Sophie Makris

 What is a team?  A group of people pooling their skills, talents, and knowledge, with mutual support and resources, to provide effective solutions to problems.

 In order to… Share perspectives, Learn from each other, Discover more about yourself and others, Learn something new, Support each other, Experiment and have fun.

1. Positive interdependence:  Each person is responsible for a different learning issue.  Each is responsible for sharing information and teaching each other. 2. Face-to-face interaction:  The team works together to make a solution plan.  The team re-groups regularly to review progress and reassess goals. 3. Individual accountability:  Each person: does research, writes up results for the group.

4. Collaborative/social skills:  The team reviews reports/progress together and edits each other’s work.  The team shares resources and ideas effectively.  Cooperation, communication, trust, and effective leadership are key. 4. Group processing:  Assessment of group performance by the group.  The team discusses what they have learned and what problems still exist.

 Forming  Team building: define team & individual roles, develop trust and communication  Task: define the problem & strategy to solve it, identify needed resources  Storming  Conflicts arise, collaboration is low, members realize the task is harder than they first imagined  Diagnose conflicts: Find out if everyone agrees on goals, roles & responsibilities. Try to identify the problem, and work out a solution that meets everyone’s goals.  Norming  Members accept the team, team ground rules, their roles, and the individuality of their fellow members.  Team members begin to cooperate, give constructive feedback.  Performing  Team members have gained insight into personal and team processes, and have a better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses  The group has developed strategies for avoiding or resolving conflicts.  Members feel a close connection to the team.  Adjourning or Reforming  Bring closure to tasks  Review group processes, make suggestions/plans for improvement

 State your views in clear non-judgmental language  Clarify the core issues  Listen carefully to each person’s point of view  Check understanding of the disagreement by restating the core issues  Use techniques such as circling the group for comments and having some silent thinking time when emotions run high

 Feedback is…  a mechanism, process or signal that is looped back to control a system within itself. PerformerReceiver Feedback Output

 Feedback may be negative, which tends to reduce output, or positive, which tends to increase output.  Often this is done intentionally, in order to control the dynamic behavior of the system. Feedback is observed or used in various areas dealing with complex systems, such as engineering, economics, and biology

 Be descriptive and speak for yourself  Don't use labels, exaggerate, or be judgmental  Talk first about yourself, not about the other person  Phrase the issue as a statement, not a question  Restrict your feedback to things you know for certain  Help people hear and accept your compliments when giving positive feedback

 Breathe  Listen carefully  Ask questions for clarity  Acknowledge the feedback  Acknowledge the valid points  Take time to sort out what you heard

 Commitment to shared goals and objectives  Clearly define roles and responsibilities  Use best skills of each  Allows each to develop in all areas

 Effective organization and procedure  Clear communication  Beneficial team behaviors  Well-defined decision procedures  Balanced participation  Established ground rules  Awareness of the group process  Good Personal Relationships

 Sets and explains the task  Structures individual accountability  Structures internal cooperation  Explains criteria for success  Specifies desired behavior  Monitors and intervenes when necessary

 Based on today’s lecture on the Five Elements of Cooperative Learning, analyze your previous week’s team process. How well do you believe your team performed? Did everyone work well together? Why? Did everyone contribute? Did you contribute as much as you should have? Is there something you, personally, would do differently? What and how would you do it differently?

 The Creation of New Teams  Group Resume  Name your team. Be Creative! What are the expectations? What one should never do? What are the strengths? What are the weaknesses?