1. Helping Groups to Work Effectively
Group Dynamics:
Helping Groups to Work Effectively
Courtesy of Deborah Allen and Betsy Lieux

2. Session Objective
To explore and discuss strategies an instructor can use to maintain functional groups in the classroom
Functional groups are ones in which
members work effectively to enhance
their own and each other’s learning

3. WHY USE GROUPS? Committed to it based on research and observation
Simulates the “real world” - use of teams
Learn better when actively involved
Peer instruction, teaching each other
Learn more fully and with less effort
Learn in context
Johnson, Johnson and Smith. ERIC ASHE
Higher Education Report No. 4

4. The Top Five Ways to Wreck a Group
List 5 behaviors or actions that
can undermine good group
Function.
Report out in 5 minutes.

6. Questions to Consider What if anything is wrong with this group?
What could be done to help this group work better?
Could this situation have been prevented?

8. Questions to Consider What if anything is wrong with this group?
What could be done to help this group work better?
Could this situation have been prevented?

9. Videotape Credits Authors:
“I Want To Be in My Professor’s Group” – Jessica Horvath
“Dawn’s Eight O’Clock” – Harold White
Director: Nancy King
Producers: Deborah Allen & Harold White
Student Actors: Melissa Reddish, John Dueber,
Michelle Lyons, Eric Moskal, Crystal Mack,
Amanda Simons

10. Suggestions for Using Groups
Set the stage early.
Select heterogeneous groups.
Use permanent groups of about 4-6.
Rotate roles of responsibility.
Construct group-selected ground rules.
Use periodic peer evaluation.

11. Using Groups in Larger Classes
Strategies that can work:
Well-defined activities
Bring the class together for discussion and/or clarification at about15 min. intervals
Group products
Look for signs of behaviors that undermine group function
Use undergraduate (peer) group facilitators

12. nce upon a time...
A team of students had four members called Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
- Graham Gibbs, “Learning in Teams”

13. Exploration of PBL Course Syllabus
Functional groups are ones in which
members work effectively to enhance
their own and each other’s learning