скачать книгу бесплатно
Glossary
available If something you want or need is available, you can find it or obtain it.
representative A group of people or things is representative of a larger group of people or things if it closely matches the wider group.
refine If something such as a process, theory or machine is refined, it is improved by having small changes made to it.
You will have seen from these examples that there are clear advantages to working in groups.
You learn more when you can share information that you get separately; it takes time to find and read information, but it does not take long to share this information with someone else.
You learn from the ideas of others; you will have some ideas, but you cannot think of everything on your own. Other students will usually have some ideas you did not think of.
You will benefit from explaining your ideas and listening to the ideas of other students. They will help you to see things from different points of view and help you to refine your ideas.
Exercise 2
Read the tasks below and make notes about the benefits of group work.
Now check the key for comments on this exercise.
What are teamwork skills and how do they help the process of learning?
Glossary
infrastructure The infrastructure of a country, society, or organization consists of the basic facilities such as transport, communications, power supplies, and buildings, which enable it to function.
brainstorm If a group of people brainstorm, they have a meeting in which they all put forward as many ideas and suggestions as they can think of.
negotiate If people negotiate with each other, they talk about a problem or a situation in order to solve the problem or complete the arrangement.
As we have discussed, group work will help you to develop your teamwork skills, and teamwork skills are important for working effectively with other students. If you have good teamwork skills, you will be able to work collaboratively; your group will achieve more and your marks will be higher. Furthermore, specific marks for teamwork are often given for group assignments.
Look at the teamwork skills involved in the following group assignment.
For example:Set up and run a project for the design and implementation of an infrastructure project of your choice.
These are just some of the teamwork skills you might use, but there are many more (see Appendix 4 for a complete list). You will need to practise and use these skills when you work with others.
For more information on working collaboratively, see Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo).
Tips
Recognize that whenever your lecturer asks you to do something, there is a good reason for it.
Reflect on what you are learning every time you do a task or assignment in order to get better marks.
Exercise 3
Read the assignments below. Which ones would be good for individual work, and which ones would benefit from teamwork? Write I if you think they are good for individual work and G if they would benefit from group work. What teamwork skills are needed to complete the group work assignments effectively?
Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.
How is group work assessed as a process as well as a product?
Glossary
reflective If you are reflective, you are thinking deeply about something.
enable If someone or something enables you to do a particular thing, they give you the opportunity to do it.
University lecturers also ask you to work with others because of the skills and subject knowledge you gain during the group work process. This means that the lecturers are not only interested in the finished assignment that you hand in, they are also interested in what happened when you were working on the assignment; they will give you marks for this process of working as well as marking your final assignment. This is why the process is important, not just the product. If the product is good but only one person worked on the assignment, you will score poorly on the collaborative working part of the assignment.
In long assignments there are usually several parts, for example, a group presentation as well as individual writing. It is common to include a reflective piece of writing in which you show what you have learned from your group work. This enables you to make comments about how you worked as a group and how you solved any problems that came up.
For more information on reflective writing, see Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo).
Remember
You can usually achieve more when working in a group than working individually.
University lecturers will expect you to participate actively in group work.
University lecturers want to see you listening to and learning from other students.
You get marks for being a good group member.
If your final assignment looks good but your group work is poor, you might be disappointed with your mark.
2
Preparing for group work (#ulink_e2c013a1-931f-5b02-b90a-104686800dcf)
Aims
learn ways of forming a group and getting to know each other (#litres_trial_promo)
recognize the value of team-building activities (#litres_trial_promo)
assign roles and responsibilities, establish rules and share contact information (#litres_trial_promo)
create a shared digital workspace (#litres_trial_promo)
Quiz
Self-evaluation
Read the statements and circle the answers that are true for you.
Now check the key for comments on this exercise.
Forming a group
There are a variety of ways of selecting the members of a group. For example, the lecturer can:
decide on the members of each group; you do not have a choice
allow you to choose your group members with complete freedom
allow students to choose their group members, but give some constraints, for example numbers of males and females or the mix of nationalities
use a random selection process, for example picking out names written on individual pieces of paper.
Glossary
Constraint A constraint is something that limits or controls what you can do
Your lecturer will generally have good reasons for choosing one of these methods. If you understand what these reasons are, you are likely to have a more successful group.
Exercise 1
Read the methods of selecting group members below. Make notes about the advantages and disadvantages of each one.
Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.
Tips
If you are unhappy about your group membership, try to make it work before asking to move.
You should talk to your tutor or lecturer if you still feel uncomfortable in your group after a period of time.
Getting to know each other
It is very important for you and the other group members to get to know each other so you can work together effectively. If you have some basic information about them, you will quickly find shared interests and start to understand how they think and work.
The activities in Exercises 2, 3 and 4 are just some of the ones you might choose in order to learn something about the other members in your group. Your lecturer is unlikely to use such activities, but will assume that the group takes responsibility for organizing and carrying out this process.
Exercise 2
Look at the form below that a student has completed after meeting a new group member. The information is very basic. What follow-up questions can they ask to get more interesting information?
Nice to meet you!
Work in pairs. Take it in turns to ask each other the following questions. Make notes of the answers.
1 Full name: Narantuya Bayarmaa
2 Name to be used in the group/Nickname: Natalie
3 Nationality: Chinese
4 First language: Mongolian
5 Languages you can speak: Mongolian, Mandarin, English
6 Currently living: Shanghai
7 Course: Mechanical Engineering
8 Reasons for choosing this course: China needs engineers
9 Hobbies: Horse riding, swimming, travelling and learning about new cultures
10 Plans following this course: Return to China and work in the field of developing renewable energy
When you have finished come together as a group and introduce your partner to the rest of the group. Partners should give more information, correct the information being given, and ask and answer more questions. This will generate a rewarding âgetting to know each otherâ session.
Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.
A skills audit (see Exercise 3) is a useful way of finding out about the strengths and weaknesses of the various group members. It is very useful to exchange this information with your group so that you can decide who is best suited to each task.
Glossary
skills audit A skills audit is a thorough check or examination of a personâs skills and abilities.
Exercise 3
Read the skills audit form below and rate your skills. Write 1 if you think your skills need improvement, 2 if they are adequate and 3 if they are good.
Now check the key for comments on this exercise.
Ice-breakers (see Exercise 4) are a useful type of activity to use when a group meets for the first time as they will help to make all the group members feel at ease with each other. In other words, they help to break the ice.
Exercise 4
Look at the ice-breaker activity on page 20 (#ulink_ac9d11bd-39b0-5253-9bae-fe17def73f20) and answer the questions.
1 How easy would it be to complete?
2 How interesting would it be to use?
3 How useful would it be in terms of getting to know others?
Sharing experiences
1 Think about something you learned to do recently, e.g. driving or speaking another language.Was it a good learning experience, or not?What made it a good or a bad learning experience?
2 Think about a really good teacher that you had when you were at school.What made this teacher special?How did this affect the way you worked?
