Group Work: B2+
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Team-building activities
Even when students already know each other, it is important to improve communication skills and build trust within a group. In professional life, many companies organize team-building activities for their staff. These activities can be simple ones, for example:
having a meeting or a conference
having a meal
going on a day trip.
Glossary
emphasis Emphasis is special or extra importance that is given to an activity or to part or aspect of something.
The importance of team-building in profession life can be seen by the large amount of money some companies spend on team-building activities. These are often not connected with work in any way and include such things as:
adventure sports (e.g. climbing, walking, boating)
raft building
cooking classes.
This emphasis on team building in professional life demonstrates why you should place importance on team building in your student life.
Look at the team-building activities below. Which activities could be good for team building when the group members already know each other? Which ones would work best? Which of them might not be a good idea? Make notes.
Team-building activity Would be good because ⦠Might not be good because ⦠1 Inviting the group for a meal where every member brings a dish from their country 2 A visit to the local zoo 3 A day out at a local theme park 4 Planning and taking a dayâs walk in the countryside using maps and a picnicNow check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.
Understanding roles and responsibilities
Glossary
effective Something that is effective works well and produces the results that were intended.
vital If you say something is vital, you mean that it is necessary or very important.
agenda An agenda is a list of items that have to be discussed at a meeting.
As group work is designed to get the best out of the individuals that make up the group, it is essential that the group operates effectively. A group is more likely to be effective if each student has a particular role as well as the responsibilities that come with that role. It is also vital that each group member fully understands their role and their responsibilities.
Sometimes your lecturer will give you a list of formal roles that must be filled by the members of your group.
For example:
Role (or post) Responsibilities Skills and abilities used in this role Group secretary To take notes during group meetingsTo write up the notes afterwardsTo distribute them to the groupTo prepare an agenda for group meetingsTo distribute the agenda beforehand This person would need good note-taking skills; good communication skills; the ability to listen carefully; good organizational skills; efficiency; the ability to write up documents and distribute them quickly.
Read the group work assignment below. How would you allocate the group roles and responsibilities in the table below? Make notes about the skills and abilities you think are used in the roles.
For example: Design and produce a product for the baby market. Create an accompanying marketing campaign using a variety of different media.
Role (or post) Responsibilities Group chair To review overall progress on the assignment; to chair meetings; to settle disputes Designer and developer To design and produce the product so it is ready to be sold Marketing and publicity officer To design and execute a marketing campaign for the product Accountant To keep accounts for the group and to publish them IT officer To be in control of the IT needs of the groupNow check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.
Matching roles and responsibilities to the appropriate group member is an important skill that requires an objective judgement of both your own skills and those of the other group members.
Glossary
objective If someone is objective, they base their opinions on facts rather than on their personal feelings.
Read about the students below and think about the roles and responsibilities in Exercise 6. Which person might be suitable for each role and why?
Fatimah Often helps her friends with computer problems; runs a website for family business and uses many different computer programmes for a range of activities and hobbies including photography. David Interested in all sorts of technology and gadgets; good with his hands; a keen cyclist and regularly works on his bike to improve its performance. Lora Very efficient and well organized; popular with others; loves going out with friends and organizing parties and outings for them; good at helping others to sort out problems, so people often ask for her help; not very interested in creative tasks. Jinjie Academically very strong; has always done well in maths and science; has worked in parentsâ business and is comfortable using spreadsheet software and formulas for calculating rows of figures and creating charts and diagrams. Eduardo Very creative and artistic; loves drawing and painting; very good with technology and can use a wide range of computer software for many different uses.Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.
Tips
When you start your group work, make a list of the roles and responsibilities for your group.
Think carefully about the role and responsibilities you would like to take on and be prepared to tell the other students why you should take that role.
If you find out after a while that you are not comfortable in your role, speak to your group about it. But do not expect other students to swap roles with you after they have started to work on things they are responsible for.
Do not be embarrassed to ask other group members for help and support even though you have responsibilities for a task. If you need support, others probably need it too.
Assigning roles and responsibilities
To help you to choose which members of your group should take on particular roles, you could make a role card for each one.
For example:
Role card
Group secretary
Main responsibilities: Take notes during group meetings, write them up and distribute them to the group. Prepare an agenda for group meetings and distribute beforehand.
Skills needed: Note-taking skills; a good eye for detail; well organized; good communication skills.
During the activity, you would place the role cards on the table in front of the group and discuss who would be good in each role. This would involve negotiation and the use of specific language. Use the following useful phrases to do this.
Negotiating
Iâd really like to take on the role of â¦
Iâd be good in the role of ⦠because Iâm good at â¦
My experience in ⦠means that Iâd make a very good â¦
I think David should be ⦠because heâs â¦
I know you want that role but would you consider me for it?
I donât think Iâd be suitable for that. Iâm not very good at â¦
Iâm sorry. Iâm really not keen on being ⦠How about if I take on â¦?
Tip
Keep any role cards you produce and bring them out at group meetings to help discuss who should be doing what.
Establishing rules
Glossary
ground rule The ground rules for something are the basic principles on which future action will be based.
It is important to have some ground rules for your group work. Ground rules can prevent misunderstandings and keep your group on track.
For example:
Group members must attend all meetings. If a member cannot attend a meeting, they must tell the group secretary at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time.
Read about some common problems that can arise during group work. Suggest a ground rule for each problem. Make notes.
Problem Ground rule to solve the problem 1 Some students are late or do not attend group meetings. 2 Some students spend time talking on their phone or texting during meetings. 3 Some students do not say anything in meetings. 4 Some students are not sure what they are supposed to do after meetings. 5 Some students interrupt other students when they are talking and want to talk all the time. 6 Some students do not produce work on time. 7 Some students talk to non-group members about confidential group matters. 8 Some students are inflexible and want everybody to do things their way. 9 Sometimes there is a long time between group meetings, so the group loses focus.Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.
For more information on how to deal with difficulties within your group, see Chapter 7.
Tips
Remember to keep your list of ground rules close to hand so you can refer to it if you have some problems in your group.
Think about what you will do if a group member breaks a ground rule and include this in the ground rules too!
Sharing contact information
You will need to share contact information with your group members and say how you would like to keep in touch with each other. Different students may prefer different methods and only be comfortable giving out certain information. It is therefore a good idea to include some rules about keeping in touch in your groupâs ground rules. Make sure that the information you give out is up to date and that you check regularly to see if your group members are trying to contact you.
Use a group contact form to collect and share your groupâs information.
For example:
Group contact form Name Email address Mobile number Landline number When not to call Best way to get in touchTips
You can use a form like the one above to share contact details among your group.
Do not leave long periods of time without getting in touch with your group members as this is likely to result in problems.
Creating a shared digital workspace
You will need to create computer files in your group work and you should consider how you will store your work and share it with your group. There are a lot of different ways you can do this using online and offline technology. It is important to remember that:
different students will have different IT skills
different students will feel comfortable using different software.
The table on page 27 contains examples of different places where you can store your group work. It also includes a commentary on the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of storage.
For example:
Technology What you can do with it Advantages Disadvantages Memory stick You can store your digital files on it. It is easy to carry around. You can lose a memory stick! Folders on a shared computer drive at university or college You can store, upload and download files to it. Everyone can easily access all the files. There may be restrictions accessing the shared drive when you are outside the institution. Folders on a shared online drive You can store, upload and download files to it. Some products can synchronise files across different computers. You always have the latest version of the file and you do not need to use a memory stick or email. For all these online options you need a fast and reliable internet connection and access to a reasonable computer. Wiki You can add content to a webpage and so share your work. You can easily see each otherâs ideas, work on it and edit it together from different locations. An online message board You can read and leave messages for each other. It is an easy way for the group to share ideas when they are at different locations.Glossary
wiki A wiki is a website that allows anyone visiting it to change or add to the material in it.
restriction A restriction is an official rule that limits what you can do or limits the amount or size of something.
Remember
Group work gets easier as time goes on.
It is worthwhile spending time to get to know your group members.
Get to know the strengths of your group members so you can use each otherâs skills.
Be prepared to negotiate for the role that you want in your group.
Ground rules will help to keep your group on track.
3
Aims
understand how to interpret your assignment: what you are being asked to do
understand the requirements of the task
use a brainstorming technique to generate ideas
learn techniques for scheduling your work
recognize the importance of setting clear goals
Quiz
Self-evaluation
Read the statements and circle the answers that are true for you.
1 I donât have a clear idea of what the work will look like when itâs finished; I just start and see where it goes. agree | disagree | not sure 2 I donât usually read course documents that the lecturer gives out as I find them dull. agree | disagree | not sure 3 I find it useful to work in a group and share ideas. agree | disagree | not sure 4 I donât think you can plan too much in advance because you donât know how long the work will take. agree | disagree | not sure 5 Itâs important to be flexible when you work. agree | disagree | not sureNow check the key for comments on this exercise.
Understanding the requirements of the task
It is essential to understand what your lecturer wants you to do in any group work assignment. One way of doing this is by asking questions about the assignment. Look at this task for Tourism students.
For example: Create a two-week adventure package holiday aimed at the young family market (two professional adults, two young children). Produce a marketing brochure to appear in travel agent outlets that includes details of destination, duration, accommodation, activities and costs. You will be asked to present your package holiday to the class and answer questions about it.
You can use âwh-questionsâ to help you to analyse the question and understand exactly what is required. It is a good idea to try and come up with questions using all seven question words.
What? When? Who? Why? Where? Which? How?
You can also use the following questions stems.
Can we � Should we � Do we have to �
The same questions would help you to understand the task when working alone. However, when working in a group, you have the opportunity to discuss them with others in the group and, between you, arrive at a thorough understanding of the task.
Read the example task on page 28. How many questions can you write to help you to understand the task? Think about the different elements of the task. Some questions have been given to help you.
1 Questions about your group Who will I work with? Can I ⦠2 Questions about the brochure When does the brochure need to be finished by? Should it ⦠How many ⦠Which ⦠3 Questions about the presentation How long should the presentation be? Should we ⦠Does ⦠Can we ⦠4 Questions about the assessment What percentage of marks goes towards this assignment? How many ⦠What â¦