According to Thorley and Gregory, (1994, p.28)
“Staff and validating bodies feel students cannot cover
the syllabus fully other than by formal lectures.”
From formal lectures students are more likely to in gain just listening skills, which would not be as useful in the future as working in groups.
Cottrell (1999, p. 90) indicates:
‘Good communication skills is a two-way process. It requires
both good listening skills and participation in the discussion.’
Discussion is a way of playing openly with language and ideas and exploring meanings in a supportive environment. Discussion may help a student to explore how ideas link to each other.
According to Northedge (2005, p.162):
‘Disscussion helps to ‘initiate’ students into the culture ways of thinking.
Students begin to ‘internalise’ the criteria against which arguments and
evidence are judged and to acquire the ‘voice’ in which a subjects are
discussed.’
When discussing with peers some students may gain confidence in speaking accurately and clearly on certain topics. This could be an advantage when having to go to an interview. As a student discusses with peers and lecturers he or she begins to develop an identity as a professional. Students are also often able to learn how to listen without interrupting; this could come in useful when working in an environment in which the employee has to listen to what his or her employer has to say without interrupting. Group discussions could also give students the opportunity to observe their own learning and know which pathways to follow in their studies. Students can also benefit from training in both the group skills of discussion and project work and in the learning how to conduct self and peer assessment of these skills.
Some group work involves preparing seminars, presentations and projects. These skills are recognised in most jobs. When communicating with peers about a presentation or project, some students prefer to use email, telephone, text messages via mobile and faxes. Computers are also used by students when preparing presentations and projects and therefore are another good advantage for life after graduation.
Groups are thriving and developing organisms that never stay still. Groups move as a unit and through interaction of the various elements within them. These elements are, According to Jaques (2000, p.32):, called: “Four Stages of Development”. Students first enter ‘Forming’. This is where the students come together for the first time to form a group. The members of the group then become familiar with each other by talking about themselves and exchanging contact details. The next stage a student enters is ‘Storming’. This is where team members begin to clash against each other because of challenges and competition. This stage can be very uncomfortable for everyone. ‘Norming’ is the follow on stage. This is where students start to relax because everyone is starting to respect one and others’ views and listen to what others have to say, because no-one wants conflicts to arise again; everyone does not like challenging ideas and views. The final stage students come across is ‘Performing’. Students should feel relaxed and comfortable because goals have been accomplished. What was once a group of individuals has learnt to function as a team. Functioning as a team is what happens when in a job. Most jobs require working as a team; employees and students may not realise they go through these stages.
Working in groups could be an advantage when ideas and workload are shared, but it can also have its disadvantages.
According to Cottrell (1999, p.92):
‘…. being part of a group is not necessarily easy.’
Group discussions may be difficult and challenging. There could be two different types of people: the loud confident student or the quiet and reserved student. A student could come across as eager to talk and share ideas but really could be worrying about what his or her peers and lecturers are thinking.
The Open University (1990, p.60) indicates:
‘As students most of us are eager to speak effectively….
at the same time we are concerned not to appear foolish.
We often feel quite ambivalent…’
A quiet group member may find it difficult because the confident student is a lot more talkative and may come across as cleverer. The quiet members may also be reserved because they think what they want to contribute to the discussion is not relevant. The quiet student may sit back and participate silently by agreeing and disagreeing with what other members have to say. Remaining silent is still a form of communication. Body, face, gestures and eye contact have a marked effect on what it is the student is trying to get across. A quiet student could get a lot out of a discussion just by sitting there and taking notes. Group members can include all types of different people from different backgrounds and cultures. Many students may sit back in a discussion because they are self conscious about their accent or the way they speak. Another way a student may struggle when working in groups is being with a student who is very difficult to get on with or who is prejudiced. A student experiencing either of these things may find it difficult to achieve his or her goal. Students might not want to go meetings or contribute to workload and discussions. Some students set out to deliberately hurt other members of their group by saying or doing horrible things but sometimes it can be done unintentionally. Some views or opinions may upset a group member and make others feel nervous.
To have an effective group discussion, members may not need excellent contributions. What might seem ordinary to some students, others may find interesting. As long as everyone’s mind is focused on the same thing then the group should succeed. By working together, discussions move forward onto new levels of understanding and analysis. Quiet members of a group might not feel wanted because they feel they do not contribute enough, when really,
According to The Open University (1990, p.62):
‘The group needs their support players just as much as the big shots.’
Group work is based on the fact that participants, whether students or employers are willing not just to learn, but to learn how to learn, and to combine this for future development. Learning is a process that keeps on repeating itself and includes challenges, taking risks, sharing, understanding others views and opinions and monitoring his or hers experiences and progress. Students should be able learn a lot: an awareness of themselves and the effects he or she may have whatever the goal or aim might be. Groups sometimes do not realise how much of an advantage it is to work together. They may realise by time it is to late. By that time the students goal will not be achieved because discussions and actitivities would have gotten him or her nowhere. Once working in groups is going well then members of the group will be able to handle challenges and be able to recognise and avoid disturbances. Learning to work in groups is very important for everyday life.
Bibliography
Cottrell, S (1999) The Study Skills Handbook. Palgrave.
Drew S, and Bingham R, (2001) The Student Skills Guide. 2nd ed., Hampshire: Gower Publishing Company.
Jaques D, (2000) Learning in Groups. 3rd ed., Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.
McLlroy D, (2003) Studying at University. London: Sage Publications Ltd
Northedge A, (2005) The Good Study Guide. Milton Keynes: The Open University.
The Open University, (1990) The Bath Press.
Thorley L, and Gregory R, (1994) Using Group-based Learning in Higher Education. London: Kogan Page Limited.
Simone Grant
Early Years and Childhood Studies
Learning for Success
