1. Training Trainers and Educators Unit 5 – Effective Group Work
Aim
Explore different aspects of group learning
Learning outcomes
Consider the learning needs of groups and apply when planning learning activities
Describe the way groups form and develop
Use the approaches introduced to help facilitate groups
Slide 5.1
IMPORTANT Note to facilitator
Due to copyright legislation we are unable to use certain images or diagrams on the slides. Therefore always click on the links provided on the slides during the presentation to access these.
You will be familiar with the content of this topic. Outline tutor notes are provided but the expectation is as an experienced facilitator you may wish to add/change to suit your own and audience needs.
It always helpful to revisit agreed ways of working of any of the units are being delivered separately.

2. Group working: Things to consider
Am I facilitating, chairing or leading?
Does the group have a clear task and outcome?
Are we meeting common vision or meeting individual needs?
Is there a hierarchical, sharing or collaborative approach as to how the
group runs?
How structure and managed is the group work?
Is the group working towards solving problems or information sharing
Slide 5.2
Things to consider when planning a group session.
Facilitate group discussion in relation to the questions
Ask participants to think about some groups they are part of and what the purpose of the group is e.g.
To learn together i.e. all sit under the same educational programme
To learn from each other – implies some engagement and discussion in the group; may include reflection
To support each other through learning – involves some vulnerability of the members
To fulfil/rehearse specific roles e.g. role play

3. Continuous Professional Development Specific need
Identifying Learning Needs
Statutory
Continuous Professional Development
Specific need
Slide 5.3
Statutory: e.g. specific curriculum to meet a professional need. Consider undergraduate medical, nursing, dental, allied health professional courses
Include statutory health and safety courses, manual handling etc.
Continuous Professional Development: identified by the individual or their line manager. Therefore, the ‘group’ who attend all require this ‘prescribed’ content of learning
Specific need: e.g. people have identified their own learning need and come to form a group to learn new knowledge, skills or equivalent e.g. new equipment for patient care.
Groups therefore form because they have to (statutory), are required to (line manager recommends) or because they want to learn.
Discuss how groups would differ in their approach to learning according to how their learning needs have been identified. Consider the drivers for learning and the levels of learning e.g. surface or deep (Unit 1).

4. The group dynamic triangle
Task
Slide 5.4
There is a need to get the right balance for the right group at the right time between task, process and support.
A group is truly in a dynamic state and moves around within the triangle during its life.
Task: The piece of work that the group has set itself to do, requires alignment with the group aims and outcomes.
Support: Making use of the environment, shared learning experiences, knowledge and skills. Considered to be of core value, but the impact may be difficult to measure. An effective facilitator is often key to the culture of the group and the environment that is created.
Process: Related to the interaction of the individuals within the group, the process of learning in order to engage with the task and achieve the groups aims and outcomes.
Give an example: Practitioners undertaking a newly qualified learning programme
The Task: Completion of Flying Start
Support: Between each other, the facilitator, safe environment, away from practice, ground rules
Process: Learning from each other, action learning sets, time dedicated for computer labs to use Flying Start.
Unit 5: Handout 2
Process
Support

5. forming storming norming performing adjourning
Tuckman’s Model of Group Development and Behaviour
forming
storming
norming
performing
adjourning
Slide 5.5
Please use the following link to access information on this model and descriptions of each phase
It is important to emphasise that some long term groups will go through these stages and indeed go back and forth.
For shorter life groups the challenge is to get from forming to performing. Note that adjourning can often be referred to as mourning.
Unit 5: Handout 3

6. Belbin’s Team Role Theory
Co-ordinator
Resource investigator
Team worker
Shaper
Company worker/ implementer
Completer/ finisher
Plant
Monitor/ evaluator
Specialist
Slide 5.6
Belbin helps us understand how we function when working with others. Belbin identified nine team types. An effective team needs all different types. A team or group of people who comprise all Co-ordinators, for example, would struggle to actually get any work done.
Note there is a charge to undertake the test and to generate an individual report.
Ask people to reflect and identify which type they think that they are and how their own type may impact on others using Unit 5: Handout4

7. The role of the facilitator
To support the group achieve the outcome of their learning needs
Encourage divergent thinking skills
Generate ideas
Allow free flowing open discussion
Seeking diverse points of view
Suspend judgment
Slide 5.7
What is Facilitation? Discuss Unit 5:Handout 5

8. Heron’s framework for facilitation
Herons modes of facilitation
Herons dimensions of
facilitation
Planning
Structuring
Meaning
Confronting
Feeling
Valuing
Hierarchical
Co-operative
Autonomous
Slide 5.8
This is one model of facilitation . John Heron identified the key skills appropriate for group facilitation and developed a framework for facilitation based on two aspects of the facilitators role.
One relates to the intervention that the facilitator undertakes to support the group progressing, so what you are going to do as a facilitator? There are six dimensions.
And the other aspect relates to the mode as to how you are going to do it? There are three modes.
The modes of facilitation describe how the facilitator works with the group.

9. Heron’s 6 Dimensions of Facilitation
Planning
goals, aims, content, alignment, assessment and evaluation
Structuring
learning experiences, the environment, design of delivery, organisation
Meaning
Understanding and making sense of what is going on in the group around task, process and support
Confronting
Raising awareness about blocks to learning in the group e.g. uncertainty, unclear aims and objectives, lack of knowledge ,attitude, poor communication
Feeling
managing the feelings and emotional life of the group
Valuing
integrity, mutual respect, self worth
Slide 5.9
These six dimensions are mutually supportive of each other and are integrated, focus on what you can do as a facilitator?
The 6 Dimensions include Planning, Structuring, Meaning, Confronting, Feeling and Valuing.
Now look at each of these in turn working with UNIT 5: Handouts 5.5 and 5.6
Planning is goal orientated. How does the group achieve its outcomes?
Structuring – how can the groups experiences be structured? This is the formal aspect of facilitation
Meaning is the cognitive aspect of facilitation
Confronting is the challenge aspect of facilitation. The facilitator aims to raise the groups’ awareness of the above matters and any resistance that is being exhibited towards progression
Feeling this is the affective aspect of facilitation. There is a need to acknowledge feelings and emotions that may support or impede learning.
Valuing relates to feelings as people need to feel they are contributing within a safe environment and their views will be listened to and be respected

10. Group Activity Hierarchical Cooperative Delegation Planning
Structuring
Meaning
Confronting
Feeling
Valuing
Slide 5.10
Using blank table in handout 5 - ask participants for an example of a group they facilitated in the past and consider what mode they used within each dimension and reflect if this worked well or what could have been done differently.
This model is useful if involved in supporting long life groups.