Group
s
You knew it was coming!
• Let’s get you into
groups…
Overview
How To
The group must complete
this Total task in
3 minutes!
• Introduce yourselves
– Name, College, Program
• Tell your group in 30 seconds (or less!)
Benefits
– 1 challenge you have faced using
groups
Group
Work
– 1 positive thing you have noticed about
groups or group work
Q&A
How To
Resources
Over
Value of Teamwork
First activity do on
your own
• No talking, pencils down please
• You will be asked to recall the words that
show on the screen
Ready?
STAPLE
TACK
PAPER
HAIR
DARK
AUTO
STAR
CABLE
BLUE
PHONE
SHOE
TIN
WOLF DRY
ROCK
WHISTLE
SIGNAL
POOL
14
Write the words – no talking
or sharing…
Let’s see how many you got: Back to
answers
Is Teamwork
really
better?
Let’s see…
Pencils down please
16
COMET
PHOTO
BRANCH
POT
ZERO
WALK
DRUM
NOODLE
PIN
TIE
SHELF
DOG
STONE
DIGIT
ROOF
PAINT
FRECKLE
FALL
17
Write the words – Discuss
with your team
Let’s see how many the team got: Back to
answers
How would you wrap this
activity?
19
Join forces with 1 other team
Helium Rings
Benefits
Over
Resources
Group
Work
Q&A
How To
Q&A
How To
Helium Rings
• Each group: form a circle facing inward
• Point your right index finger (palms down) and
hold your hands out at shoulder level
• Adjust your finger heights until the Helium Ring
is laying flat on the back of each person’s
finger. Everyone's index fingers must touch the
ring.
– Pinching or grabbing the ring is not
allowed - it must rest on top of
EVERYONE’S fingers.
• The challenge is to lower the Helium Ring to
the ground.
How would you debrief
this?
Q&A
•
•
•
•
How To
What was the initial reaction of your
team?
How well did the team cope with this
challenge?
What skills did it take to be successful as
a team?
What creative solutions were suggested
and how were they received?
Source: http://www.changerus.com/helium-stick.htm
• What would an outside observer have
seen as the strengths and weaknesses of
the team?
• What did each team member learn about
him/her self as an individual?
• What other situations in life or at work are
like the Helium Stick?
Source: http://www.changerus.com/helium-stick.htm
Helium Sticks
An alternative to
the rings!
Benefits
Over
Resources
Group
Work
Q&A
How To
Q&A
How To
Task 1: Helium Creation
• Materials: 6 sheets of paper, tape
• Goal: Create the longest, strongest tube of
paper possible from the supplies provided
• Time 4 minutes
Q&A
Helium stick: Part 2
• line up into two rows facing each other.
• Point your index fingers parallel to the floor
(palms down) and hold your hands out at
shoulder level
• Adjust your finger heights until the Helium Stick
is horizontal. Everyone's index fingers must
touch the stick.
– Pinching or grabbing the stick is not
allowed - it must rest on top of
EVERYONE’S fingers.
• The challenge is to lower the Helium Stick to the
ground.
How To
Roles to play in Groups
• Chairperson:
– If everyone is responsible then no one is
– Keeps the team on track
– Makes sure everyone participates
Benefits
• Note taker
– Tracks all conversation
• Reporter
Resources
– Provides groups feedback to the
– Summarize decisions
Over
Group
classWork
• Time keeper
Q&A
– Makes sure team meets all time lines
How To
How To
Group
Assignment
• Assign group roles (chair, time
keeper, reporter, recorder)
• Track your answers on flip chart
• Be prepared to discuss
• You have 3 minutes
• Here is your topic…
In your experience, what makes a
good team? A good Team Player?
Overview
Q&A
Ease them into it
How To
• Discuss a topic they know
• Quick and to the point
• Keep it safe for the groups
– No right or wrong
• Learning the process & DEBRIEF
– Roles etc
• As they learn, increase the complexity of
topic and process
As you can imagine, we
must walk before we
run
Overview
You have already learned
valuable information about
Teaching teams!
Really?
• Be sure students introduce themselves
• Be sure groups have a common goal to
achieve
• Groups help students learn more
• Assign groups (or not?)
– Students gravitate to friends – does this
match your goal?
– No one gets left on the sidelines… Benefits
• Roles in teams
Resources
• Reviewed the characteristics
Overview
Group
Teach them the Basics of
Group Work
•
•
•
•
•
It is all in the communication skills
Build trust and respect
Common goals and goal setting
Assignment of roles
Benefits
Identify the ground rules
Overview
Resources
Group
Try a Communication
activity
Benefits
Over
Resources
Group
Work
Q&A
How To
Google search for Free training games…
56,600,000
Recognize Different uses
of teams
• Short term
– In class assignments and problems
– Group discussions
– Review of home work
• Long term
– Major projects
Short term team successes often
lead to effective long term teams
Benefits
Resources
Group
Overview
Share with students
• Explain your rationale for using
groups
• Outline & discuss the skills they need
to be successful
• Discuss the process to be used, your
expectations, their expectations
Benefits
Overview
Resources
Group
Ground rules for
Groups
• They should understand the expectations
• Determine the process
– Meeting process (minutes, schedules etc)
– Role assignment
– How we communicate (listen, observe,
comment)
• Contracted behaviours
– Conflict resolutions
– Ramifications
Benefits
Overview
Resources
Group
Do you understand the
stages of team
development?
Benefits
Overview
Resources
Group
Some Teaching
techniques
• Role plays
– Negotiating, assertiveness, conflict resolution
• Team building exercises
– Communication, cooperation, collaboration,
Benefits
problem solving
• Reflection journals
Over
Resources
– What have I learned about the process
• Analyzing teamwork on reality shows
Group
Work
– Survivor, The Apprentice, Amazing Race
Q&A
How To
Dissecting Videos
• Use clips or the whole movie
• Challenge students to identify
Benefits
characteristics, behaviors etc
• Create a ‘debrief’
Resources
• Examples: Twelve Angry Men,
The Wizard
Group
of Oz, Ocean’s 11, Numerous ‘team Work
sports’ movies
Q&A
Over
How To
Large group project
Tools
• Team member assignments (4-5 is most common)
• Clearly define your objectives
– Make process as important as content of
project
– Does your course outline identify this Benefits
learning?
• Provide class time
Over
Resources
Group
Work
Q&A
How To
Provide teamwork skills
training
• Communication (express their ideas,
listening, assessing, questioning,
responding)
• Self Analysis (you must know yourself
before you can understand others)
• Diversity training
• Leadership skills
Benefits
• Assertiveness training
• Problem solving, Conflict Management
Resources
Group
Overview
Other tips (Assessments)
• Team contracts
• Individual progress reports
– Many small assignments = 1 big
• Test questions related to whole project not
just ‘their part’
• Give lots of feedback
• Be available to students
– Help them solve their own problems
Benefits
Overview
Resources
Group
Learn everything you
can
• Take (and deliver) team building workshops
–
–
–
–
True Colors, DiSC (Personal Profile System)
On line personality testing
Readings
Many colleges & universities around the world have
info on their websites for faculty – use them!
• ROPES course (high ropes, low ropes)
• Check with your PD area…
Resources
Resources are
everywhere
• Training Games Inc. (http://www.traininggames.com/index.html)
• MIT Teaching and Learning Laboratory
(http://web.mit.edu/tll/teaching-materials/teamwork/index.html)
• Business Balls
(http://www.businessballs.com/teambuilding.htm)
• Wilderdom (http://wilderdom.com/games/InitiativeGames.html)
• Leadership Institute
http://www.leadersinstitute.com/teambuilding/team_building_ti
ps/tennis_balls.html
• JVD Creativity
http://www.jvdcreativity.com/free_exercises.htm
• Thiagi.com
Resources
http://www.thiagi.com/games.html
Hand outs galore!
Resources
Time for Q & A
What
are you
taking
away?
• As a group,
identify 5
pieces you will
take away from
this session
• Be prepared to
share
Here is the big finish!
Successful Group work
doesn’t just happen
Thank
you…
Another Activity
• Your team will be given an object
• Create a saying about group work related
to the object
• Example…
Flowers are like group
work because…
You must plant the seed in
order for them to grow
OR
If you don’t nurture them they
will die
BUT
Give them attention and
they will grow and
flourish…