Working in Groups

Whether groups are formed for social or task oriented purposes, the ability to produce and maintain a sense of affiliation, peer support and collaboration is important for overall group functioning. The cohesion of a social group is produced through the establishment of a set of group norms, which are later defined as a guide for conduct accepted within a group of individuals. However, in order for a group to perform and produce results, the team leader should guide his/her team through the proper stages of group development, which includes the following steps: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Although teams should follow all these stages of group development, the forming and the norming stages are the most important,

Learning how to work effectively in a group situation is key to success in many professions as well as in social situations. Groups vary from each other based on the individuals that make up each group, all of us belong to various groups at one time or another. The roles that we fulfill vary from group to

PART D: Group Work Protocols 1. Group formation and management - When deciding on how to organise groups the composition is often made with classroom management, student ability or classroom space in mind (Baines et al., 2008). However, it is important to plan where students are going to sit, who is going to be in each group, and what role or responsibility each student will have in the group. For example, a teacher could delegate responsibility to specific students from each group give out the paper, distribute equipment or collect the work at the end for the session.

Communication between group members was essential to complete this project well and in a timely matter. We used the GroupMe phone application to discuss developments to the project and obstacles encountered. When group members could not meet during class, I made sure to get them caught up through the GroupMe app immediately. I feel my leadership and organization was necessary to get certain group members to contribute to the project. Overall, I was satisfied with the group

Throughout life there are many instances in which an individual has to work in a group to complete a task/project. The importance of group work is to have teamwork with each member of the group. Humans are driven to connect with each other and by working as a group ideas become much more enriched and the ideas or thoughts that each person ‘brings to the table’ each individual is able to add onto that idea or it can trigger one to think of something completely different.

As a pre-service teacher it is important to shift the mindset of students from thinking of getting the right answer and instead encourage critical thinking. The purpose of group learning activities is to help struggling students.To properly implement heterogeneous groups in my teaching I will make sure to articulate my goals during group work, and include academic objectives. I want to make sure that students achieve social skills that they may want to develop. It is critical to helping groups get started therefore I will explain the group’s task. I will explain how the task involves individual accountability, and how they will be assessed throughout the process. During group work monitoring and regularly observing group interactions and progress, by circulating during group work is something I would do as a teacher. Circulating during group work will make it easy to observe problems, allowing me to intervene and help students move forward on the task. I think getting different perspective is important and I plan on discussing with future colleagues what works best and what curriculum we are finding more

Humans are social beings who organize themselves into groups that share a common interest and are essential for discovering, developing meaning, and self-worth. Groups are important for everyday work, and they work toward achieving a goal. Groups increase the information of one person by combining ideas and knowledge. They can also help people in their social life through interacting with other people and bypassing their comfort zone. Not much work can be done alone, whereas a group can help solve problems and assist each other in work. Our group shows example of docile, zealous, humble, and diligent whether it be in our group or each members and everyone contribute to keep the group working.

Group work has been a cornerstone of the social work profession and requires a variety of facilitator skills and awareness of group processes. The SSLDTM Group Program for People with Difficulties in Social Situations (Socialwork1914, 2017) provides an excellent example of a psycho-educational group co-facilitated by two female social workers, Jane and Karen. After viewing the 6th session of this 8-week program, I began to understand how the concepts of group formation/development, interpersonal dynamics, and leadership styles contribute to successful group work outcomes.

When I first find out that there’s a group project, I wanted to work with people that I know are responsible, capable of doing the assignments, respectful, and don’t procrastinate. I did not want to work with negative people at all I’ve learned from past group presentation experience, so I quickly ask Carolyn, Britney and Adina if they want to work together, they agreed and that’s how we formed our group but, we still needed to add one additional person for our group. The second time we meet up in class the other group members had already ask two of our classmates to join our group so Alexia and Wendy came along. I was excited about everyone that’s in our group because, I know that they’re all are capable of getting the assignments and project done on time and they are very respectful. We were assigned by the professor to come up with a group contract, I have never done any group contract before so I was happy with the assignment. We all decide that in order for us to have a positive group experience we would have to follow the contract we’ll of course follow the contract and we came up with things that we all agreed on. We add on the contract that “everyone will keep their feelings in check and keep group members informed of how things are going. No one is expected to give full disclosure of their situation but a general advising that something is going on is expected. Respect each other and don 't be afraid to ask for help. On the second meeting we also came up with a

The second “best practice” for group work is to look for the best in people. Refrain from going into the project with negative expectations of the assignment or members of the group. In addition, bar yourself from masking your own insecurities by pointing out faults in others. Look for and expect the best from every member of the group, including yourself. Ask yourself how what each person’s strengths are and what makes them a valuable contribution to the group (Hunter,

One change I plan on incorporating in my classroom is having students report their findings within group activities. Specifically, designating someone from the group to go out and retrieve information from other groups in regards to their findings. Once that person has obtained the new information reporting it back to their group. In a Science classroom and laboratory, there is a significant emphasis on group collaboration. One of the drawbacks to group work is that it can limit introverted students during the duration of the activity. In a recent article Kimberly Tanner stated “If the decision about who is to share aloud in a class discussion is left entirely to student negotiation, it is no surprise that likely the most extroverted and gregarious

Teamwork can be complex and challenging given task and interpersonal issues, level of group motivation and expected performance standards. The concrete experience spoken about in this reflection piece is in reference to the effectiveness of myself as a group member and the group, working to write a report outlining the organisation and structure of Volkswagen. Dennison (2009) applies Kolb’s learning cycle (1981, 1984) which suggests that learning moves through a continuous cycle, between having an experience, and then reflecting on that action. This cycle has been developed from Lewin’s (1951) model for experiential learning. Reflection termed by Boud, Keogh and Walker (1985) ‘is a forum of response to the learner to experience’(p. 18). On reflection, the early set group dynamics was a defining factor in the experience, and how the team conducted themselves throughout the task. Meyerson, Wick and Kramer (1996) note that ‘such rapidly converging groups require methods for developing “swift trust”’ (p. 8), which can explain why initial group dynamics are so important. I took on multiple team roles, including group leader, which could be translated into the team not performing collectively on a high level, however, I could view this as a personal ineffectiveness of my leadership style.

“Group work is a form of voluntary association of members benefiting from cooperative learning that enhances the total output of the activity than when done individually”.

I am Zeeshan Ali; I am working as a Computer teacher for Classes VI-X-M in Canal Side Boys Campus. I have done Masters in Computer Science (MCS) from Punjab University College of Information and Technology (PUCIT) Lahore. The students are the main focus of every teacher and our entire teaching efforts circle round our students to achieve the set targets. Effective Teaching includes many useful teaching strategies that a teacher chooses according to the requirement of his/her respective subject and topic as well. In result of my years of experience and as a Computer teacher I find Group Work as the most effective and fruitful technique at every level.

When this course started, I didn’t know what to expect. Quickly did I learn that it was more than just about a single individual and his or her ideas and behaviours. As the course progressed, I learned that it was very important to understand how small groups work. Reflecting upon my personal journey with my group, I have learnt that working in small groups requires commitment, synergy, communication, listening, conflict resolution and decision making and problem solving. This brings me upon my personal journey with my small group and how I have learned to work in such an environment.