To examine communicative and interpersonal skills in group work

Aim

To examine communicative and interpersonal skills in group work.

A reflective teacher may find it useful to consider some of the following questions:

1. Do the participants take turns or do they frequently talk over each other or interrupt?

Do they invite contributions, redirect contributions for further comments, give encouragement?

Do they listen to each other? Are they willing to learn from each other (ie: respond and react to each other's contributions)?

Do they indulge in 'parallel' talk (ie: continue their own line of thinking)?

Does conflict emerge or is harmony maintained?

 Is conflict positively handled?

• by modifying statements, rather than just reasserting them?
• by examining assumptions, rather than leaving them implicit?
• by explaining/accounting for claims?

2. Do participants elaborate their contributions?

• by giving details of events, people, feelings?
• by providing reasons, explanations, examples?

Do they extend ideas?

• by asking for specific information?
• by asking for clarification?

Do they explore suggestions?

• by asking for alternatives?
• by speculating, imagining and hypothesising?

Do they evaluate?

• by pooling ideas and suspending judgement before making choices?

More in this chapter

• To identify aspects of the craft, art and science of pedagogy in our teaching
• To reflect from a learner's perspective on aspects of pedagogy
• To explore how principles about pedagogy relate to our own planning and teaching
• To investigate time spent in talking and listening, in a classroom based group activity
• To analyse the dynamics of group interaction
• To encourage student participation
• To help develop constructive group work and discussion
• To defamiliarise and challenge common discourses used in schools and classrooms