Working in Groups
Bruce Mork
8/31/07

Cooperative learning groups have become an important part of the UMD experience for many of our students; certain in my department, Sociology-Anthropology, they are widely used, often for in-class assignments and also to carry out research outside class and prepare presentations. There's a substantial body of educational research supporting the value of cooperative learning groups, but here it may suffice for me to say that in a survey of graduates in our department between 2000 and 2005, , "working in groups" was third most important skill (out of a list of 15) that had proven important in jobs since graduating (writing was number one). I'm not attempting a comprehensive analysis of working in groups, but I do want share a few thoughts that should help you to be more effective in group work and perhaps also to enjoy it more.

1. Roles. Even in very short-term groups, I recommend establishing at least three roles, which should be rotated in subsequent group meetings. I'm influenced here not only by some of the academic literature on groups but by years of experience in the cooperative natural foods movement, where many decisions were made by consensus and group skills were often impressive. These roles should be rotated.

A. Facilitator. In the university, groups will typically have an assignment, which means that the agenda is often straightforward. But if it is not, the first responsibility of the facilitator is to list the agenda and get the group to agree on what they will try to accomplish in this meeting. You may want to actually assign times for different parts of the agenda and get the group's agreement to the timeline. The facilitator needs to insure that the group covers its agenda and that everyone has a chance to contribute. One useful technique is the round robin, where the facilitator asks everyone to weigh in briefly on a particular topic or question. Brainstorming is similar, but has strengths of its own. People contribute whatever ideas come to mind, without any discussion or criticism until all the ideas have been expressed. Often you won't use either technique but it is still the facilitator's responsibility to tone down those who are dominating the discussion and enourage those who have been silent. Remind people that they dont' need to repeat what's already been said; they can just say "I agree with David." In some settings, it is useful if the facilitator saves his/her own ideas for another time and devotes herself/himself to getting the rest of the group involved. Although it might seem awkward at first in a small group, you might experment with a degree of formality--having the facilitator call on people who raise their hand and recognize others as waiting. "Let's hear from you, Joan, and Bruce, you're next, and then Tim." If this seems too artificial, remember it as something you can institute if it seems that just one or two people tend to dominate your discussions.

B. Recorder. Someone needs to keep a record of the major points of discussion, to be turned in to your instructor as a record of the group's work. The recorder should make sure that everyone has put his/her name on the sheet and that all the names are legible. Like the facilitator role, this role needs to be rotated. In the early stages of group work, you may want to have the recorder read back what s/he has written, to be sure the group agrees that major points have been included.

C. Reporter. Another role that sometimes proves useful, depending on your teacher's procedures. I sometime ask what group C thinks about that question, and then I ask about another group. In that situation, it's nice to have someone who's responsible for reporting, and again, to rotate that responsibility.

D. Timekeeper (Optional). If you attach times to the items on your agenda, you may want to assign someone as timekeeper--ideally someone with a countdown timer on his/her watch. That person should notify you when you've used the time and ask the group whether it wants to authorize more time, and if so, what else can be postponed or shortened.

If I require a good deal of group work, particularly in lower-division classes, I like to give group members a chance to rate each other at the end of the semester, and I take those ratings into account in the final grades for the semester's group work. The idea here is to distinguish between people who do their share and thos who come unprepared or with nothing to contribute and whose main concern is just finishing as quickly as possible.

2. Coping with Hitchhikers in Group Work (This is a greatly shortened version of some recommendations that originally come from Barbara Oakley.) Imagine the following scenario. If you've often worked in groups, you've undoubtedly experienced this. The hitchhiker comes late to meetings or needs to leave early or doesn't come at all. S/he doesn't respond to emails or phone messages. S/he hasn't done the preparation if s/he does come; s/he finds it hard to agree to a time when s/he can meet. S/he may have no end of seemingly good excuses, but the fact is, s/he doesn't contribute. The most important thing here, unless you want to be doing this person's work all term, is not to absorb this irresponsible behavior. You need to tell the hitchhiker up front that s/he needs to find time to meet and to come prepared or to talk to the instructor about it. Don't let him/her sign the group write-up sheet or participate in the group presentation if s/he hasn't done her/his share. It isn't your job to do this person's work or cover up for him/her. (You can make an exception if you have some history with this person and s/he's usually a contributing member.) "Set your limits early and high, because hitchhikers have an uncanny ability to detect just how much they can get away with." Bring your instructor in early if you see this pattern developing. It's often very hard for me to sort something like this out if the problem is brought to me only at the end of the semester. Then it becomes: "He said...." "But she said..." "But I wasn't told about...." And so forth.

3. You're doing all the work, or so it seems to you. The ideas seem to be coming from you and so does the follow-through. Of course, It may be your own attitude that needs adjusting; perhaps you need to be a better listener, so that you can pick up on the good ideas of other group members. They may see the assignment differently, and they may have some really good ideas to share but are a little slower to get them formulated. But it's may be that other group members aren't looking to invest much time or effort in this course. They're happy with a lower grade than you want to earn, but they'd be perfectly willing for you to earn them a better one. The best thing is probably to address this head-on, and again, it's essential that you address the issue early in the semester.Raise the question of what people need/want from this group, and if you just find that you're seriously out of step, this may be the time to talk with your instructor. S/he may be willing to move you to another group, or if it seems you're going to be doing all the work anyway, s/he might let you work alone.

4. Grading of group work. Your instructor will know about the overall quality of the work your group did but s/he will not know about people's individual contributions. Often the instructor will ask group members to rank each other's contributions, typically providing a rubric to help you do this. For instance, in a large class like Sociology 1201, I ask each group member to rank the other members on a 1 to 5 scale for each of the following items: Was prepared for group work, Provided valuable input, Assumed fair share of responsibility for making the group successful, Showed respect for other members, Deserves full credit for group work. When I've used this kind of input in a class of 150 or 200, it may be that only a dozen people or so will lose a portion of their group points at the end.

Finally, remember that you don't have to like people to work with them. You've probably already had to work with people you really didn't like in one job or another, and if you haven't had that experience yet, you certainly will in the future.