Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Tips for Better Learning Groups

Below is a checklist of things that groups can do to function better. If appropriate for your class, distribute to your students.

I. Before the group begins:
Expect to learn, to enjoy, and to discover.
Team up with people you don't know.

II. As the group begins:
Make a good first impression.
Build the team.
Do something that requires self-disclosure.
Take interpersonal risks to build trust.
Establish team goals as appropriate.
Start thinking about group processing.

III. While the group is in existence:
Work at increasing self-disclosure.
Work at giving good feedback.
Get silent members involved.
Confront problems.
Apply lessons from class work.
Work on issues in the group even if they appear at first to be just between two members.
Don't assume you can't work with someone just because you don't like or respect them.
If the group can't solve a problem, consult the instructor as a group.
Regularly review your data.
Vary the leadership style as needed.

IV. Wrapping up the group:
Summarize and review your learning from group experiences.
Analyze the data to discover why the group was more effective or less so.
Provide final feedback to members on their contribution.
Celebrate the group's accomplishments.

2 comments:

Christy said...

now i know what you are studying! awesome blog man!!

Muhammad Yasir Younus said...

Thanks Christy!! But your blog is more good then me !! having a lot of species and funny things are there in your blog =P~~