Group Skills
Putting students into groups and telling them to cooperate does not
guarantee that students will know how to cooperate and interact effectively.
Learning collaboratively means that students not only need to understand the
tasks but also the group skills to function as part of a team. If the students
are not aware of the teamwork skills, the task may not be completed. Effective
group work skills require that students understand the nature and quality of
interactions between them and over time so they come to understand how well
they are functioning. The group work process can be enhanced when the group
reflects on the individual actions that helped or hindered achievement of group
goals. When students understand what is helpful or a hindrance, they can begin
the process of holding group members accountable for being responsible.
Reflection on the effectiveness of group processes also enables students to
identify difficulties with the group work functioning and enables them to put
in places strategies to ensure full accountability.
Group Stages
Groups go through a number of phases and stages. These stages include
At each of these stages, teachers will need to understand the key
management skills whilst students need to appreciate the key cooperative skills
to enable effective work.
Forming
The first formation task is arrangement of a time for all students to
come together for an initial session. Generally this is done asynchronistically
but it could be done as part of a chat session. At the formation stages there
are several management skills necessary to establish the formation of the
group. Students may not know each other and thus may need to introduce
themselves to others in the group. Explaining their interests and likely
contribution to the class may be useful.
Some students are familiar with technology and with chat room
conversations including short hand text, for example 'R Y' for 'are you'. On
the other hand some students are irritated by such conventions. It may be
useful for the group to decide on what conventions are acceptable. At this
forming stage the development of respect, tolerance and trust is very
important. The academic can set the tone and model these sorts of skills to the
group. Academics need to be clear about what cooperation means in an
operational sense and be clear about what behaviours are appropriate and
desirable. Students can be encouraged to develop their own group rules to
ensure that respect, tolerance and trust are part of the group norms. The
netiquette exercise may be useful at this stage.
Functioning
In the second stage of group development, the group will want to ensure
that the group is on track to complete the tasks. Some of the key stages
include:
- Sharing of ideas and opinions by group members
- Asking questions and seeking the opinions of others
- Giving direction to the work of the group by referring back to the
aims and objectives of the group assignments
- Encouraging all members to participate
- Seeking help and assistance reciprocated by offers to explain and
clarify
- Provide support and acceptance especially praise
- Paraphrasing ideas, concepts, tasks or messages
- Describe feelings
Academics can draw attention to these skills in the classroom.
Alternatively, they can model these range of skills in a moderator's role.
Alternatively, students can be given a specific group role and then to use this
skill in the group.
Formulating Skills
At this stage of development, students are ready to use cognitive skills
to build a deeper understanding of the learning tasks. These skills which are
now elaborated ensure the learning of all members.
- Summarise the ideas and thread of discussion in the bulletin board.
This is a deceptively difficult skill for students. All important ideas and
facts should be included in the summary.
- If one student is having difficulty summarising the key ideas, get
others to assist in this process. All students can assist and check each other
for their understanding of complex ideas.
- Link theory with practice and elaborate current material with
previously learned material.
- Draw concept maps or diagrams that enable students to remember the
key ideas and use these diagrams as a way of theorising.
- Hypothesise connections and possible outcomes.
It may be helpful for academic staff to describe these skills and
demonstrate how they can be used in an online discussion.
Fermenting
When a group has been established for some time, students will engage in
debate about the central issues challenging ideas, meanings, reasoning and
concepts. Such controversies enable students to understanding material at a
deeper level, but it also has the potential to create group divisions. These
controversies needed to be handled well and students provided with the skills
to skillfully manage debates.
Criticizing ideas without criticizing people is an important but
difficult skill to learn. It is important to challenge the ideas of others but
it is essential that students do not alienate other group members in this
process. Ideas can be challenged in subtle ways by asking questions, by
suggesting alternatives, by asking for the reasoning and justification of
arguments.
Another critical cognitive skill is being able to differentiate the
ideas and reasoning of group members. Students could encourage each other to
find out how the thinking and reasoning of group members' differ.
Although students will have different ideas about issues, another key
skill for students is the integration of ideas into a single proposition.
Students should also ask for justification of facts and reasoning or
probe by asking in-depth questions. They can also extend the answer provided by
other students saying, 'perhaps you could consider (a particular argument)' or
generate alternative or further answers. It is these particular skills that
enable students to go beyond a superficial discussion.
Finishing
When the topic or project is completed, the academic will need to close
the online learning. This is the time in which learning is evaluated and goals
reviewed to determine accomplishments. Students who live in remote locations
will want to farewell others.
Examples of Roles Within Groups
- The summariser pulls together the essential elements of the
group's findings.
- The checker of understanding ensures that all group members
can explain how to arrive at an answer or conclusion.
- The accuracy coach corrects any mistakes in another member's
explanations or summaries.
- The elaborator links current concepts and strategies to
previously studied material. This could be also regarded as links between
theory and practice.
- The researcher gets material for the group from the library or
journal articles and communicates this with the other learning groups and the
moderator.
- The recorder writes down the group's decisions and edits any
material.
- The encourager of participation ensures that all members are
contributing to the group activities.
- An observer keeps track of how well the group is
cooperating.
In other creative examples, thinking roles can be used in various role
plays. Depending on the scenario, students might be allocated one of the
following roles: summariser, judge, connector, inventor, watchdog, improver,
commentator, idea squelcher, questioner, devil's advocate and so on. Some
scenarios call for students to take on particular positions. In international
diplomacy, students may be a statesperson from a particular country. In social
work, students may act as client, family member, other social worker,
politician, agency supervisor or counsellor.
