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2 Preparing for group work

Aims

  learn ways of forming a group and getting to know each other

  recognize the value of team-building activities

  assign roles and responsibilities, establish rules and share contact information

  create a shared digital workspace

Quiz

Self-evaluation

Read the statements and circle the answers that are true for you.

Now check the key for comments on this exercise.
Forming a group

There are a variety of ways of selecting the members of a group. For example, the lecturer can:

 decide on the members of each group; you do not have a choice

 allow you to choose your group members with complete freedom

 allow students to choose their group members, but give some constraints, for example numbers of males and females or the mix of nationalities

 use a random selection process, for example picking out names written on individual pieces of paper.

Glossary

Constraint A constraint is something that limits or controls what you can do

Your lecturer will generally have good reasons for choosing one of these methods. If you understand what these reasons are, you are likely to have a more successful group.

Exercise 1

Read the methods of selecting group members below. Make notes about the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.

Tips

 If you are unhappy about your group membership, try to make it work before asking to move.

 You should talk to your tutor or lecturer if you still feel uncomfortable in your group after a period of time.

Getting to know each other

It is very important for you and the other group members to get to know each other so you can work together effectively. If you have some basic information about them, you will quickly find shared interests and start to understand how they think and work.

The activities in Exercises 2, 3 and 4 are just some of the ones you might choose in order to learn something about the other members in your group. Your lecturer is unlikely to use such activities, but will assume that the group takes responsibility for organizing and carrying out this process.

Exercise 2

Look at the form below that a student has completed after meeting a new group member. The information is very basic. What follow-up questions can they ask to get more interesting information?

Nice to meet you!

Work in pairs. Take it in turns to ask each other the following questions. Make notes of the answers.

1 Full name: Narantuya Bayarmaa

2 Name to be used in the group/Nickname: Natalie

3 Nationality: Chinese

4 First language: Mongolian

5 Languages you can speak: Mongolian, Mandarin, English

6 Currently living: Shanghai

7 Course: Mechanical Engineering

8 Reasons for choosing this course: China needs engineers

9 Hobbies: Horse riding, swimming, travelling and learning about new cultures

10 Plans following this course: Return to China and work in the field of developing renewable energy

When you have finished come together as a group and introduce your partner to the rest of the group. Partners should give more information, correct the information being given, and ask and answer more questions. This will generate a rewarding ‘getting to know each other’ session.

Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.

A skills audit (see Exercise 3) is a useful way of finding out about the strengths and weaknesses of the various group members. It is very useful to exchange this information with your group so that you can decide who is best suited to each task.

Glossary

skills audit A skills audit is a thorough check or examination of a person’s skills and abilities.

Exercise 3

Read the skills audit form below and rate your skills. Write 1 if you think your skills need improvement, 2 if they are adequate and 3 if they are good.

Now check the key for comments on this exercise.

Ice-breakers (see Exercise 4) are a useful type of activity to use when a group meets for the first time as they will help to make all the group members feel at ease with each other. In other words, they help to break the ice.

Exercise 4

Look at the ice-breaker activity on page 20 and answer the questions.

1 How easy would it be to complete?

2 How interesting would it be to use?

3 How useful would it be in terms of getting to know others?

Sharing experiences

1 Think about something you learned to do recently, e.g. driving or speaking another language.Was it a good learning experience, or not?What made it a good or a bad learning experience?

2 Think about a really good teacher that you had when you were at school.What made this teacher special?How did this affect the way you worked?

3 Think about a subject that you did not like at school.What made you dislike the subject?Could anything have been done to make it better?

4 Have you ever worked in a group before? If so:What made it a good experience?What did you learn from it?

5 Think about something you have done that needed courage and took you out of your comfort zone, for example, doing something for the first time, or doing something you did not like or did not want to do.How did you face your fear of doing it?What did you learn from it?

Now check the key for comments on this exercise.

It is important to make use of the various information you gather about the members of your group during any ice-breaking activities. It would therefore be useful to complete a table similar to the one below.

Glossary

distribute If you distribute things, you hand them or deliver them to a number of people.

For example:

After sharing the information, you can ask one group member to type it up and distribute it to the rest of the group. The group can then use the information to help allocate roles and tasks that need to be covered in your group work.

Team-building activities

Even when students already know each other, it is important to improve communication skills and build trust within a group. In professional life, many companies organize team-building activities for their staff. These activities can be simple ones, for example:

 having a meeting or a conference

 having a meal

 going on a day trip.

Glossary

emphasis Emphasis is special or extra importance that is given to an activity or to part or aspect of something.

The importance of team-building in profession life can be seen by the large amount of money some companies spend on team-building activities. These are often not connected with work in any way and include such things as:

 adventure sports (e.g. climbing, walking, boating)

 raft building

 cooking classes.

This emphasis on team building in professional life demonstrates why you should place importance on team building in your student life.

Exercise 5

Look at the team-building activities below. Which activities could be good for team building when the group members already know each other? Which ones would work best? Which of them might not be a good idea? Make notes.