Working in Groups * “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defences, or the problems of modern society." Vince Lombardi ( ), football coach for the NFL * Based on presentation by the College of Engineering, Ohio State University: clte.asu.edu/active/Teambuilding%20Workshop%20I.ppt and Ulearn unit on “Working in groups”, University of Surrey

2 Prior Student Experience Team Membership  Sports  Clubs (e.g., Chess) Team or Leadership Seminars  Sixth-form  Church Youth Groups

3 So… Why Teamwork? Market and Industry Needs  Teamwork skills  Communication skills  Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Responds to wider range of learning styles It is part of learning a language!

4 Workshop Objectives Why teamwork in Language in Society? Overview of team organization and team performance; Reflection and discussion of team characteristics; Problems of working in groups; How to assess group work; To give you a chance to practice teamwork skills.

5 Team Organization For complex projects, it is often useful to assign roles for members of the team. Chairperson: leads and controls meeting; sets agenda; makes sure that all members have a chance to speak Secretary: Takes notes and creates a written record of what was discussed and what decisions were made in each meeting Coordinator: keeps the discussion in line and on time; checks progress

6 Team roles Go to Ulearn > Language Studies – Student Support > Programme + modules > Level 2 > LIN2002 Language in Society> Skills Development> Working in teams > Team roles. Belbin’s team roles: task

7 Enhancing Performance Individual Performance +Assembly Effect - Process Losses. Team Performance

8 Team Working Agreement A Team Working Agreement is a list of expectations each team has for its members. These team agreements should be designed with your team in mind. The agreement is effectively a contract you sign with all members. You will be expected to abide by that contract.

9 Team Working Agreement – ground rules Take responsibility for your own learning, actions and reactions. Each member of your group needs to have input. Come to meetings on time and absences in advance Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another, but refrain from personal attacks -- focus on ideas. Respect the opinions, feelings and ideas of others. Circulate a draft of any write-up at least 2 days before it is due.

10 Violations of the Team Working Agreement: options Group member will have a "time-out" period from the group and will be responsible for completing all work on his/her own? Group member will not receive a grade for an assignment for which s/he did not contribute? Group member will be responsible for a greater share of the next assignment? After 2 ground-rule violations, a member can be expelled from the group permanently?

11 Issues To Address Effective communication method Participation by all members Decision-making Problem solving approaches Management of conflict or differences Responsibilities and conduct

12 Assessment Group mark: ?% Individual report on peer and self- evaluation: ?%

13 Peer Evaluation Attends meetings; is on time. Agrees to do a fair share of the assignments. Completes assignments on time. Attends class. Actively participates in team discussions. Listens to other team members’ contributions. Shows respect for other team members.

14 What it takes to be effective Positive interdependence  All members of a team must share a common, realized goal Individual and group accountability  Each member of the team must take responsibility for both his or her work and the work of the team

15 What it takes to be effective Meaningful Interaction All members do real work in a f2f setting Teamwork skills Effective communication, decision making, and conflict management Group Processing Periodic reflections on the progression of your work.