Working in Groups as One of the Most Recommended Learning Strategies - Report Example

Group Dynamics Name Unit Institution Tutor Date Introduction Working in groups is one of the most recommended learning strategies in and outside the classroom. However, groups are not only created for educational objectives. There are different types of groups such as therapy, counselling groups, personal growth groups, T-groups, structured groups such as work groups, educational groups and self-help groups. Groups allow members to work together and assist one another in completing given tasks and uplifting one another’s capabilities in various ways. Working in groups also presents its challenges which if not managed well impede the success of the group. I have been a member of different groups mandated to complete different tasks with the most common being educational tasks. Currently I am involved in one study group which was formulated in class as a course requirement. In this paper, I give my professional report of my personal account on working in this particular educational group discussing a number of issues identified in theory in relevant literature. Group overview This educational group was formed as a class requirement to aid in course learning. Students in the class were required to form groups on their own which would follow a given guideline and thus would be approved by the instructor before tasks were assigned. Given the intended purpose of the group, it qualifies as a mutual aid group in the sense that there are no expert in members’ lives and needs and the leader only serves as a guardian of the process (Anderson, 1997). My group comprises of fellow students from various backgrounds and of different personalities. Under the instructions of the instructor, the group comprises of seven students of varying academic capabilities informed by marks scored in previous tests. As a requirement, each group in the class comprises of at least one international student or an Aboriginal student. My group thus comprises of seven members, three females and four males. One of the female members of the group is of Chinese origin while one male is of Palestinian origin and the rest are non-native Australians. Such a composition ensures that the group benefits from sharing and learning from different cultural perspectives and experiences (Corey & Corey 2002). The recruitment process for group members was a very interesting process. The instructor did not assign any group members or even appoint any group leaders. Students were required to organize themselves and congregate into groups of seven members that met the minimum requirements. Corey (2008) indicates that the manner in which groups are announced influences how they will be perceived by potential members. In this case, I recognised that I needed to align myself with people of excellent academic qualifications and people who I can gel with. I was approached by two groups with requests to join their groups. One of the groups that I was requested me to join had two members already and the other one had four members already. I chose the former group with the intention of influencing the people to be recruited in the group. I hoped that the group would be comprised of members who I would be comfortable to work with. At the end, my group managed to meet the requirements with two of my close friends in the group. However, one member was dropped and another recruited after it emerged that he was too abrasive for the group to function well. The first task was to choose a group leader who was selected unanimously by all. The name of the group leader was forwarded to the tutor as required. Level of cohesion in the group The initial stages of the group from the formation to the first meeting pointed out various issues in terms of cohesion. The fact that the group had dropped one member and replaced him with another was a signal enough to all that there was need to maintain cohesion. As a mutual aid group, the members over time have been very keen on listening to other members’ experiences and learning from them. Group meetings are held once a week since most members are members of other groups. Each meeting has a different topic to cover where the topics are chosen by members and not imposed on the group by the group leader. During meetings, members are required to share their experiences in academic writing skills by discussing particular assignment which they had scored highly. Members are supposed to listen in as the member narrates the skills employed and members debate on the skills and give their opinions. This model of working requires higher levels of interactions among members and better cohesion to guarantee meeting group objectives (Shulman, 2008). The purpose of forming the group as per lecturer instructions was to promote the members’ academic skills writing techniques. This was based on the desire to develop academic writing skills of every member. The group was supposed to function as a unit where members can draw inspiration and motivation in learning and assist one another as peers. Members were expected to share their experiences in writing from the past and current ones in a bid to develop one another. The group leader played a coordinating role in chairing the meetings. Mode of sharing experiences was settled on by all the members. As such, the group fulfils the assumptions of a strengths-based group (Saleebey 1992). In all groups meetings, members are supposed to present their past assignments to the group and discuss writing skills applied and appraise their efforts where applicable. Such shared experiences promoted cohesion and learning. Norms evident The group was developed norms that must be respected by all members. One of the most outstanding one is attendance to all group meetings. A members’ attendance register is kept by the group leader. Once the group is dissolved, the attendance register will be handed to the lecturer together with a group assignment that will be given at the end of the semester. This requirement has sensed that none of the members has missed any f the meetings. Another important norm in the meeting agreed upon was switching mobile phones off or at least putting them on silent mode. This minimises cases of distractions during meetings. Stage of development The Tuckman (1965) group framework model recognises five stages of team formation as forming, storming, norming performing and adjourning. Each of this stage has its unique characteristics from which the names have been derived. The current phase of the group is performing. For every week the group was formed, the group has managed to meet and hold discussions. Furthermore, it is evident that the group is on the performance phase as outcomes are evident. The intention of starting the group was to assist one another in strengthening academic writing skills as students. Each of the members has reported increased skills in terms of marks scored in terms of assignment presentation in adhering to university academic skills writing guide and requirements. We have unanimously observed that constant practice, evaluation and reflection of our assignments improve our academic performance individually. The group has also undergone the various phases identified by Tuckman (1965). The forming part of the model is as discussed earlier. Membership to the group was voluntary and was based on mutual aid or mutual benefit from membership. The storming pat of the group was evident during the first meeting as a group. Without a clear assignment to fulfil, members struggled to agree on the key tasks and clearly identified goals of the group. Setting the benchmarks of performance indicators for the group without involvement of the instructor also provided a challenge to the group. Group dynamics and problems The coming together of individuals from different backgrounds and different personalities in a group is bound to experience challenges. Such challenges were witnessed in the early stages of the group when en member had to dropped and replaced by another as he was appeared to be concerned with his own issues as opposed to the group. His most abrasive kind of behaviour that made him to be dropped was the fact he could not take instructions from anyone. He claimed that there was no lecturer in the group hence no one could tell him what to do. According to the Freud’s concept of defence mechanisms, the member had regressive and hostile behaviour simply because he could not have his own way (Chinchen, 2003). As a mutual aid group, the group has managed to employ the dynamics of mutual aid process (Steinberg 2004). At the core functioning of the group is sharing of information on past experiences in writing skills from past assignments. The group members have been able to express their feelings. For instance one member was allowed to express her fears that the tutor was biased against her going by harsh marking of past assignments. The group was able to provide mutual support by allowing her to open up her feelings by utilising the all-in-the-same-boat phenomenon. In that particular meeting, almost each member shared the same perception of suffering bias from particular tutors. Leadership The manner in which the group leader communicates with the group members is matter of life and death for a group. One of the key pillars in my current groups is the leader’s effective communication skills. The ability of a group leader to communicate and lead effectively is a significant in determining the success of a group. Napier and Gershenfeld (1999) indicate that leadership is the most important asset of a group. The same applies for companies and even countries. The author further argues that any task that is to be accomplished by more than one individual requires proper leadership to guide and motivate people towards attaining the common goal. The success and continued presence of the current group thus owes much to the group leader who understands the different personalities in the group and communicates effectively with each and every individual at a personal level but at the same time retaining authority over the group to give it direction in achieving its goals and objectives. Focal conflicts and solutions A focal point of conflict in the group was language use. This current group comprises of two international students whose level proficiency in the English language cannot match that of Australian students. Consequently the members had relative trouble expressing themselves. One of the members was insensitive in the way he addressed one of the members for stammering. He made a remark which bordered on cultural insensitivity. All the members including the group leader condemned such behaviour. However, the culprit could not take it lying down. He accused the members of ganging up against him for something that was said in humour. This event almost broke up the group with the international student seeking the assurance of the group leader that the culprit would be expelled from the group if he ever made such nasty joke. On the other hand, the culprit threatened to leave the group. Overall effectiveness of the group The group is still functioning with membership still as at the beginning. While this has been challenging, it does not pinpoint the success of the group. The main objective of the group was to provide mutual support and aid in developing academic writing skills. As a group, members have reflected and evaluated their past assignments from a writing skills perspective with the help of fellow members. From lessons learned, members have been able to apply new ideas and skills obtained in assignments with remarkable improvement in marks scored. Members have also gained confidence in their writing and apply skills more comfortably when past assignments are compared to assignments after forming the group. Recommendations From the experience of working in this particular group and others, I recommend that group leaders to give more weight to cultural sensitivity n how members relate. In this modern world of globalisation where mobility of people and workers is increased, the likelihood of working in culturally diverse groups is high. Where cultural sensitivity is not observed, groups cannot function optimally. Secondly, it is recommend that learning institutions should assign some work hours for group meetings. This is because majority of the times, groups meet after class hours thereby occupying the leisure time that learners could use to relax from their busy schedules. References Anderson, J. (1997). Social work in groups: A process model. New York: Longman Publishing. Corey, G. (2008). The person-centred approach to groups. In Theory andpractice of group counseling (7th ed., pp. 245–274). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Corey, M., & Corey, G. (2002). Groups: Process and practice. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Chinchen, C. (2003). Groupwork training manual (p. 20). Sydney: Australian College of Applied Psychology. Napier, R., & Gershenfeld, M. (1999). Groups: Theory and experience (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Saleebey, D. (Ed.). (1992). The strengths perspective in social work practice. New York: Longman Publishing. Shulman, L. (2008). The skills of helping individuals, families, groups and communities (6th ed.). Chicago, IL: F. E. Peacock. Steinberg, D. (2004). The mutual aid approach to working with groups: Helping people to help people (2nd ed.). New York: The Haworth Press. Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399. Read More

Corey (2008) indicates that the manner in which groups are announced influences how they will be perceived by potential members. In this case, I recognised that I needed to align myself with people of excellent academic qualifications and people who I can gel with. I was approached by two groups with requests to join their groups. One of the groups that I was requested me to join had two members already and the other one had four members already. I chose the former group with the intention of influencing the people to be recruited in the group.

I hoped that the group would be comprised of members who I would be comfortable to work with. At the end, my group managed to meet the requirements with two of my close friends in the group. However, one member was dropped and another recruited after it emerged that he was too abrasive for the group to function well. The first task was to choose a group leader who was selected unanimously by all. The name of the group leader was forwarded to the tutor as required. Level of cohesion in the group The initial stages of the group from the formation to the first meeting pointed out various issues in terms of cohesion.

The fact that the group had dropped one member and replaced him with another was a signal enough to all that there was need to maintain cohesion. As a mutual aid group, the members over time have been very keen on listening to other members’ experiences and learning from them. Group meetings are held once a week since most members are members of other groups. Each meeting has a different topic to cover where the topics are chosen by members and not imposed on the group by the group leader. During meetings, members are required to share their experiences in academic writing skills by discussing particular assignment which they had scored highly.

Members are supposed to listen in as the member narrates the skills employed and members debate on the skills and give their opinions. This model of working requires higher levels of interactions among members and better cohesion to guarantee meeting group objectives (Shulman, 2008). The purpose of forming the group as per lecturer instructions was to promote the members’ academic skills writing techniques. This was based on the desire to develop academic writing skills of every member. The group was supposed to function as a unit where members can draw inspiration and motivation in learning and assist one another as peers.

Members were expected to share their experiences in writing from the past and current ones in a bid to develop one another. The group leader played a coordinating role in chairing the meetings. Mode of sharing experiences was settled on by all the members. As such, the group fulfils the assumptions of a strengths-based group (Saleebey 1992). In all groups meetings, members are supposed to present their past assignments to the group and discuss writing skills applied and appraise their efforts where applicable.

Such shared experiences promoted cohesion and learning. Norms evident The group was developed norms that must be respected by all members. One of the most outstanding one is attendance to all group meetings. A members’ attendance register is kept by the group leader. Once the group is dissolved, the attendance register will be handed to the lecturer together with a group assignment that will be given at the end of the semester. This requirement has sensed that none of the members has missed any f the meetings.

Another important norm in the meeting agreed upon was switching mobile phones off or at least putting them on silent mode. This minimises cases of distractions during meetings. Stage of development The Tuckman (1965) group framework model recognises five stages of team formation as forming, storming, norming performing and adjourning. Each of this stage has its unique characteristics from which the names have been derived. The current phase of the group is performing. For every week the group was formed, the group has managed to meet and hold discussions.

Read More