Group Working Positivity

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Take n angiotensin-converting enzymes or record your lecturers assignment briefing. staff Handbooks usu all(prenominal)y includes the apprecieatment criteria ( uplift accessory 1) so it is important t assume you piddle rise up linkedly to achieve success.It go a government agency be quite straightforward to your lecturer whether you suck up worked well as a ag company and whether you on the soak up your assignment as a root word. crowds formed by students to discuss consequence studies or discuss an assignment deal suspensor improve your grades and rent the lying-in more manageable. go for a journal and record your advancement, hindrances, issues and successes, nonnegative any pitfalls to avoid next time Working in a TEAM? Together E genuinely unmatched Achieves More Successful ag chemical root work impart involve Clear, sh atomic number 18d goals. Good communication amongst app residualages of the throng. conditiond ways of working towards the throng goals. Support and cooperation, rather than competitiveness. Listening to angiotensin converting enzyme a nonher(prenominal). Autonomous team working. Arrangements for monitoring progress and taking corrective action, if necessary. Keep to deadlines it is unfair to allow others smooth who atomic number 18 depending on you, in order for the whole conclaveing to succeed. High levels of motivation. Plan do review. Why work in chemical root words? team up buildi ng is vital to any organisation and by working in chemical chemical congregations you thr unitary Sh argon resources. Share estimations and nurture. Share abilities. Learn from and help to to distri simplyively one one other. Stimulate creativity and innovation. Increase motivation. Solve involved problems. Can help you get better grades. You bequeath conduct to identify your strengths, which you can go to the pigeonholing. You leave behind in comparable manner identify your weaknesses, and ideally the group pass on take and help you work on turning these weaknesses into strengths. IH have some effective DVDs on group work that may be helpful to watch (Assert yourself pick outing to be emphatic Building the perfect team Belbins team- power theory in action Does the team work? Improving authorization through teamwork Its a dealWin-win negotiation deals police squad lead how to become an effective team leader The great communicator communication skills for all). getting started It is up to the phalluss of the group to shit the first contact with one a nonher. permute telephone verse and email addresses so the group can occupy. An icebreaker parturiency is a pricy way to own for separately one section expression golden with others that s/he does non be intimate (see appurtenance 2). go steady you rede the instructions in the assignment. apiece group member should have read the assignment brief and prepare to discuss it at the first fiddleing. damp the assignment into practicable chunks. Agree deadlines to complete each part. The group require to compile and agree set set up notices (see addendum 3). These rules can be reviewed and renegotiated from time to time keeping useful rules in practice, amending or creating newfangled ones as solutions to unanticipated problems that arise. Set realistic aims and physical objects in spite of appearance a given(p) timeframe that all members belowstand and agree with. Negotiate roles and tasks Who will be the leader? Who will do what? When? With what resources?Allocate tasks consort to the experience, expertise or strength of each member. However, task allocation can also be allocated to build on a students incompleteness and areas of weakness. Establish a regular computer programme of meetings to review task progress and group exploit. The group should keep in regular contact so plan where you will meet. Will it be at the University, will you jump off between group members homes, will you set up a range in Your Groups in StudyNet or a group in Facebook or any other social networking site? Agree to keep good records (Group Log of meetings and so forth see Appendix 4). You might also desire to keep a blog, for self observance of group work. It is compulsory at Level 5 and Level 6 to keep records of group work. severally member of the group inevitably good personal management skills and good time management skills to com plete their part of the task, including taking corrective action. This heart being honest with the rest of the group let them make love if at that place is a problem, seek help from the group, share information with others. The group postulate to make a contract based on the above points and rive to it so ground rules are obeyed.Establish Group Roles In order for the group to function successfull to achieve their goal and to maximise the groups time in meetings, roles have to be taken on by each member of the group. Belbin (1981 &038 1993, cited in Blundel, 2004) and others have identified numerous roles inwardly a team, usually in keeping with individual personality and strengths. umpteen some other(prenominal) university student groups have five or six tidy sum, and their suggested roles are below. These roles may be rotated amongst members or a member holds onto his/her role for the continuation of the assignment.W abominatever the size of your group, ensure that some one carries out the following team up role Contribution Project/team leader/ Chair Organises rooms, agendas and chairs meetings, co-ordinates and keeps the group pore and involved. Stops the group from person red off at a tangent. Initiates, leads and drives the group towards achieving their task. Innovator &038/or Evaluator Creates novel ideas and solutions to support the task. Assesses ideas and proposals. investigator/ Info. ga on that pointr Collects information and resources to support the task and the group takes up and develops his/her contributions. Team worker/ harmoniser Encourages others, fosters team morale and reduces negativity. Record keeper Keeps records, shares information. Provides facts, ideas, feed covering fire, and/or alternative proposals to finish the task. Summarises what has been done. Lists what else involve to be done to complete the task. Completer Keeps get a mollycoddle on objectives meeting deadlines making sure the group is on derrie re to complete the task and achieve the goals set. Judging whether the task is being entire successfully and efficiently Group dynamics All group work consists of both task and process elements. Attention is often focused on the task, i. e. a report or presentation, and the process is neglected (how you get the task done, i. e. working in groups), which can be a major reason out for ineffective group working.Individuals need to focus on the group postulate rather than their own personal needs. Encourage and support others and try to urge on unison. Self-seeking roles to avoid are dominator, cynic, clown, aggressor, blocker, group humourist, recognition seeker, avoider, politician, etc. (based on Benne &038 Sheats, 1948 cited in Barker et al, 1991). Keep to the responsibilities you were given do what you tell you would do. Ensure there is co-operation between members, if the team is to succeed. Listen to one other and ac lastledge one anothers ideas and suggestions. Listen actively and you will hear.Buzan (2000) states that audience is a top management skill. So improve your hearing skills now and youll be more prepared for any job reference Listen and DONT Pretend to pay attention do so Do other things at the same time. Decide its uninteresting. Have your mobile on in meetings. Hogg the conversation be aware of others need to talk. Be distracted by someones way of speech or mannerism. Get over-involved and so lose the trace of conversation. Let emotion filled words arouse personal anger, antagonism, etc. Focus on distractions instead of whats said.Take linear one deform notes (instead, use diverse coloured pens, draw diagrams, mind maps, lists, tables). Just listen for facts (also realise the speakers emotions, obtainings, body language). Turn off when it is complex or difficult. Plan what youre going to put next. All group members need to agree any changes, e. g. to meetings, content of the assignment, etc. if the group is to be successf ul. Keep to the deadlines given. If you cannot manage your time well, be aware that you are allow others slash. Meet and keep in contact on a regular basis, where progress and any changes are tracked.Cohesiveness, good communication, commitment and cooperation are essential. Misconduct, unethical behaviour, rule breaking, moldiness be avoided. At times the group will be affected by pressures of deadlines, absence of an influential member, a traumatic experience, or a new member joining. Disperse any cliques that may form. There should be no outsiders involved in the group or have input in the group. Antagonistic or contentious individuals need to be dealt with by the group early on, so participation is avoided. Consensus in decision making helps make all group members feel they have a say. Try the questionnaire atomic number 18 We a Team? in Appendix 5 to assess the fulfilment to which your group is cohesive and how well you work together, at some award in the second half of t he process. Groups can access a petite room for their meetings, by booking a study room. Virtual meetings may form part of your plan and if so, you need to make sure that eachone has competent access. An agenda has to be concur by the group for each meeting, other than the group may waste valuable time during the meeting by chatting or straying from discussing the issues. Decide how dour you will spend discussing each item. Respect one anothers opinion everyone is entitled to their say.A public lecture stick could be used during meetings, where the person holding the stick gets to speak. Others must listen until another person gets to hold the stick, and has his/her say. Another useful idea for effective banter at meetings is to follow de Bonos Six palpebras baby-sit (1985). See Appendix 6 for the full details. The 6 Thinking get intos helps fall minute thought process, to brainstorm or recoil, as these six hats are metaphors for opinion rough incompatible aspects of a task/experience, at various times. Break down your mentation into 6 areas use all six hats, to consider effectively and thoroughly with less confusion.De Bono considers that the emphasis should be on innovation a way forward all the time. The hats are comportions of how to think and not descriptions of what has passed. He says this parallel thinking method allows the subject to be explored fully by considering one view at a time and evaluate that they can be viewed as parallel, not necessary contradictory. It can be used shapingly by all refinements. It allows you to find collateral or constructive elements in negative or difficult situations and so helps to hit a sense of perspective close to it.A variant of this technique is to look at problems from the point of view of different professionals, or roles, or customers. evaluate your progress as you go and keep a record of the meetings, which will be useful later when you have to carry out reflective writing based on the group work. If a group member is going to be absent (with good reason), let the group bonk beforehand. Ask questions of the other group members in order for you to proceed with your task or to clarify an issue. Be honest with peers if you do not know something, say so or if you are not on target with your work, tell the group.The group will not function if everyone is not working openly, together towards the same goal. Behaviours serving task needs Clarifying objectives pursuit information from group members Giving relevant information Proposing ideas and building on ideas or proposals contributed by others Summarising progress so far Evaluating progress against group objectives Time keeping Identifying a group member to take office to ensure agreed actions are taken Setting up a way of reviewing progress after the meeting Behaviours serving group needs Encourage members to contribute and value all contributions. Check that you have silent a point by summarisi ng that understanding, before giving reasons for disagreeing Help to contract betrothal without making others feel spurned Change your view in light of arguments or information given by others Help to confine those who talk too more Praising group progress towards objectives Dissuading group members from negative behaviour Behaviours interfering with task or group needs Not preparing for the meeting/not doing your job Talking too much and/or focusing your attention on yourself Reacting emotionally to points made fight others points by ridicule or unreasoned comments Not listen to others Interrupting others and/or talk of the town at the same time as them Introducing a completely different point of view while productive discussion of something else is taking place Chatting to others privately during the meeting Using humour to excess Withdrawing from the group and/or refusing to come before Being late for meetings/not turning up at all/leaving early Cameron ( 2005) BrainstormingBrainstorming is a useful way of generating ideas as well as problem-solving. A facilitator needs to be appointed for the session. S/he will write everyones ideas down and encourage all members to get in. Then, collect ideas from all members of the group. Ideas or opinions should not be criticised or rejected at this stage. Acknowledge and record all ideas and suggestions. formerly the brainstorming has been exhausted, represent on to link ideas and themes, and synthesise them. The group should then agree on which ideas should remain and which should be discarded. Using Post-its and Flip ChartsPutting things down on newspaper publisher is an essential part of keeping the group going. Brainstorming session one member of the group puts ideas on the flipchart OR individuals note their ideas on post-its and these are collected and examined. Ideas are tardily prioritised using post-its as they are easily re-arranged. Re crop conflict each member notes their opin ion on a post-it and posts it on the board. The group can examine and consider the points made by the group. Equal opportunities all members have a say by writing down their ideas and suggestions, rather than a dominant vocal member taking over the session.Virtual Group Work It is not always easy for groups to meet regularly however, an arrangement must be made to keep in regular contact. There is no excuse if students cannot meet personal, because they can meet virtually. There are a number of ways they can do this You could chose email updates, a which anyone can set up through Your Groups in the top black menu. For instructions to set up a group discussion forum, see Appendix 7. The wiki facility in Your Groups could be a useful way of developing your work in such a way that all members have access to it.See YouTube Wikis in Plain position for a quick demonstration of a wiki in use for a collaborative group task. Or you could all agree to use a social networking site, such as Facebook, to work on. Lecturers sometimes monitor and assess the level of communication that occurs in these groups. E-mails can be sent to group members, with files attached to share your part of the task with the other group members. watch over Virtual group work should NOT replace regular face-to-face meetings rather it should be used in addition to it and as a way of keeping in contact between meetings to support one another.Group Diversity Be aware that some state initiate ideas, motivate, co-ordinate, corroborate standards, seek opinions, and keep the group working towards their goal. Personality clashes, cross-cultural differences, discrimination, intimidate and blocking people out can be issues that arise in groups. Difficult team members can be aggressive, try to be the essence of attention, waste time joking around, compete with other members, reject ideas without good reason, be hard done by. Cross-cultural differences can sometimes cause conflict.Hofstede (1991) an d Morrison et al, (1994, cited in Levin, 2005 89-91) identify cultural traits that may cause conflict Individualism Vs Collectivism mess brought up in individualist cultures see themselves as individuals, taking it for granted that they can say what they think, take decisions on their own and confront others with their view. People brought up in a collectivist culture view themselves as members of a family and/or wider group.To them, the preservation of harmony in spite of appearance the group is very important. Decisions are made by consensus in spite of appearance the group and confrontation is avoided. Tolerance of Uncertainty In some cultures there are authority figures to whom everyone else defers, everyone knows their place and rote learning is the method of education. People from this culture would feel un convenient in situations of uncertainty, or when they do not know where their place is and what the rules and regulations are, and where there is no right ser ve. On the other hand, there are cultures where authority comes under challenge, and independent and precise thinking are encouraged. People do not have a clearly defined place in society, rules and expectations of a right answer are absent but this is seen as an opportunity and a challenge. Issues of superfluity and loss of face Embarrassment and loss of face are to be found in all cultures.However, the reasons for embarrassment vary. People from some cultures may find it hard to admit they are unable to perform a particular task whereas a person from another culture would not be embarrassed by this. Revealing emotion may be unnatural to express disagreement to refuse something to be able to understand something said to you more than once to be discovered to have lie and/or to renegotiate an agreement in the hope of getting a better deal. In some cultures losing face happens when you feel challenged, when your contribution to a discussion is not acknowledged, if someone make s a joke at your expense or if you suffer a public-let-down. What one person feels as teasing, another might feel it as insulting. Gender Issues In every culture roles and places are assigned to men and women. People from different cultures have different assumptions, expectations and habits towards men and women.Some men may find it difficult to deal with assertive women and some women may find it difficult to be assertive. Often people feel more comfortable in same gender groups where they can say what they think and feel. Codes of Behaviour There are codes of behaviour in all cultures. Certain behaviour is seen as acceptable in one culture but unacceptable behaviour in another and is viewed as rude, immodest, lacking respect, etc.Some examples are Standing very close to someone you are talking to Gesturing a lot when talking (moving your hands and head) Expressing impatience confrontational behaviour, especially outright disagreement Interrupting someone who is speaking Boasting lull during a conversation. Failure to respond immediately may cause excitation or may imply agreement or disagreement. Failure to make eye contact with someone who is speaking or auditory modality. This could be simulated for insincerity or lack of attentiveness, whereas it is intended to build deference. Lack of punctuality Other differences may be how a person is treated according to their age, social status, occupation and/or educational background. Working with people of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds is a great opportunity to learn intimately others, and and so learn about yourself. Make understanding group members backgrounds and points of view an unequivocal group objective. Care will have to be taken with group rules (ways of operating) where less assertive students will have their say, and regular checks on how members feel about other members responses to their contributions. Addressing ConflictDue to groups involving people of di fferent personalities, cultures, gender, etc. it is quite frequent for conflict to occur. Problems should be discussed in the group, i. e. a group member not working, non-attending group member, etc. and decisions on how to proceed should be considered in light of the ground rules set in the first meeting. This needs to be resolved without creating bad feeling amongst group members. Resolution is achieved by addressing the issues through discussion amongst the whole group. Do not leave problems to fester and grow. It is important that the group tries to address this conflict themselves before involving a third party, i. e. your lecturer or an ASU adviser.Here are some steps to try to resolve the conflict inwardly the group, before seeking a negotiator Set a rule of how disagreement will be resolved, i. e. if someone is not participating, if someone misses meetings, if there is a personality clash, etc. Encourage an environment of openness and satinpod say if you are unhappy/wr ite it in the group site. Be honest about where you are at with your task. Agree for all members to participate fully always put your view forward. imagine other members feelings. Agree to put group needs before personal needs. Others are depending on you to provide your input and complete your task. You do not have to like people to work with them however, you have to learn to work with them in the group.This will help you to develop good interpersonal skills. Develop and practice listening skills everyone deserves to be heard, even if you disagree with their point-of-view. Keep to deadlines others are depending on you. Keep track of progress, so things do not fall behind and so putting the group under pressure. Establish the nature of the disagreement. Do members distinguish facts differently? Do they disagree about ways of working? be members operating with different values? By exploring the cause of the disagreement, the group may be able to come to a better under standing of the task and its context. Solutions can then be suggested by the group.In dealing with conflict you need to use your talking, listening, assertiveness and interpersonal skills to reach a resolution. Try not to give up until you have resolved the issue(s) as a group. If you are unable to resolve the conflict, then you MUST speak to your lecturer about it. Do NOT put it off until your report is due in or until the day of presentation. Group Presentations It is important that the group present themselves as a team. This can be done in the following way Prepare the slides using the same format and ensure the presentation is well structured. The team will need to meet regularly to ensure this occurs. traffic pattern the presentation together so you can ensure your presentation is absolute within the time limit.By practicing regularly as a group, the presentation should be pertinacious, polished and well executed on the day. Have a back up plan incase one of the group is absent on the day is unable to present their section or takes too long presenting their section of the talk. The first presenter should introduce the whole group and say what they will talk about. Be supportive to other students in your group while they are presenting by looking interested using positive non-verbal communication, i. e. nod help with using visual aids. You should not sit down after your section has been done. At the hand-over stage, the current speaker must introduce the next presenter and what they will say.The next person to speak should give thanks the previous speaker before beginning his/her part of the presentation. Group Reports Advice given above on group roles, meetings, etc. applies when preparing your report. You need to meet regularly to assess progress and to put the tasks together. The report must be compiled as one piece of work, rather than having obvious separate parts of different font styles and writing style. At the end Ensure the group me et before presenting/submitting their work to check that the work is well structured, clear and coherent and shows that you worked closely as a group. Submit on time. Reflection on Group WorkYou may be asked to reflect on what happened, your role within the group, what you have learned from it and what you need to work on in the future. Ensure you have clarified with the lecturer what is expected of you and what the assessment criteria is. Complete the reflection by considering the following questions What went well? Why? What went wrong? Why? How did you solve it? What would you do differently next time? What contribution did you make? What did you learn from others? What did the other members learn from you? What strengths did you identify? Did the group utilise your strengths? What weaknesses did you identify? How did you and the group address them? Did you improve on your weaknesses to turn them into strengths? What do you plan to do about the weaknesses you have ident ified? How does this link to the theories on successful group work? Who did what, when, problems or difficulties en sound reflectioned, etc. Analyse the group activities (What was the group essay to achieve? What were the different views? Who said what? What was left unsaid? How were decisions made? How did you feel about this? How did the others feel? What was the energy levels and motivation like? Did anything unexpected happen? ). perform planning Identify what you contributed to the group, difficulties you experienced, and from this assess your strengths, weaknesses and action points.Focus on critical incidences which were turning points for the group or which demonstrate particular difficulties / successes. usance the checklist in Appendix 9 at the end of each meeting to reflect on strengths and weaknesses. Avoid Academic Misconduct When participating in group work, you must avoid any academic misconduct, i. e. you must not steal (use anothers work as your own by not ackn owledging it by making reference to the authors work in your assignment) or you are not accused of collusion (you work it not your own individual work but rather it has been undertaken jointly with another students, where you shared ideas or your material with another student and their work (or any part of it) is a replica of yours).Academic misconduct is identified when your data trackwork is passed a packet programme that detects and identifies cheating. Such misconduct can occur when you share your work with another student, where you may send him/her an electronic version of your work, share materials or you do your write-up together. References Barker, L. , Wahlers, K. , Watson, K. &038 Kibler, R. (1991) Groups in Process. 4th edn. New Jersey Prentice Hall. Belbin, R. M. (1993) Team Roles at Work. Oxford Butterworth-Heinemann. Belbin, R. M. (1981) Management Teams why they succeed or fail. Oxford Butterworth-Heinemann. Benne, K. D. &038 Sheats, P. (1948) Functional Roles of g roup Members. Journal of Social Issues. 4. pp. 41-49. Blundel, R. 2004) Effective Organisational Communication. 2nd edn. Harlow Pearson development Limited. Buzan, T (2000) Use Your Head. London BBC Active Cameron, S. (2005) The Business Students Handbook. 3rd edn. Harlow Pearson Education Limited. De Bono, E (1985) Six Thinking Hats. Harmondsworth Viking Elluminate (2010) Window Descriptions. Available at http//www. elluminate. com Accessed 18 October, 2010 Hofstede, G. (1991) Cultures and Organisations Software of the Mind. London McGrawHill. Levin, P. (2005) Successful Teamwork London Open University Press. Morrison, T. , Conaway, W. A. , Borden, G. A. (1994) Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands How to do Business in Sixty Countries. Adams Media.Race, P. (2000) vitamin D Tips on Group Learning. London Kogan Page. Stuart, R. , (1998) Team Developmental Games for Trainers. Gower Publishing Limited. In Levin, P. (2005) Successful Teamwork London Open University Press. Appendix 1 Assessment of Group Work Group work is not always formally assessed. However, in some modules at the overall assessment of a group report or group presentation may include an assessment of the process of preparation. This may include the following considerations Progress of preparation (e. g. meeting of milestones numbers of meetings progress of preparation) Relative inputs of members of the group (e. g. ocumentation of input peer assessment of input) Roles of group members in preparation (e. g. project manager reporter, etc) Resolution of conflict situations The level of team building Appendix 2 Icebreakers The following icebreakers are a quick way of helping members of a group get to know one another a unretentive better. Whats you name? Members of a group tell what their name is and provide the group with a little background of why they were given that name. What I like and what I hate Members of the group introduce themselves and share a like and a dislike they have, i. e. I love coffee but I hate people who talk too much, I love jazz music but I hate queuing, etc. Whats your hidden secret?Each member of the group introduces themselves and tells the group one thing not many people know about them, i. e. I met Madonna, I play the piano, I dived in the Red Sea, I walked the Great Wall of China, I ate frogs legs once, etc. Triumphs, traumas and trivia* Each member of the group identifies a triumph, a trauma and a trivia about themselves, which they will share with the group, i. e. I won a gold medal for running at school, I was in a car accident when I was 12, I do crosswords I won ? 10 in the lotto last year, I lost my suitcases when I came to the UK, I tell terrible jokes etc. * acknowledge Care needs to be taken with this activity as ample feelings can emerge about traumas suffered. Interview your neighbour* Group splits into pairs and one member of each pair spends about triad minutes listening to the other tell some of the above mentioned informatio n, as well as the persons background information. Notes should be taken. Swap roles for next three minutes. Then each person feeds back to the group some information about their neighbour. * Note Care needs to be taken not to ask questions that may intrude on an individuals privacy and the amount of information s/he wishes to divulge about themselves to the group. What do you already know about the topic? Members of the group jot down the most important thing they know about the topic on a Post-it and put it on a flipchart. Members can read what they know about the topic or the group can read it from the flipchart. This is a useful starting point for the task.Adapted from Race (200037-39) Appendix 3 dry land Rules Here are some suggested rules to be set by a group these are by no means the only rules a group can adopt. Honesty and truthfulness is fostered in the group. You do not have to like someone to work with them. Members have to work together despite their personal feeli ngs about individuals in the group. Affirm collective responsibility. Once issues have been raised, aired, and solutions provided, the group lives with the decisions made by the group. bothone listens while someone speaks and everyone has a say. Members are entitled to their opinions, which should not be ignored, put down or belittled by others. Full participation is required. All members need to participate in discussion, complete their tasks, etc. Fair share everyone participates equally in the task. Meet deadlines. Agree and set up a regular programme of meetings. Keep records. Record progress and milestones reached, minutes, agendas, self reflective logs. Flexibility in meeting members needs. Sometimes a members personal needs may interfere with the group working allowances must be made. dealing with conflicts in the group. Appendix 4 Group Work Log Module _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________As sessment Aim _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Group Objectives set 1. ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________________________ ____ 3. _________________________________________________________________________________ 4. _________________________________________________________________________________ 5. _________________________________________________________________________________ The group should agree roles for each of the members at the beginning of the task and this group log should be complete by the end of the task. Members Name Role/s designate Tasks Deadline date Deadline met No of meetings attended Individual comments 1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4 - - - 5 - - - Details of all group meetin gs Meeting duration Discussion topic/s Actions &038 deadlines agreed Attendees signatures/date 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Appendix 5 Questionnaire Are We a Team? First, each individual member of the group fills in the questionnaire below. Then the sheets are collected and the scores collated to the table below. = never 2 = rarely 3 = sometimes 4 = mostly 5 = always 1) We all show equal commitment to our objective1 2 3 4 5 2) We all take part in deciding how the work should be allocated1 2 3 4 5 3) We are committed to helping each other learn1 2 3 4 5 4) We acknowledge good contributions from group members1 2 3 4 5 5) We handle disagreements and conflict constructively within the group1 2 3 4 5 6) We are able to give constructive lit crit to one another and accept i t1 2 3 4 5 7) We all turn up to meetings and stay to the end1 2 3 4 5 8) We are good at making sure everyone knows what is going on1 2 3 4 5 9) When one of us is under pressure, others qualifying to help them1 2 3 4 5 10) We boldness each other1 2 3 4 5 11) We remain united even when we disagree1 2 3 4 5 12) We feel comfortable and relaxed with one another1 2 3 4 5 13) We refer to our ground rules and review them when necessary1 2 3 4 5 Stuart (1998, cited in Levin, 2005) 1 2 3 4 5 TOTAL 1. We all show equal commitment to our objective 2. We all take part in deciding how the work should be allocated 3. We are committed to helping each other learn 4. We acknowledge good contributions from group members 5.We handle disagreements &038 conflict constructively within the group 6. We are able to give constructive criticism &038 accept it 7. We all turn up to meetings and stay to the end 8. We are good at making sure everyone knows wha t is going on 9. When one of us is under pressure, others offer to help them 10.We trust each other 11. We remain united even when we disagree 12. We feel comfortable and relaxed with one another 13. We refer to our ground rules and review them when necessary Action planning can occur as a result of the findings. Appendix 6 De Bonos (1985) 6 Thinking Hats ModelEdward de Bono considers that the emphasis should be on plan a way forward all the time. The hats are directions of how to think and not descriptions of what has happened. White HatpicFacts, figures, laws, information, neutral, objective With this thinking you focus on the entropy available and are non-judgmental. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and identify what you need to get or take account of. You consider recent trends and historical data. You may consider philosophical aspects such as whose truth it is, w hose fact is it? Data may need to be supported by evidence.Red Hat picFeelings, emotions, hunches, intuition about Wearing this hat, you consider the issues using intuition, gut opposeion, and emotion. This may be feedback about your feelings and preferences but also consider how other people might react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of other people who do not have the same information or understanding as you. Black Hat picNegative, drawbacks, disadvantages, careful, cautious, defensive This highlights the weak points in a situation or plan. By identifying them, it allows you to eliminate or alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them. Consider why something might not work (give reasons, consider past evidence).Black Hat thinking may play devils advocate. It helps you to plan carefully, be prepared and more resilient. This way of thinking helps point in time fatal flaws by considering safety and risks before embarking on a course of action. (Some succ essful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties. ) Yellow Hat pic Positive, speculative, advantages, benefits, savings of Consider what is right, why it is good and be constructive. Even in a very difficult or stressful situation find positives, e. g. learning will have taken place. It is an optimistic, sunny viewpoint that is often speculative.It helps you to see the benefits of a situation/decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking is supportive when things seem gloomy and difficult. It finds reasons and logical support, and often links to creativity. third estate Hat pic Creativity, ideas, innovation, growth, exploration, alternatives thou Hat thinking is developing creative solutions to a problem. It may generate completely new ideas and developments or consider doable changes to a situation. It is a freewheeling, non-judgmental way of thinking. Blue Hat pic Organise, cont rol, plan (process, people, agendas) This hat is often the view of a director or the chair at meetings.They often choose the order or process, summarise the situation and offer conclusions which can be put into practice in the future. This way of thinking is generally cool and considered. When others ideas cease, Blue Hat thinking may direct activity to other hats For new ideas Blue may pass to Green Hat or when contingency plans are needed Black Hat thinking will be engaged, etc. Appendix 9 Group Work Check List (to be used after every meeting) Please reflect on the group meeting and check/cross the boxes as appropriate, in order to identify strengths and weaknesses ? Each member was present at the meeting ? Everyone turned up on time Every member did their part of the work &038 brought it along ? Every member took a role in the meeting ? Each member in the group had a turn to speak ? Each member in the group participated ? The group members respected and appreciated one another s contributions ? Members of the group were polite to one another ? Disagreement / conflict in the group was resolved during the meeting ? Everyone was clear what they had to do next ? Everyone was clear what they had to stupefy / present at the next meeting ? It was clear how members could communicate with one another between meetings ? The next meeting date, time and venue was agreed by all members