Group Projects:EL562

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Group ProjectsEL562

• Facilitated by Shaun Theobald

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Agenda

• What is group work?
• Why work in groups?
• How can you make group work successful?

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Aim of the Workshop

• To introduce you to group work and to promote
  confidence in this academic form and process.

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Learning outcomes

• By the end of this session you will
• Understand the what, why and how of group work
• Have considered some theoretical perspectives
• Belbins roles
• Adairs processes

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Learning outcomes

• Have considered how you can apply these theories
• Have begun to identify your own team role (s)
• Have understood how you can help your group run
  effectively and efficiently

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What is Group Work?
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Definition and Context

• A group is made up of two or more people who
  share a common goal, and work together to achieve
  it. Members should identify with each other and
  feel a sense of interdependence and interaction

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Definition and Context

• Examples of group work at University
• Study Groups
• Class Discussion
• Seminar Groups
• Group Projects
• Laboratory work

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Definition and Context

• Academic study groups usually have a dual
  purpose
• To perform the task in hand as well as possible
• To provide meaningful learning experiences for
  the group members which will help them to develop
  as active learners

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Why groups?
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Why groups?

• Fun
• Efficient
• Capable of generating multiple ideas
• Skills transfer
• Interdependence
• Shared workload

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Why groups?

• Builds responsibility
• Teaches us to be assertive
• Teaches us social skills
• Builds motivation
• Excellent life work skill
• Gives a sense of industry experience

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How to do Group work!

• Take Control
• Be positive
• Engage fully in the process
• Understand the dynamics of group work

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Whats happening in our group?

• Using the valuable management theories of
  Meredith Belbin and John Adair we can ensure a
  fuller understanding of the human processes that
  impact on groups and affect the way we work
  together.

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Belbins 8 Roles

• Company Worker
• Loyal committed to the task and the group
• Chair
• Organises meetings the group itself
• Shaper
• Takes ideas and develops them

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Belbins 8 Roles

• Creative thinker
• Solves problems comes up with new ideas
• Resource Investigator
• Finds the things needed to complete a task
• Monitor
• Checks how things are going

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Belbins 8 Roles

• Team Worker
• Likes working with others boosts group morale
• Completer/Finisher
• (See Belbin (1981) Managing Teams why they
  succeed or fail, Heinemann London)

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Belbins 8 Roles

• A knowledge of how you fulfil these roles will
  help your group function well
• Think about these roles, individually
• Talk about them as a group
• How do they relate to you?
• Are you a shaper etc?
• Can you be more of a team worker?

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Adairs Stages of Group Development

• Forming
• The process of coming together as a group
  getting to know one another
• Storming
• Early problems coping with initial difficulties
  trying to establish roles and tasks

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Adairs Stages of Group Development

• Norming
• Settling down learning to work with varied
  strengths and weaknesses
• Performing
• Learning to work well getting things done
  accurately effectively
• Mourning
• See Adair, J. (1983) Effective leadership
  (1987) Effective Team Building (1987) Not Bosses
  but Leaders

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Adairs Stages of Group Development

• As a group and as an individual reflect on
  Adairs stages
• Think about the stage you are in, and try and
  anticipate ways of dealing with problems
• For example, if you realise you are in the
  storming phase try not to be too assertive
  listen to others

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Break-out activity15 mins

• Aims
• To provide an initial taster of group work
  dynamics
• To start working together as a group
• Task
• 1.Move into your project group

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Break-out activity 15 mins

• 2. Appoint a chair secretary
• 3. Discussion and recommendation
• Context
• Within the Electronics research field there
  are innovations and developments that become
  widely used in practical applications e.g.
  face-recognition technology used for security
  purposes in public buildings

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Break-out activity 15 mins

• Reach a consensus decision about the next
  practical application of Electronics research
  What will this be?
• Briefly report back
• Reflect on the experience of reaching your
  decision

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How does a good group work?

• Identify and agree on your task-ask questions,
  gather information discuss the task in your team
• Plan ahead and arrive at an overview of the task
• Agree the steps to be taken
• Set a timeframe

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How does a good group work?

• Agree how to achieve the learning outcomes
• Follow module guidelines
• What exactly have you been asked to do?
• How will this be assessed?

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How does a good group work?

• Establish ground rules
• Practise active listening skills
• Talk about fears and anxieties
• Brainstorm actions and solutions
• Draw up an action plan
• Know what each person is doing

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How does a good group work?

• Include everyone supportively!
• Get a supportive atmosphere from the start
• Constructive not destructive criticism
• Get going!
• Review regularly and modify plans accordingly

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How does a good group work? Tasks and Functions

• Tasks getting the job done
• Initiating activity
• Opinion/information giving
• Opinion/information seeking
• Clarifying
• Elaborating

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How does a good group work? Tasks and Functions

• Co-ordinating
• Summarising
• Reaching consensus decisions
• Recording
• Orientating/directing

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How does a good group work? Tasks and Functions

• Maintenance functions keeping the group
  going
• Encouraging
• Harmonising/compromising
• Standard setting
• Analysing group effectiveness and cohesion

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A few dos to finish with

• Remember functional roles within groups
• Chair/secretary/task-keeper/time-keeper
• Meet frequently, but realistically
• Be punctual for meetings
• Attend and prepare all formal meetings!

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A few dos to finish with

• Keep records (See below)
• Plan
• Review goals progress as a group
• Work to individual strengths
• With presentations, practise process of
  presentation as well as content
• Remember assessment weighting and assessment
  targets

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A few dos to finish with

• Record keeping of plans/actions
• Prepare as a group
• Record individually where needed
• Mind-map process?
• Use flipchart/ wipeboard
• Follow by sequential plans
• Relate to individual action plans
• Keep your individual logbook (formally assessed)
  up to date

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A few dos to finish with

• Be aware of common problems and deal with them
• Dissent
• Non-participation
• Dominance
• Keeping motivated
• Time
• Common meeting times