Community Learning Development Resource 201 – 07
EFFECTIVE LEARNING IN GROUPS
SUMMARY
In this resource – some questions and ideas. What makes for effective group activity where participants have a good group experience and learn from their involvement? What is the significance of ‘holistic learning within groups? What are the qualities which make for a good group facilitator?
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF LEARNING THROUGH WELL-MANAGED GROUP ACTIVITIES ?
- Responsibility for the learning can be given to the learners – direction and ownership of the learning
- Better access to higher order learning – e.g., developing understanding, problem-solving, exploring beliefs
- Learners are able to bring and share their experiences and learning – free exchange of ideas
- Learners can be encouraged to gain confidence in participation
- A greater variety of learning skills can be brought into play
- Different aspects about tasks and approaches can be discovered
- Communication skills are developed through talking and listening
- Learners learn about themselves and myths are tested – relationships, social & interpersonal skills – how to give and receive support & reach consensus; formal roles – leadership, recorder; when to intervene and when to back-off
- Promotes learning by minorities – self-esteem gained from contributing
- Can help to release tensions and negative feelings in individuals
- The worker can assess individuals in a group situation and the groups provide assessment feedback to individuals
GROUPWORK – more about the holistic nature of learning
Group work is about developing and using interpersonal skills – relationship-building, communication, interpersonal behaviour, collaboration, support and cooperation.
By focussing on the demands that the processes of collaborative working put upon people, group work helps us to develop significant personal qualities, which are often described as ‘soft learning outcomes’, such as:
- Receptivity: the ability to notice, understand and respond to verbal and non-verbal clues and language
- Self-expression: the ability to communicate personal feelings and ideas accurately and effectively
- Objectivity: the ability to see oneself as others do – to be comfortable to receive and respond to feedback from others
- Empathy: the ability to understand others by ‘taking their part’ through acting into it or imagining it
- Validation: the ability to give and receive positive feedback
- Encouragement: the ability to help other people to participate fully and give their best
- Role versatility: the ability to take a variety of roles in a group in such ways as to promote the success of the group
- Confidentiality: the ability in group work to all members being equally exposed and equally protected; recognising the need for limits on information-sharing
- Trust: the ability to trust others and to enable anti-social and suspicious group members to take a more positive attitude towards others , through demonstrating the kind of support that is possible in a group.
QUALITIES OF GOOD GROUP WORK FACILITATORS
- In order to promote effective group work we need to have an understanding of how people interact in different kinds of groups. We need to be able to apply this understanding effectively with our own learners.
- A belief in the importance of developing the learners’ relationship-building, interpersonal and communication skills
- Confident to encourage our groups to run their own affairs and learn in their own way
- Having the integrity to stick to criteria about group autonomy and confidentiality
- Having the ability to make sensitive interventions to ensure the comfort and safety of individuals in groups and the effectiveness of the group processes
- Having an open communication style
- Having the ability to model equality, openness and honesty, within groups
- Skilled in drawing out the conclusions and feed-back, which arise from group activity.