Group interactions

Group work

Who decides when the applause should die down? It seems like a group decision; everyone begins to say to themselves at the same time, well okay, that's enough of that. - George Carlin

Everyone in a group can contribute with their own knowledge and the result of the group can be better than what the individuals could have produced on their own. To create a dynamic and effective group it is important that everyone get a chance to speak, put forth their opinion and have a place within the group.

  1. Structure and organise your workload. Agree on deadlines and level of ambition
  2. Be prepared to compromise to arrive at workable solutions.
  3. Feedback. During the project it is valuable to discuss with the rest of the group what is working and what you need to focus more on to make the teamwork better. Document your thoughts and questions in your personal portfolio.

Group discussions

The aim of argument, or of duscussion, should not be victory but progress - Joseph Joubert (1754 - 1824)

1. Preparations
To get a good discussion it is important that you and the rest of the group are well prepared and understand the subject at hand. You can prepare by reading the material that have been provided and to dwell on the text. Surely opinions and questions arise from the text that you want answered or aired. Write these down and try to formulate questions that do not have a simple "yes/no" answer. If you are going to lead the discussion, a short summary of the text at hand can be very handy.

 2. The discussion
Let everyone get a chance to speak. All participants of a seminar have the right to be heard. Respect each others opinions! Don't be afraid to ask follow-up questions or ask for clarifications if you feel a train of thought is unclear. Usually you are not the only one who misunderstood!

3. Follow-up
After the discussion reflect on how it went. What did you do well? Did you make sure that everyone got a chance to speak? Did you help in creating a good atmosphere in which you all could contribute to the whole? What should you improve until next time? Comments and suggestions from others can be of great service. Ask others in the group for their opinions and document both theirs and your own in the self-evaluation in the Student portal.

Print