Creating High Performance Classroom Groups

Nina Brown

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781135708054
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Creating High Performance Classroom Groups offers specific strategies for classroom teachers to use in designing and implementing classroom groups and cooperative learning for a wide range of classes. It is an invaluable resource for both pre-service and in-service teachers at the school level.

CHAPTER 1

Why Classroom Groups?

INTRODUCTION

Two colleagues, professors in engineering and geology, respectively, independently approached me to ask about forming and conducting classroom groups. As we discussed the topic, it became clear to me that this was a complex undertaking for instructors with no background in group work, and that they had few resources available for guidance. A review of the available resources and books revealed that they:

• Seemed to lack enough specificity to guide instructors who have teaching content as their primary concern

• Did not provide enough rationale for suggested practices

• Did not provide guidelines to direct a student leader through the developmental stages of a group

• Did not give enough direction for structuring the experience to prevent some common problems

• Did not provide strategies to address problems

This book grew out of those discussions with my colleagues and an attempt to give them enough structure and encouragement to use groups effectively in their courses. My experiences with classroom groups and teaching group counseling also contributed to the genesis of this book. Experiences with psychoeducational groups, training groups, and counseling and therapy groups gave me a wide variety of group experiences to draw from in formulating the concepts, ideas, and strategies presented in this book.

GROUPS FOR COOPERATIVE LEARNING

A review of the literature revealed considerable interest in cooperative learning methods, as evidenced by the large number of articles and books on this topic. Cooperative learning takes many forms, and group work is only one method. However, there is a need to teach students how to work effectively in groups in addition to learning content. Increased emphasis on teamwork in many work settings is fueling the search for employees who have these skills and abilities. Yet many, if not most, classrooms emphasize independent student work. Few teach students how to be effective group members or how to be group leaders while still concentrating on task accomplishment. Further, many students report that they “hate” working in groups and/or that they have had no experience working in a group. Some report that they prefer to work independently because it is too frustrating and time consuming to try to work with others. Thus, from day one, instructors who want to use classroom groups face considerable student resistance in addition to their own lack of knowledge about groups.

This book is intended for college instructors who have their subject matter as the primary focus for the class and who want to use classroom groups to enhance the learning process and to teach students how to be effective team or group members and leaders. It is recommended that an instructor read the entire book before trying to use groups for a class; then the various chapters can be reviewed as resources. It may also be helpful for instructors to give student group leaders a copy of the book so that they can have a resource that goes into some detail about situations, conditions, and expectations for the group and leader. In this way the group leader gets instruction and support from two sources, the instructor and a book. The emphasis of this book is on teaching and learning, with considerable attention to structuring group work that can be done independently, that is, not just in the particular classroom during class time. Out-of-class meetings are necessary in many instances if a project is to be accomplished and if the instructor is not always present.

An increasingly common situation occurs when teams or groups are linked electronically. Structuring and directing these groups call for different assumptions and strategies than those used for groups whose members meet face to face.

Problem behaviors on the part of members can be expected. How these are manifested, when they will emerge, and what to do about them are important pieces of information. Information that is not generally presented includes the expected behaviors and attitudes of members associated with stagse of group development. This book presents this information so that both student leaders and instructors can have a selection of responses that take into account personalities, communication, and emotions for both the leader and members, as well as the stage of the group’s development.

Another topic in this book that is not usually addressed is that of group-level problems. These can be confusing and frustrating for the leader, and can erode his or her self-confidence. This book presents ways to recognize when there is a group-level problem, as well as suggestions for identifying times when the best strategy is for the leader to understand what is occurring and to manage his or her personal anxiety rather than jumping in too quickly, and when the problem needs to be addressed directly and immediately.

The remainder of this chapter presents definitions of different types of learning groups, ethical considerations for experiential learning, and criteria for distinguishing between effective and ineffective classroom groups. The chapter concludes with topical outlines for subsequent chapters.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEARNING GROUPS

Work Groups

Work groups are characterized by:

• Interdependence

• Individual work

• Shared information

• A strong, clearly focused leader who is appointed

• Tasks that emphasize individual contributions and responsibility

This description applies to many classroom groups, whose final product is the result of individual efforts. Members meet to share information, individuals assume responsibility only for their part of the work or product, and members do not work together to problem-solve as part of the task per se, although they may do so for shared resources—for example, computer access. Further, accountability focuses on individuals, whether each member receives a separate grade for his or her contribution, or each member receives a grade based on the quality of the product.

Teams

Teams are characterized by the following:

• Shared leadership

• Interdependence

• Specific roles and functions for members

• Awareness of who is a member and who is not

• A limited life span

• Accountability for individuals and for the group

• Meetings that are open-ended and devoted to problem solving

Classroom groups also share some of these characteristics; that is, members have specific roles and functions, awareness of who is a member and who is not, and a limited life span.

Learning Groups

Learning groups, such as those used in a classroom, tend to be a combination of work groups and teams. Members are peers working together to acquire knowledge and skills and each member contributes, or is expected to contribute, to the product or outcome. Johnson and Johnson (1994) classify learning groups as one of three types:

• Problem-solving

• Special purpose

• Self-management

Problem-solving Groups

Problem-solving groups work on tasks to improve quality, efficiency, and work environment. These groups form to develop strategies or propose solutions to previously identified problems. Examples of problem-solving groups in the classroom are those that are given hypothetical problems, so that the group’s task is to develop solutions like those used in Guided Design, and those that are working on research projects.

Other Groups

Special-purpose groups design and introduce reforms, new technology, new processes, and the like. This category includes groups like task forces that are convened to work on a specific issue for a limited time, with an expected outcome of guidance through change or introduction of something new.

Self-management groups have the goal of producing an entire product or service. In the classroom, this type of group oversees a project from beginning to end—for example, deciding on the topic of focus and developing the product, such as a report.

Katzenbach and Smith (1993) fuse two of the types described earlier; they consider teams to be work groups. They classify teams according to function—for example, recommending, making or doing things, or running or directing something. Teams that recommend include groups like:

• Task forces

• Project groups

• Audit or safety groups

Teams that make or do things include groups like:

• Quality circles

• Manufacturing groups

• Sports groups

Teams that run things can be:

• Departments

• Divisions

• Executive committees

• Boards

Classroom groups probably fall under recommending teams, since project groups are included in this category.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM GROUPS

Ideal learning or classroom groups are described by Johnson and Johnson (1992, 1997) as having the following characteristics:

• A clearly defined goal

• Cooperative or collaborative structure

• Shared responsibilities

• Communication among members, and between members and an instructor

• Use of consensus for decision making

• Use of...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Chapter 1 Why Classroom Groups?
• Chapter 2 The Challenge of Preparation
• Chapter 3 Organizing and Guiding
• Chapter 4 Developing Student Expertise
• Chapter 5 The Group Performance Curve
• Chapter 6 Conflict: Inevitable and Manageable
• Chapter 7 Problem Behaviors and Interventions
• Chapter 8 Group-Level Problems and Solutions
• Chapter 9 Relating Characteristics and Communication Skills
• Chapter 10 Group Leadership
• Chapter 11 Group Activities and Exercises
• Chapter 12 Electronically Linked Groups
• Bibliography
• Index