Why work in groups?

An important aspect of your sixth form studies is the opportunity to work as part of a group. Group working is used because it can be an effective and powerful way to learn, and is also highly relevant to universities and the workplace. The following points highlight the benefits of group learning:

Effective learning

Group working can make study more efficient and fun. Working with others enables you to pool your ideas and see problems from different perspectives. In a group situation, you can attempt tasks that could not be accomplished by an individual, combining a variety of skills and expertise to tackle more complex and larger scale problems. If you are working to a limited time frame, group work allows analysis to a greater depth and breadth than if you were working individually. Furthermore, group work gives you the chance to learn from each other. There are many benefits from analysing, discussing and exploring your own ideas and questions and gaining feedback from your peers.

Development of Generic Skills

Group working can provide a great opportunity to develop skills such as:

• Organisation
• Delegation
• Effective communication
• Co-operation
• Leadership
• Following

To find out more about working effectively as part of a group, you can have a look at the following interactive resources: Bristol University Group Work and Sheffield University Collaboration

These are all valuable qualities that will be sort after and highly valued in your future lives. Follow these tips to help ensure that your group assignment results in success.

Set clear goals

At the start of any team project, you should spend your first meeting agreeing on specific targets and setting some ground rules.

Sonia Hood, study adviser at the University of Reading, recommends that you decide how often you'll meet, how you'll communicate with each other and how the group will be led. 'This way, everyone is clear about what is expected of them,' she explains.

You should also ensure that all team members have a shared understanding of the project. 'Discuss how you can best divide the task up to work to the advantage of everyone within the group,' says Sonia.

Ensure everyone contributes

All members of the group should strive to create a supportive atmosphere that allows everyone to feel comfortable expressing their thoughts without the threat of being dismissed, ridiculed or ignored.

While some people are naturally confident in group work situations, others may initially find putting their points forward challenging.

'You may need to ask some quieter individuals directly if they have anything to add,' Sonia advises. 'The group will benefit from hearing everyone's opinion and others may have valuable insight that you have not considered.'

Not everyone strives to be a leader, or is able to quickly generate ideas. Indeed, the best teams have a balanced mix of individuals whose contributions complement one another. The University of Kent identifies seven roles that people can play in group meetings:

• Compromiser - Attempts to maintain harmony and rapport among all team members by encouraging others, and recognising and resolving any differences of opinion.
• Encourager - Energises the team through humour or enthusiasm, suggesting ideas and confronting any problems.
• Evaluator - Offers critical analysis of all options before coming to an informed decision.
• Ideas person - Suggests original and potentially radical new ways to organise the task or solve problems.
• Leader - Ensures the group remains on-task, coordinating resources, assigning tasks and driving members to achieve a positive end result.
• Recorder - Keeps the group focused and organised through timekeeping and note-taking, ensuring that every member understands their individual responsibilities.
• Summariser - Clarifies objectives and elaborates on others' ideas, wrapping up the group's discussion and conclusions.

Avoid negativity

Unless you want to seriously jeopardise your chances of success, some behaviours should be avoided at all costs. You'll find that your task can quickly go off the rails if even just one participant:

• becomes overly aggressive
• displays unhappiness with any decisions made
• disrespects others and criticises their ideas without suggesting alternatives
• distracts focus by acting the clown
• fails to contribute
• listens too little and interrupts others when they're talking
• talks too much and dominates the discussion.

While disagreements are inevitable, it's important not to make things personal. 'Try to ensure that discussion and disagreements are focused on the task in hand,' Sonia advises.

'If you have an issue with the level of commitment of certain members, speak to them individually and check there's not something else going on that they may need your support with.'

Adapted from: www.prospects.ac.uk/3-tips-for-successful-group-work and www.birmingham.ac.uk/tips