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Prepare Students for Group Work with Self-Awareness

Tags

Social-Emotional Learning ^21st Century Skills All Ages Strategy

Skills

Social Awareness

Prepare Students for Group Work with Self-Awareness

If your students need to strengthen collaboration skills

How To Apply It!

  1. Teach students how to use their strengths and needs in group work to become better collaborators.
  2. When students appreciate their own strengths and needs, they have a much better understanding of how their behaviors and words might affect their classmates. They also will naturally develop a greater understanding and empathy for the actions and words of their classmates.
  3. If you have time, consider starting your semester with self-awareness and self-efficacy activities before moving into group work. For students with Mindprint Learner Profiles you can start here. For students who do not have Learner Profiles, start here.
  4. Before moving into their groups, have students write down at least one strength and one difficulty they perceive they might have while working in the group. The strength or difficulty should be about themselves and not their group members.
  5. Next have students write down one strategy for the strength and one for the difficulty that they will try to use throughout the project to help the group succeed and improve their own collaboration skills.
  6. If students have difficulty thinking of strengths, difficulties, or strategies, see the next slides for ideas.

Initiation

  1. Initiation is diving into work without procrastinating. If you have good initiation skills you can get your group moving on generating ideas and getting started during each session. If you struggle with initiation, group members might feel like you are slowing them down or not doing your fair share.
  2. If initiation is a strength, you might be a good person to create a project plan. Students with strong initiation skills usually have good attention or flexible thinking. Click on the corresponding skill for more strategies.
  3. If you struggle with initiation, you might want to try the Just Get Started strategy. Students who struggle with initiation might have difficulty with attention or flexible thinking. Click on the corresponding skill for strategies.

Organization

  1. Organization includes the ability to prioritize, plan and ensure that work is done thoroughly and on time. If you have good organization skills you can ensure that your group meets all the deadlines and everyone has clear roles and responsibilities. If you struggle with organization, group members might be concerned that you won't finish your part on time and affect the quality of the project.
  2. If organization is a strength, you might be a good person to create a project plan. Students with strong organization skills often have good attention or working memory. Click on the corresponding skill for more strategies.
  3. If you struggle with organization, try making checklists. Students who struggle with organization might have difficulty with attention or working memory. Click on the corresponding skill for more strategies.

Problem Solving

  1. Problem Solving includes the ability to come up with ideas for the project and solutions if the team gets stuck. If you have good problem solving skills you can ensure that your group meets all the project requirements and, ideally, exceeds expectations. If you struggle with problem solving, group members might be concerned that you might want to just get the project done without worrying about exceeding expectations.
  2. If problem solving is a strength, you might be a good person to lead brainstorming. Students with strong problem solving skills usually have good reasoning or flexible thinking. Click on the corresponding skill for more strategies.
  3. If you struggle with problem solving, you might want to try the prepare for class participation strategy. Students who struggle with problem solving might have difficulty with flexible thinking. Click on the skill for more strategies.

Memorization

  1. If you have great memory, you can be a help to your team. Making sure nothing is forgotten, you remember specifics of what the teacher said, or you can easily recall sources and references you have seen before to use in the project. If you struggle with memory, you might easily forget what you need to do or specifics of instructions.
  2. If memory is a strength, you might be a good person to summarize what happened at the last meeting. Try these strategies to use your strong verbal memory or visual memory.
  3. If you struggle with memory, make sure you take thorough notes during the session. Students who struggle with memory can find more strategies here.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Not all students enjoy group projects. Differing personalities and concerns about grades are just two of the reasons. However, group work is exactly the type of challenge students will face in the "real world". Helping students better understand themselves, and appreciating how their words and actions might affect others, will not only make them better at managing their own behavior but also understanding the behaviors of their peers. That self-awareness can help them identify common goals and needs and navigate differences so they can be successful.