Turning the spotlight of group work onto ourselves as facilitators | 15 September

Learning in groups is not only an activity that students do; it also involves teachers as facilitators of learning. Much has been written about setting up groups and ensuring everybody is clear about the assessment task. Setting the scene and preparing students for teamwork is arguably one of the key responsibilities of the facilitator. There is surprisingly little written about the facilitator’s responsibility during the lifetime of the group activity. What is a good balance for the facilitator between checking-in regularly and leaving the group to learn and work alone? 

Teacher presence has been identified by our students as an important aspect of rewarding group learning experiences. Some students tell us that they  have felt left alone. Teacher presence includes being available and approachable, understanding how groups are progressing and intervening appropriately. It closely relates to a duty of care to enable trusting, and collaborative conditions for learning. Mechanistic models of knowledge sharing might miss the importance of cultural appropriateness , timing and so many more contextual factors. Instilling a sense of informality and motivation can help to reinforce that “this is a normal way” of doing group work (Riege 2005). People naturally share experiences, collaborate and teach each other. The importance of creating an  inclusive atmosphere should not be underestimated. 

In this final webinar in the ‘Group Work in the spotlight’ series we will turn the spotlight upon ourselves and examine our own group work practices. You are invited to explore and identify individual and shared responsibilities. 

Prework

Self-reflection

Read these statements and give yourself a score: 0=never; 1=sometimes; 2=often; 3=always.

1. Talk with students about the importance in this subject to learn from and with each other
2. Provide a personal example of learning from group work
3. Provide an example of group work in a relevant (to the subject) professional setting
4. Discuss the purpose of group work for a particular group work task
5. Connect one or more of the subject learning outcomes to be achieved through group work
6. Invite students to raise their concerns, past experiences, motivation, suggestions for group work
7. Dedicate time to agree on group work set up, enable student choice: allocate individuals to groups
8. Scaffold group work processes: allowing time for students to get to know group members; setting up time frames; establishing check-in times with group members/facilitator/employer/client etc
9. Design group assessments that include affective, social and individual learning insights

Watch this video 

Watch the 2 minute video “Can we ask for help?” (Link to this video will be provided upon registration). We will discuss what the ‘boss’ could have done better to assist the teamwork. Due to technical challenges we cannot show the video in the zoom meeting.

Want to read more

Riege. A (2005) Three-dozen knowledge sharing barriers management must consider Journal of Knowledge Management 9(3) 18-35

Zoom Link

Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

Register for this event

Your video, audio and the meeting chat transcript may be recorded or photographed. Please advise the facilitator if you do not wish to be recorded or photographed.

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