How to make an effective group

I don’t stop telling my students the words of Tom Peters “Today we live in a project world and, if you are in a project world, you’ve got to be a great teammate .” I try to learn them to contribute the group work by being a part of their team or group.

The first rule to be a good teammate is to communicate, communicate, communicate. If any of them  has a problem with someone in their group, I ask them to talk to them about it. As they shouldn’t blame others and they should support group member's ideas. If a teammate suggests something, always consider it – even if it's the silliest idea you've ever heard! Considering the group's ideas shows that the person is interested in other people's ideas, not just their own. And this makes them good team members. After all, nobody likes a know-it-all.

Another rule is no bragging! Don't act like a superstar – that is what I say. Sometimes it happens with my children and it comes to the situation that a group doesn’t want to have those “supers” among them.

Another thing I always ask my students is to listen actively and to look at the person who's speaking to them, nod, ask questions and acknowledge what's said by paraphrasing points that have been made. If they're unclear about something that's been said, I advise them to ask for more information to clear up any confusion before moving on. Everybody knows that effective communication is a vital part of any team, so the value of good listening skills shouldn't be underestimated.

And the last rule but not the least is to get involved. I do tell my students to share suggestions, ideas, solutions and proposals with their team members.

 Follow these tips:  

• Create the groups based on student personalities and skill sets.
• Make sure students understand the value of group work by having a session with them about why group work is important.
• Have a team skills training session so that students know how to work well with each other.
• Provide an environment that builds mutual trust by…:

• having the group assign roles.
• having the group decide their means and frequency of communication.
• having the group create a process for conflict management and resolution.

• Make sure the group has set clear goals.
• Assess the students as a group AND as individuals. You can also evaluate the final product, as well as the team process.
• Consider involving students in the assessment process by having them submit documentation about their group process as well as a variety of evaluations (team, peer and self).
• Provide sufficient external support by planning how you will support groups/students that have poor attendance, don’t do their share of the work, receive poor peer evaluations or that can’t resolve a conflict.