Group work What do you like about it?

Group work What do you dislike about it?

And today we are going to do a group building exercise to prepare the class for POWERFUL GROUP WORK

First we need to learn the roles of each member of the group There are four different roles for each group When you are in your group, you will be wearing a badge to show which role you are playing

Group Roles FACILITATOR HARMONIZER MATERIALS MANAGER REPORTER

In the skill building activity we are about to do --- and in all future group work --- you will be assigned a specific role to play

Your role will change --- most likely every time we do group work.

So it is important that you learn all the roles

Facilitator Makes sure that everyone has a chance to participate Calls the teacher if necessary The Facilitator is the only group member who can call the teacher --- and that is only after she/he discusses the issue with everyone in the group

Harmonizer Makes sure there are no put-downs Encourages positive responses Keeps lines of communication open in the group

MATERIALS MANAGER Collects materials that are needed to complete the task Supervises clean-up

REPORTER Discusses with group what will be reported Introduces group members during presentations Briefly summarizes activity to the class

Now, let’s review…. Which group member’s job is to keep the peace among members of the group? The Harmonizer

Which group member is responsible for getting the necessary materials for the group? Materials Manager

Which group member tells other members of the class what the group did during oral presentations? The Reporter

Who is the only group member who can call the teacher over? The Facilitator

Today, we will be doing a skill building activity to practice our roles in the group. This lesson is a skillbuilder designed to demonstrate the value of working together with other students. The name of this skillbuilder is Island Maps

THE TASK There is a deck of 30 cards. These are not regular playing cards. Each card has a map on it. Like this

THE TASK Each of the 30 cards is dealt among the group members face down.

THE TASK The group must discover which card in the set is a singleton. Each card in the set has one or more duplicates --- except the singleton card.

To review ….. What is a singleton? It is something that has no duplicates Do you know the word that starts with “u” that describes something that has no duplicates?

Where is the singleton?

Island Maps---the Rules organize your efforts in any way you wish to complete the task within these limitations: Players may see only those cards dealt to them. Players must keep their “barriers” up during the entire exercise. Players may not trade cards. Players may not draw pictures or diagrams of the maps. Players must keep their discards in their own separate piles. Players may talk any way the group decides. Players may not communicate with any other group.

The Norms Make a plan. Agree on strategies. Describe accurately and carefully.

To review.... When can you show your cards to one of your group members? Never!!!!!

Can you trade cards with another group member? No!!!

Can you put your discards in the center of the table? No!!!

Once you get into your groups, the Materials Manager will come to get the materials for his/her group. These include... Badges for the group The cards One privacy screen for each person in the group

Island Maps When your group thinks it has found the singleton, the Facilitator will raise her/his hand and call the teacher over. Once the teacher has come to your group, they will tell you what to do next.

Island Maps Reflection Write out each of the following and respond to each question in 1-2 complete sentences. 1.What do you think were your main areas of strength in this exercise? 2.What do you think were your main areas of weakness in this exercise? 3.How can you improve your group performance in the future? 4. In what ways did the norms help you become successful members of the group?