Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Facultad de Filosofía y Letras Diplomado en Enseñanza del Idioma Inglés Group Processes in the Classroom

Who Are We?  “Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity on the teacher” (Palmer 10).

Identity  “.. An evolving nexus where all the forces that constitute my life converge in the mystery of self: my genetic make up, the nature of man and woman who gave me life, the culture in which I was raised, people who have sustained me and people who have done me harm, the good and ill I have done to others and to myself, the experience of love and suffering – and much much more” (Palmer 13).

Integrity  “…whatever wholeness I am able to find within that nexus and its vectors form and re-form the pattern of my life. Integrity requires that I discern what is integral to my selfhood, what fits and what does not – and that I choose life-giving ways of relating to the forces that converge within me: Do I welcome them or fear them, embrace them or reject them, move with them or against them? By choosing integrity, I become more whole, but wholeness does not mean perfection. It means becoming more real by acknowledging the whole of who I am” (Palmer 13)

Group Processes 1. The Social –Psychological Perspective  Feelings in the Classroom  Interaction and Interdependence 2. Social Psychological theories  Systemic Nature of Groups  Informal and Formal Aspects of Groups  Emotional Aspects of Small Groups  Group Effects on the Self-Concept  Human Motivation in Social Contexts

Topic 1: The Social - Psychological Perspective.

Classroom Emotions: Teacher. Accomplishing the academic goals. Classroom emotions will emerge when the teacher becomes sensitive to the students’ needs. It is real difficult to concentrate on academic learning when people feel rejected. Teaching-learning process: “the teacher’s instructional style, his or her attitudes toward students, and the curriculum; the students’ feelings about themselves and their academic abilities; and the emotional quality of the group processes in the classroom” (Sch./Sch. 28).

Classroom Emotions: Students. Worry: to find a place in the group – system. A close friend can help his/her peer to overcome fears. A close friend can help his/her peer to overcome fears. Peers can provide emotional support or threaten each other. Peers can provide emotional support or threaten each other. The worst for a student is to feel rejected. The worst for a student is to feel rejected.

Interaction and Interdependence  Group: “a collection of interacting people with some reciprocal influence over one another” (Sch./Sch. 29).  Five dimensions of interaction for describing groups: 1) Affective – Non affective: showing or not showing emotions in the classroom. 2) Self – Collective: achieving personal or group goals. 3) Achievement – Ascription: gaining status by performance or inherent characteristics. 4) Universalism – Particularism: expectation for uniform performance or for diversity. 5) Specificity – Diffuseness: focusing on the curriculum –narrow or broad.

Social- Psychological Theory  Systemic Nature of Groups. The classroom is a system where students interact. The classroom is a system where students interact.  Informal and Formal Aspects of Groups. Formal: students perform official roles. Formal: students perform official roles. Informal: unofficial way in which students relate to each other. Informal: unofficial way in which students relate to each other.  Emotional Aspects of Small Groups. The first time students establish an interpersonal relationship is in the family. The students are full of feelings which they take to the classroom. The relationship the students have with their parents and siblings are transferred into the classroom.

Group effects on the self – concept. Group effects on the self – concept. The self – concept is developed through the interaction with other The self – concept is developed through the interaction with other people. people. Elementary and secondary students are vulnerable to lowering their Elementary and secondary students are vulnerable to lowering their self – esteem to adults or older students. self – esteem to adults or older students. Students with low self – esteem among peers and adults might suffer a loss of self – esteem: few opportunities for psychological success. Students’ self – esteem is affected by the teacher and classmates. Students project their negative feelings onto the others.

Students succeed when they  can define their own goals which are satisfying their personal needs (challenge).  are required for their abilities. Low self – esteem affects academic and well – being:  Fear to fail (academic challenge)  Feel worthless  depression  hostility to work hard. Continuous academic failure will discourage students.

Human Motivation in Social Contexts. Achievement (incompetence, inattention, daydreaming, lack of interest for learning, etc). Affiliation (aggressiveness, withdrawal, loneliness, alienation, revenge, etc). Power (putting people down, ignoring others as a form of retaliation) Group Effects on Intellectual Performance. Students work better in an interpersonal and cooperative learning environment. They understand faster and retain the information longer. Students can not work well with classmates they feel insecure. Cooperative Learning. Students performance: work for accomplishing learning which benefits the group.

Students’ Basic Needs 4. Generosity 3. Independence Independence 2. Mastery 1. Belonging Brendtro et al. (1990) Virtue Power Competence Significance Coopersmith (1979) Content Colaboration Kohn (1993) Survival Power/freedom Fun Love Glasser (1990) Choice

Topic 2: Group Development.

Group Development Overview.  First two weeks are really important. Teachers must establish an open communication, group work, classroom norms, class organization, teacher – student feedback, develop responsibility. Teachers must establish an open communication, group work, classroom norms, class organization, teacher – student feedback, develop responsibility.  Cyclical: bonding, trust, communication arises as the group establishes classroom rules, friendship and leadership.  Teachers: Persuasive: authoritarian, creates dependency, Persuasive: authoritarian, creates dependency, Participative: less central, help students to become independent. Participative: less central, help students to become independent. When students become less teacher dependent they develop interdependence. When students become less teacher dependent they develop interdependence.

Group Development Stages 1. Facilitating Psychological Membership. Making friends, inclusion, membership, trust. 2. Establishing shared influence. Testing degree of influence on the group: who, what, when – teacher and students. group: who, what, when – teacher and students.

Group Development Stages 3. Pursuing Academic Goals. Stages I + II = Stage III. Stages I + II = Stage III. Misbehavior if previous stages not completed. Misbehavior if previous stages not completed. Teacher and students make teams: styles, personality. Students divide tasks, agree on deadlines. Students take maintenance roles: work, check feelings, overcome differences, commit to work. Teacher and students make teams: styles, personality. Students divide tasks, agree on deadlines. Students take maintenance roles: work, check feelings, overcome differences, commit to work. 4. Self-Renewal. Students become responsible for classroom life: exclusion, alienation, power, struggles, resentments, goal achievement. Instruments to find out how the class goes. Students become responsible for classroom life: exclusion, alienation, power, struggles, resentments, goal achievement. Instruments to find out how the class goes.

“ I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am a decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de- escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized” Ginott 1975.