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Managing study: Group work

Tips on how to study smarter, not harder, based on research and experience

Understanding how you can work well in a range of roles in a formal small group for your course work...

What group work looks like at polytechnic

  

Image credit: Schnobrich, J. (2018, January 19). Coworking [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/2FPjlAyMQTA

Most courses include a marked group project that fits your field:

  • a performance
  • creating a poster
  • meeting a challenge or
  • presentation

Or you may be part of a more informal study group

Groups work well when all the group members are:

  • committed to working together
  • all contributing their skill and energy to get the best possible result

  What do you do if it's not working out like that...

Setting rules for the group and using the rules:

Each group needs to set some rules that all the members agree to. Some to consider:

  • everybody coming to meetings and all contributing to the work
  • respect for everyone and their ideas and contribution
  • the opportunity for everyone to speak
  • discussion with one person speaking at a time and no raised voices
  • how to manage work tasks and socialising

Leadership can be key to a successful group

Whether a leader is assigned or someone volunteers, having a leader is key. If your group work is over a long time, you can rotate leadership. Leaders have different styles, those who:

  • focus on tasks or goals
  • are above all about the well-being of group members
  • emphasise input from all members
  • are relaxed and let anything happen
  • are inspirational
  • take into account history, values, traditions and cultural practices

Leaders are not perfect. Work co-operatively and support the leader so you can achieve a quality outcome.

Working in a group means you are:

  1. learning from diverse perspectives of other students
  2. developing workplace skills and
  3. you can achieve a better product than you could create on your own. Work to your strengths.

Evaluation questions: How are we working as a group?

Use these questions as you finish each group
meeting to check that you are working well together 

 

  1. What's good about the way we work together?
  2. What could we do to improve the way we work together?                          
  3. What did we achieve today?
  4. How did we manage our time?
  5. What are we going to do before our next meeting?
  6. Are we 'on track' to meet our assignment requirements and deadline?

The life of a group

Note. Forming, storming, norming and performing in groups. (Smith, 2005; Tuckman, 1965). 

The well known Tuckman model (1965) of groups explains stages that often fit student experience. It can be helpful to know that your small group dynamics are nothing unusual. It can take time to get set up and start moving forward to your group goal. Be patient and be helpful. This Group page includes more advice on what members can do to work well together. 

Group roles

Roles that contribute

Not all groups work the same way, but most assign roles to different group members: researcher, writer, interviewer, presenter or group spokesperson. There are also persons who take on a positive role, to help the group operate well. Some of these are formal allocated roles and some are informal. 

Leader

takes responsibility for the group functioning well and achieving set outcomes

Scribe or notetaker

makes a record of what is being said in discussion and may make a summary of the group meeting

Resource person

makes room bookings, organises equipment and resources needed for the meeting

Encourager

focuses on the well-being of the group and encourages everyone to contribute

Peacemaker or mediator

focuses on resolving any conflict that occurs in the group

Focuser or timekeeper

brings group members back to the task in hand if the group gets distracted

Negative roles

There are some roles you don't want people to take on. These are disruptive to group work.

Distractor

someone not focused on work and who wants social interaction unrelated to the group task

Joker

someone who is always cracking jokes, doesn't care if others think they're funny, and can make personal remarks meant to be funny but which upset others

Destroyer

someone who deliberately derails group meetings and may be malicious or want to make specific group members distressed

Non-contributor

someone who relies on others to do the work

Follower

someone who doesn't do critical thinking for themselves and simply agrees with the loudest or latest idea

If you understand these roles you can:

  • recognise when someone in your group adopts a negative role and prevents your group from working effectively, so the group can talk with them about their attitude or behaviour
  • recognise any time when you accidentally adopt some of the behaviours and risk sabotaging your group

Working in groups by UBC Learn

References

Smith, M. K. (2005). Bruce W. Tuckman – Forming, storming, norming and performing in groups. In the encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education. https://infed.org/mobi/bruce-w-tuckman-forming-storming-norming-and-performing-in-groups/

Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399. Special reprint. http://www.communicationcache.com/uploads/1/0/8/8/10887248/developmental_sequence_in_small_groups_-_reprint.pdf

Image credit: Possessed Photography. (2019, September 8). Rerouting [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/0La7MwJhSyo