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Truly collaborative group work is complex and messy, so we have a few tips and tools to get students working interdependently.

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"As a teacher, as you design a task you need at least three of those characteristics in there," Almarode said. More than that, the characteristics should be observable to anyone who walks into the room. For example, when Almarode walks into a room on a visit, he should be able to ask any student what the class is working on, what the teacher's expectations are and how it will lead to learning. He might also look for whether students are talking about the topic and bringing in their own experiences. These observations show him students are on-task, as well as emotionally and cognitively engaged.

The other thing he watches out for is whether the activity meets the expressed expectations. For example, if a student says the activity is to describe the phases of the moon, but the actual task only requires him to match pictures to vocabulary, then the activity isn't actually requiring students to describe. In that example, the cognitive engagement expected did not match the cognitive engagement Almarode saw in the work students were doing.

Effective feedback on work is another crucial aspect of three-dimensional engagement. Almarode knows how difficult it is for teachers to grade all the assigned work, but he's also convinced by evidence that shows immediate feedback is crucial to cognitive engagement and thus learning.

"If you give effective feedback to students you double the rate of learning," Almarode said. "So here's my argument: cut back on the volume of assignments and increase your feedback on those you grade and you will double the rate of learning."

That feedback doesn't necessarily mean returning fully graded papers the next day. Instead, after students turn in their papers, Almarode suggests handing out three papers that demonstrate what it looks like to have met expectations, to still be developing, or to be below expectations. Alternatively, the teacher could hand out a rubric and ask students to score a work sample. Both of these strategies give students a sense of how they performed, and the feedback comes while the process of writing is still fresh.

"Give them something to actively engage with immediately," Almarode advises. This feedback strategy doesn't mean teachers shouldn't assign other work, but he suggests doing more peer feedback sessions or dialoguing about the assignment to free teachers up for high quality feedback on fewer assignments.

Almarode realizes that his suggestions and strategies around engagement often feel to teachers like one more thing to do. He believes everyone within the profession needs to be better at filtering out demands on teacher time that aren't the most important for classroom learning. He said it's time to let go of old structures like math time in the morning or long staff meetings to go over procedures. When time is precious it should be spent collaborating, reflecting, improving and prepping. Administrators have a crucial job in protecting teachers time, not adding to long list of things they "should do."

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How To Ensure Students Are Actively Engaged and Not Just Compliant | KQED

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"As a teacher, as you design a task you need at least three of those characteristics in there," Almarode said. More than that, the characteristics should be observable to anyone who walks into the room.

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When it comes to supporting all students in an inclusive classroom, you can never have too many practical tips in your toolbox. Today's post, adapted from by Carolyn Hughes & Erik Carter, gives you 14 helpful suggestions for meeting the needs of all learners-during the school day and at home. Recommended by real teachers, these strategies will help you strengthen inclusive practices and help families provide the best supports for their children.

Teachers surveyed by authors Hughes & Carter recommended the following instructional strategies for supporting students in inclusive classrooms:

Apply proven strategies. Investigate what works by reading about the latest research-based strategies for inclusive classrooms. (We've got a whole bookstore category for that. ) If you haven't already, try strategies like constant and progressive time delay, most-to-least or least-to-most prompting, and other direct instruction strategies backed by strong evidence of effectiveness. Always match the strategies you choose with the individual needs and strengths of your students.

Rethink grading. For students who have extensive support needs, traditional grading systems probably won't be the best way to show what they can do. Consider alternative grading approaches that more meaningfully capture the progress students with disabilities are making toward their academic goals. (For guidance on grading, see this excellent post from Nicole Eredics of the Inclusive Class blog: "10 Tips for Grading Students with Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom.")

Outside the classroom, kids should have plenty of chances to practice new skills across a variety of settings, tasks, and people. Parents, extended family members, and other adults can keep these teacher-recommended strategies in mind when supporting students at home and in the community.

Use your child's interests as teaching tools. Does your child have a special fascination? Weaving these preferences and interests into skill instruction can help promote learning and engagement. (For specific ideas on using a child's fascinations as powerful learning aids, see by Paula Kluth & Patrick Schwarz.)

As an educator or parent, which of these strategies resonates with you most? Do you have another key principle of inclusion that guides you every day? Share it with us in the comments below!

For more than 500 research-based, teacher-tested strategies that help students with disabilities make a smooth transition to adulthood, check outRead an excerpt, see the reviews, and view the full table of contents.

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14 Ways to Support All Learners at School and Home - Brookes Blog

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When it comes to supporting all students in an inclusive classroom, you can never have too many practical tips in your toolbox. Today's post, adapted from The New Transition Handbook by Carolyn Hughes & Erik Carter, gives you 14 helpful suggestions for meeting the needs of all learners-during the school day and at home.

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I hear the stories over and over again. They vary in subtle ways, yet they're always about that person in your group-the one who seems to have everything together. Their life is going perfectly. Their family is great. They are making more money than they ever have. They love their job.

And then one day, out of the blue, their life falls apart.

It turns out that everything wasn't as great as it seemed. Maybe they weren't in such a great financial position. Maybe their marriage was a sham. Maybe the person was dealing with a secret sin.

I wish I could say this kind of thing never happens in our groups, that it never happens in our church. But it does, and each time, it breaks my heart. It can happen in your group, too, if your group lacks something critical: accountability.

Honestly, I hate accountability. I like to make plans. I like to come up with grand ideas about getting healthy or saving money. But I hate when someone holds me to those plans. I'd rather just make the plan and then give up on it whenever it becomes inconvenient for me.

Yet, I grow the most when I'm held accountable. This is true for your group as well. Your group will grow closer to each other and grow in their spiritual walks when they are being held accountable.

Cross the Line

The major barrier in our groups to accountability is an unwillingness to cross the line. You know the line-the line between comfortable, polite dialogue and discussions about touchy, sensitive topics in your life. So many of our groups never get past the surface level of life. They never move beyond the comfortable. Yet, it's just across that line where we can ignite the most growth.

I want to give you a word of warning. It takes time and sensitivity to know when and where you can cross the line from casual friendship to speaking truth into someone's life. The most important thing is that the person to whom you are trying to talk knows you are doing it out of a place of love. They need to know you have their best interests at heart. They need to know you are not meddling or teasing, but helping them in their walk with Christ.

Hold Them to It

Once your group is in a place where you can deeply speak into their lives, you need to consistently hold them accountable. I've been in groups in which people bring up the same relational troubles over and over. I know people who mention the same sin issues repeatedly and never seem to make any progress. How can we help those people move forward?

I've found one question to be helpful to you as a leader: "What steps are you going to take this week to change that?" It's a deceptively simple question, but it has helped me enormously. It asks the person to do two things: make a plan to remedy the situation and get to work on it quickly. Let's discuss each briefly.

Make a plan: Many of our problems never get solved because we never make a plan. By asking group members to make a plan to change, you are asking them to think more deeply about the situation and come up with a solution.

Get to work on it quickly-this week. Our nature is usually to let things go on and on without a solution simply because the solution is uncomfortable. By putting a timeline on the plan, it makes the problem immediate.

And here's where the accountability comes in. The next time you see that person, ask him or her, "How's that going?" This part is crucial. If you don't check back with them, you aren't holding them accountable. Check in on them. Bother them. Pester them until they start to make progress. Let them know you are on their side, but challenge them to find a solution.

If you love your friends, you'll want them to grow. You'll want to see them change. Love them enough to challenge them. Don't wait until the problem blows up their life and they must then try to pick up the pieces. Keep your group accountable.

_____

This blog post originally appeared in "Leader Connect," a newsletter for small group leaders at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

authentic Biblical community dealing with challenges discipleship small groups spiritual growth

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I hear the stories over and over again. They vary in subtle ways, yet they're always about that person in your group-the one who seems to have everything together. Their life is going perfectly. Their family is great. They are making more money than they ever have. They love their job.

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Story Highlights

Leaders can't force employees to be responsible

Clear expectations and progress updates make it easier for people

A positive culture will motivate employees to fulfill their commitments

Are concepts like "responsibility" and "being held accountable" viewed negatively by your employees?

Most likely, it's because leaders have tried to mandate responsibility from the top down. But that's not how responsibility works.

People are intrinsically motivated to fulfill their commitments for a range of reasons, none of which include being mandated -- at least not effectively nor sustainably.

A top-down approach makes employees feel like a kid again -- it doesn't cultivate trust and freedom -- and it doesn't motivate people to find their own way to stay on top of things.

Instead, leaders can encourage more responsibility among employees by creating an organizational culture that promotes and cascades accountability through five areas of focus.

Gallup's research and consulting experience shows that, to promote accountability, leaders and managers should:
1. Define what people are accountable for.
Employees need clearly defined expectations to achieve goals. Organizations may have evergreen responsibilities that support the organization's mission, values and purpose -- like customer centricity or quality -- that they need teams to focus on continuously.

At other times, companies may need employees to focus on accountabilities that are short term or long term, but not permanent, such as large-scale change initiatives.

But in every case, managers need to demonstrate accountability through their own availability and time spent on defining what their team is responsible for.
2. Set and cascade goals throughout the organization.
Once employees clearly understand what they're accountable for, managers should help them set measurable, individualized goals that align with their individual role. Most, if not all, employees should have metrics defined that help them know if they're delivering on the organization's goals.

Next, leaders should prioritize ongoing communication about how everyone's personal contributions and successes impact the organization's achievements.
3. Provide updates on progress.
People need information to course correct toward their goals.

Feedback can come from customer or employee surveys, ongoing project updates, key listening posts with critical stakeholders, or some combination of these. The most effective form of feedback, however, comes from frequent conversations between managers and employees.

When preparing to provide a progress update, managers should not ask themselves if they have all the data, but instead if they have the right data. Data that are performance orientated so they can speak to the behavior that has allowed the progress.
4. Align development, learning and growth.
Whether through conversations between managers and employees, or as part of an ongoing developmental path, organizations must provide opportunities for employees to improve, learn and grow.

Gallup analytics show that millennials rank the opportunity to learn and grow in a job No. 1 -- above all other job considerations -- and it's high on the ranks for other generations as well.

Managers who focus on employee development help workers address the roadblocks that prevent their ability to deliver on goals while learning and growing in the role.
5. Recognize and celebrate progress.
Praise for good work is the most motivating of all forms of feedback.

Identify, celebrate and learn from successes. It motivates employees to stretch and creates responsibility role models for others to follow.

What Promoting Accountability Looks Like in Practice

When leaders clearly define and communicate what the organization and employees are accountable for and committed to achieving, they are describing an ideal culture.

But as It's the Manager reports, "a major challenge for leaders of large organizations is that there is no common culture." Moreover, only about half of all workers -- and fewer managers -- even know what's expected of them.

Leaders who define accountability align individuals and teams toward a common outcome, commonly referred to as objectives or goals. Goals inform workers of what's expected of them and help workers determine how to accomplish them.

And giving people a say in goal setting can galvanize their commitment to achieving them. Altogether, these actions can solve a lack of accountability when lack of clarity is the problem, which, Gallup's research shows, is not uncommon.

A to-do list is not enough, however. All employees, from the C-suite down need follow up and feedback.

" Everyone should play a role in developing their colleagues by providing meaningful feedback and coaching," says It's the Manager. "Leaders need to be the first to model these demands because their behavior dictates what employees interpret as a real expectation."

Setting expectations that all employees will commit to achieving is a leader's job. So is frequently communicating and reinforcing the importance of the goal to the organization's success and that all roles make a crucial contribution to accomplishing it.

However, while clarity and consistency of definition are critical, so is concision. When leaders deliver too many messages, as inspiring as they may be, employees can get confused -- even overwhelmed -- by myriad expectations that all seem to be the "most important."

To keep definitions and expectations sharply focused -- and to improve performance as well -- Gallup recommends encouraging managers to have frequent coaching conversations with their direct reports; performance is best directed in the moment.

But 47% of workers received feedback from their manager "a few times or less" in the past year, and only 26% of employees strongly agree that the feedback they receive helps them do their work better. A company's accountability problem may actually be a coaching problem in disguise.

A company's accountability problem may actually be a coaching problem in disguise.

These conversations should address successes, challenges, ideas for improvement and ways to integrate ongoing learning and development.

Companies will find that frequent, performance-focused coaching conversations make it easier to recognize development and growth opportunities for employees. Managers who stay in close contact with workers know where their gaps are and where their potential lies.

They also activate responsibility -- employees who feel cared for by their managers are more likely to want to come through.

People who feel neglected aren't so motivated. And criticism and threats only demotivate workers and discourage accountability -- when failure to live up to a commitment is punished, people just hide their mistakes.

Employees who feel cared for by their managers are more likely to want to come through. People who feel neglected aren't so motivated.

About a quarter of all employees say the most memorable recognition they ever received was from a high-level leader or CEO, which makes praise for good work a uniquely powerful leadership tool.

And it's underutilized. Gallup finds that only about one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days.

Make Responsibility Easier -- And More Rewarding

When promoting accountability, this provides structures and processes people need to do what they say they'll do. It makes it easier to be responsible.

It not only makes it easier, it makes people want to go the extra mile because they can clearly see their personal progress, they're regularly receiving individualized coaching and praise, and they're not being forced to merely comply.

Again, leaders can't force people to develop a meaningful sense of accountability.

They can create conditions that foster personal commitment -- by shaping an organizational culture that promotes responsibility.

Gallup can help you create accountability in your workplace:

Author(s)

Andrew Robertson is a Managing Consultant at Gallup.

Nate Dvorak is a Researcher, Predictive Analytics, at Gallup.
Jennifer Robison contributed to this article.

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Story Highlights Leaders can't force employees to be responsible Clear expectations and progress updates make it easier for people A positive culture will motivate employees to fulfill their commitments Are concepts like "responsibility" and "being held accountable" viewed negatively by your employees? Most likely, it's because leaders have tried to mandate responsibility from the top down.

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For better or worse, teams across an organization tend to develop their own internal cultures. While these cultures vary widely, every team should have one characteristic in common: accountability.

It's a hot topic filled with nuance and often met with resistance from managers and team members alike. But what exactly is accountability, and how can you build it within your team?

What Is Team Accountability?

Team accountability is a series of processes and standards that directly influence a team's ability to meet its obligations. For example, it might include:

Meeting deadlines

Completing projects successfully

Following up on communication

Providing deliverables as promised

When a team fosters a culture of accountability, it's better equipped to fulfill its role in the company, and the rest of the organization is able to operate more efficiently.

Why Is Accountability Important Within a Team?

Team accountability is important because it is a driving factor in team success. To note, you can build a team of exceptionally talented individuals who all have a strong sense of personal accountability, but if you don't encourage a culture of accountability on the team level, the full potential of the team is never reached.

What Happens When a Team Lacks Accountability?

A team that lacks accountability struggles in many ways. First of all, the team may suffer from a high turnover rate. When talented individuals notice that the rest of the team isn't pulling its weight, they grow frustrated and quickly search for opportunities elsewhere.

A lack of accountability also translates to a lack of trust, both within the team and without. Team members may feel pressured to overcompensate for their peers because they can't trust them to fulfill their duties, and other teams in the organization won't feel as though they can count on that team to deliver on its promises.

Even projects that are completed successfully are more laborious in a team with no cohesive sense of accountability. For example, it becomes much more difficult to verify the completion of tasks and deliverables, introducing avoidable roadblocks into the workflow.

Signs of Poor Accountability and How to Build It Within a Team

You may suspect that your team is struggling with accountability, but here are some common red flags:

People can't immediately identify who is responsible for a task

It takes too long to make decisions

There is consistent underperformance

Individuals stand out as taking on either too much work or too little

There is excessive "checking in" from stakeholders

You should also be wary of team in-fighting. Of course, this isn't always caused by accountability issues, but resentment does build when some team members perceive that others aren't meeting their responsibilities.

With that in mind, here are some ways to build accountability within your team.

Assign Accountability to a Single Person

While multiple people can be assigned tasks and work together to complete them, only one person should be accountable for each outcome. For example, one person is responsible for ensuring that sales reports are delivered to the managers on time for the quarterly sales meeting. However, multiple people may contribute the data that makes up those reports.

This prevents team members from dodging the responsibility of accountability since they otherwise might assume that "someone else was taking care of it."

Accountability Requires Empowerment

To contribute to team accountability, every member of the team must be empowered to:

Make decisions

Delegate tasks

Follow through with others

Gain knowledge and competencies

Whether this is made possible through training or resources, managers must ensure that their team is equipped to handle accountability.

Share Accountability Information

Team leaders need to do more than assign accountability. They must also share that information with the rest of the team. Without this communication, the people accountable for outcomes may run into roadblocks.

For example, if the person accountable for sales reports begins asking their peers to enter their numbers into the system, that might cause some friction. Team members may perceive this person as being bossy or intrusive. However, if the team is clear that this person is responsible for those reports, they are more likely to cooperate.

Set Clear Expectations

Unclear deadlines and expectations detract from team accountability. For this reason, it's important to communicate what you want done, who you expect to do it, and when they should finish it. It's fine to gather feedback to ensure that your expectations are reasonable, but they should ultimately be clear.

Formalize Things

If you want to earn team buy-in on your efforts to create more accountability, put things in writing. This helps create a sense of ownership and motivates people to ensure they achieve their outcomes.

For example, the person responsible for sales reports could receive the title of Sales Data Specialist. This way, they don't simply have extra work to do - they have a clear, formal role. That's something they can take ownership of and be proud of.

Follow Through and Maintain Standards

Even if a new accountability initiative seems successful at first, it's important to monitor its ongoing success, follow through with team members, and maintain high standards. This is especially important when accountability has been a clear issue in the past.

Things will inevitably get uncomfortable at some level, and that's okay. You may be dealing with people who simply aren't used to being held responsible for doing their jobs . But accountability is not an unreasonable stance. Keep in mind and make clear that your goal isn't to rule with an iron fist. Instead, you simply want to create a sense of urgency and self-ownership.

Accountability and Remote/Distributed Teams

Discussions about remote work invariably turn to the matter of accountability. After all, how can managers establish accountability without access to the same kind of supervision they had before?

It's easy to respond that good managers shouldn't need to share a physical space with their workers and oversee every minute detail to create a sense of accountability. This may be true, but some undeniable struggles are still unique to remote work. These tips will help you overcome those.

Encourage Habits that Build Accountability

You can allow the flexibility and autonomy that comes with remote work while also using your leadership position to encourage habits that increase accountability. Start by having team members create and share their weekly plans during a Monday morning check-in session. In addition to helping them focus their efforts and plan their days carefully, communicating their intention with the group increases accountability.

You can also have team planning sessions that focus on long-range goals. During these sessions, you can assign accountabilities, set deadlines, and create KPIs for each role.

Clarify How Work-from-Home Will Work

There are many ways to build a remote work culture centered on accountability. Some organizations can create a more casual structure with plenty of flexibility, but others need to be a bit more regimented. While there are good and bad ways to implement either approach, the easiest way to fail in both cases is to not set clear guidelines.

Here are some options to consider as you establish work-from-home policies:

Communication around absences and schedule changes

Regular meetings and check-ins

Mandatory availability times

Device policies

On-call rotations and compensation

Transparency is important, but so is empathy. After all, people who are working from home may face unique challenges. However, it's possible to foster accountability while also considering your team members' needs.

Use Technology to Facilitate Communication

Communication and accountability are tightly intertwined. As such, remote and distributed teams must depend on regular, synchronous, and real-time communication. This is necessary for team leaders to follow up on tasks and deadlines and for team members to communicate with one another about dependencies.

Identify modern tools that will work for your team, and ensure that everyone has access to them and thorough training.

The 5 Cs of Teamwork

If you want to build a team that values accountability, you also need to develop a strong sense of teamwork. Accountability only happens when team members work cooperatively and want each other to do well, so make sure you keep in mind the 5 Cs of teamwork:

1. Communication: Communication must be accurate, thorough, and timely

2. Contribution: Team members must be clear about roles and responsibilities

3. Commitment: Everyone must know and work toward team goals

4. Compromise: Managers must balance high expectations with empathy

5. Cooperation: The team must support each other and management

When team members want good outcomes for each other and value everyone's successes, it only fosters accountability.

Building Team Accountability in Organizational Design

The good news is that accountability can be facilitated by incorporating documents like Functionaly's accountability charts into organizational design.

Accountability maps provide an objective assignment of accountabilities and ensure that major functions can be carried out without significant debate over which person is responsible for particular outcomes. This gives teams more time to work on and successfully execute projects.

By taking advantage of resources that foster communication and transparency, teams can implement accountability right from the start, rather than retroactively trying to add it as an afterthought.

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Team Accountability Matters: Here's How To Improve It

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For better or worse, teams across an organization tend to develop their own internal cultures. While these cultures vary widely, every team should have one characteristic in common: accountability. It's a hot topic filled with nuance and often met with resistance from managers and team members alike.

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This video is from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/academic-integrity 'Academic Integrity: Values, Skills, Action' is a free online course by the University of Auckland, New Zealand available on FutureLearn.com University coursework and research foster your ability to work independently and in collaboration with others.

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How to Collaborate Effectively If Your Team Is Remote (The Explainer)

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1. Bruce Tuckman's Model of Team Stages
The Bruce Tuckman theory was created in 1965, and has been applied in countless organizations and scenarios. With four main stages titled forming, storming, norming, and performing; this theory is commonly referred to as the origin for successful team building.

2. Belbin's Theory of team roles
Belbin created a list of nine roles that every team should have. These roles are Plant, Resource investigator, Coordinator, Shaper, Monitor Evaluator, Team Worker, Implementer, Completer-Finisher, and Specialist.

3. Hierarchy of Needs theory by Abraham Maslow
Maslow created a pyramid of the motivation in humans. The bottom starts off with Physiological items like food. The next section is Safety like the security of health. The third section is Love/belonging and an example would be family. The fourth is Esteem, meaning something like respect by others. The final section is Self-actualization and an example of this is morality.

4. Isabel Briggs-Myers and her MBTI theory
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test that perceives how people perceive the world. This is good for teamwork because it can help the team understand each other better.

5. John Adair's Leadership theory
This theory is a perfect model for what leadership and management should look like.

6. Carl Jung's Color theory
Jung's theory is about how color is a determinant of human behavior. By understanding this, you can better understand why people in your team do what they do.

7. Tajfel's theory on Social Identity
This theory presented the idea of social identity as a great way to describe inter-group behavior.

8. X and Y theory developed by Douglas McGregor
The X and Y theory is a description of how humans are motivated. This is also one of the most important theories that managers and employees should be familiar with.

9. Strength Theory
This idea is that if for the best teamwork you have to continually work at it and become strong, like a muscle.

10. Team Analysis Theory
This theory is that eventually your team will fall apart, so you will need to re-evaluate the situation and analyze what went wrong.

By a keen understanding of these teamwork theories, you will be able to get the most out of a group of people. Whether this is for a manager trying to create team unity, or a sports team looking for teamwork, these theories are perfect for your objective.

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The Different Theories About Teamwork And Teambuilding

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1. Bruce Tuckman's Model of Team Stages The Bruce Tuckman theory was created in 1965, and has been applied in countless organizations and scenarios. With four main stages titled forming, storming, norming, and performing; this theory is commonly referred to as the origin for successful team building. 2.

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Over the years, as teams have grown more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic, collaboration has become more complex. But though teams face new challenges, their success still depends on a core set of fundamentals. As J. Richard Hackman, who began researching teams in the 1970s, discovered, what…

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The Psychology of Teamwork: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teams

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Dive into the 7 habits of effective teams and the psychology of teamwork.

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"I want to facilitate a discussion where everyone feels included and we all learn from one another. But instead of sharing their experiences and perspectives, people keep turning it to a political discussion and no one is listening to anyone," an exasperated professional facilitator told me.

As a leader of any kind - including a discussion leader - we can intentionally set and compassionately enforce guidelines for effective cross-cultural conversations. Communication, innovation, productivity and profit all get dinged when conversations take a bad turn, leaving some feeling sidelined or silenced and others pridefully superior. I've developed a series of practical guidelines based on my experience and several lists I've seen over the years. Feel free to try them out.
Communication guidelines

1. Affirm another's experience, whether or not your experience is the same

2. Listen actively - hear the person out

3. Check the impact of your words rather than explaining the intent

4. Honor confidentiality

5. Share airtime and let someone finish talking

6. Speak from your own experience - use "I" statements

7. Say "Ouch" if you've been hurt

8. Say "Oops" if you mess up

9. Express curiosity and wonder with gentle questions

Why they work
These Communication Guidelines suggest behaviors and words that build community and encourage relationships. They are the first step in building cultural intelligence and a community of compassion. They work because we have a nearly universal tendency to react instinctively to differences as bad. Even when people are conscious about cultural differences, our unconscious assumptions kick in even before we realize it.(1) For example, studies show men and women are more likely to interrupt and talk over girls and women than they are boys and men. Since this is true in even scripted television shows and movies, we each need to be more alert to our impact in group settings.(2)

Being alert is especially important for those of us that are part of the dominant culture. We inadvertently make ourselves the center of the conversation, interrupt others and offer unsolicited solutions. We can come across as the knowers rather than the learners, and speakers rather than the listeners to the detriment of the whole group in general and non-dominant group members in particular.

To counter these dominant culture tendencies, so everyone has the opportunity to speak up, we need to intentionally set in motion new guidelines for speech and behavior. As a result, we won't miss valuable front-line input because of one-sided communication habits.
How to get started
As the leader, you'll want to explain that because everyone's ideas are important to an innovative team, we're putting in place Communication Guidelines. Because the rules are not necessarily intuitive and may be counter to our cultural norms, it can be initially uncomfortable for some participants to speak and act this way. However, with practice the awkwardness will pass. As the guidelines become the new norm, everyone will feel more valued, heard and engaged. A genuine authenticity among the group members can show up, along with greater collaboration and innovation.

The steps for implementation are...

1. Post the Communication Guidelines and ensure everyone has their own copy.

2. Ask someone to read them aloud.

3. Review each guideline and ask for example of what each one might sound like.

4. Begin your discussion by asking an open-ended question.

5. Express appreciation aloud regularly (especially at first) when someone uses a guideline.

6. Close by asking: What did we do well? Where can we do better?

How to maximize participation
Because individuals and teams that communicate and collaborate with cultural intelligence increase profit lines for organizations by as much as 43%, a leader will want to ensure equal participation.(3) Considering cultural differences can show up between ethnic, national, gender, generational or even departmental groups, here are two ways to maximize participation.

1. To allow a leader to focus on content in a meeting, another group member can be assigned the role of Process Leader. Using the Communication Guidelines as a foundation, the Process Leader is given explicit license to compassionately curb the dominance of any individual, interrupt those talking freely on behalf of more reserved members and invite participation from members who are more silent.(1)

2. Also, if diverse types and talents, including introverts or people from other countries are not accustomed to U.S.-style meetings, the leader can solicit detailed e-mails about the topic before the meeting. The leader can ask, "What are your ideas?" One leader discovered that, "to his surprise, he received very thoughtful responses from those who had been most quiet during the past meetings. He tried to deliberately bump into team members in the hall or cafeteria, and chat with them about the issues. He also encouraged them to do the same with each other, and to share the outcomes of their discussions with him. He kept in frequent contact with the team members over the phone, and again encouraged them to do the same with each other."(1)

After we talked about everything I've shared here, a week later, the facilitator whose discussion kept dissolving into politics called back to tell me how well her next meeting went. She was thrilled that as she introduced and gently enforced the guidelines, no one railroaded the conversation. Everyone stayed on topic. Participants allowed each other to finish their ideas and affirmed other's experiences - even if they didn't agree. Now, rather than dreading the next meeting, she couldn't wait to get back to the group and keep the conversation rolling.

To change workplace diversity drama and factions forming into collaboration and productivity, we can set in motion a new norm, a new system for communication. This allows leaders to gain the full strengths of their diverse workforce and build organic collaboration and retention because people feel valued. How people feel is important as a means to greater productivity, innovation and profit. -Amy Narishkin, PhD
References:

1. Distefano, J. & Mazevski, M. (2012). "Creating Value with Diverse Teams in Global Management." Organizational Dynamics.

2. Chemaly, S. (2018). Rage Becomes Her. New York: Atria Books

3. Hunt, V., Prince, S., Dixon-Fyle, S. & Yee, L (2017) Delivering Through Diversity. New York: McKinsey & Co.

4. Gades, S. Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/fIHozNWfcvs

If there's someone in your network who would benefit from having this information, please feel free to share. To recruit, retain and promote top talent from diverse backgrounds, leaders can create a culture of safety and belonging for everyone in their organization. With a PhD in Adult Learning, Dr. Amy works with CEO's, management teams and group leaders to develop the skills and heart for cultural intelligence so people can feel free to talk and work with just about anyone! For more information, contact: [email protected]

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How to Maximize Group Participation - Empowering Partners

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Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailPrint"I want to facilitate a discussion where everyone feels included and we all learn from one another. But instead of sharing their experiences and perspectives, people keep turning it to a political discussion and no one is listening to anyone," an exasperated professional facilitator told me.

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Effective facilitation of a discussion involves the recognition and employment of different perspectives and different skills to create an inclusive environment. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction and engagement. Discussion is a powerful mechanism for active learning; a well-facilitated discussion allows the participant to explore new ideas while recognizing and valuing the contributions of others.

Roles of Discussion Leaders

adapted from Handelsman et al. 2006

1. Create an inclusive environment

Opportunities for reflection

What do the participants bring to the group? ("Characteristics that may give you a unique perspective")

Self-awareness; awareness of others

What do I bring to the group? What surprises or challenges me?

What behaviors am I most familiar or comfortable with?

What behaviors challenge me?

Allow participants to introduce themselves - you can even set up an ice breaker to have pairs of students introduce each other.

Be clear up front about expectations and intentions amongst participants and the facilitator.

Use inclusive language.

Ask for clarification if unclear about a participant's intent or question.

Treat participants with respect and consideration.

Develop an awareness for barriers for learning (cultural; social; experiential, etc).

Provide sufficient time and space for participants to gather their thoughts and contribute to discussions.

Provide opportunities for participants to pair-share.

Use certain conventions or language that will exclude certain groups from understanding the context of the discussion, or make them feel uncomfortable.

Assume participants all have the same expectations when the group first convenes.

Over-generalize behavior or have stereotypical expectations of participants (tokenism).

Use (or allow others to use) disrespectful language or tone, or disrespectful non-verbal communication.

Convey a sense of self-importance or superiority.

Allow only the dominant or more verbal participants to take over the conversation.

Discourage alternate views or counter-arguments.

Try to be someone else - be yourself.

2. Keep discussions constructive and positive

Make the discussion functional by clarifying the goals of each session to the group.

Establish ground rules:

Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups of people (stereotyping).

Ask dominant participants to allow others to speak.

Give all participants a voice- at the start highlight the value of a diversity of perspectives as an essential part of the process.

Go over constructive and destructive group behaviors at the start of the course / workshop.

Request that if participants challenge others' ideas, they back it up with evidence, appropriate experiences, and/or appropriate logic.

Try to keep the group on task without rushing them.

If the group starts to veer in the direction of negativity and/or pointless venting, ask them how they would like to address this.

Step back when a group is functional/functioning - help participants become independent learners; take control of their learning.

3. Encouraging participants

Encouraging participation can be accomplished by:

Writing participants' comments on the whiteboard.

Asking follow-up questions, and paraphrasing the comments for everyone to ponder. A combination of initiating and probing questions can be an effective approach to bring out participants' ideas further.

Asking the contributor for further clarification and/or elaboration.

Re-visiting past contributions and incorporating them into subsequent discussions.

Encouraging others to add their reactions or ideas to build on someone's comment.

Not being afraid to admit your own ignorance or confusion if you don't know something - invite others to provide resources, and use the opportunity to discuss with the group how one might go about researching the issue.

Discomfort and silence are ok, but balance with a clearly stated context and purpose.

Potential Problems in Discussions

adapted from: Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning Handbook, accessed July 2008

Maintaining discussions often means dealing as smoothly as possible with the problems that arise. Here are some common problems with suggestions for how to deal with them.

The participant who talks too much:

A way to approach the dominant participant and pull in non-participants is to redirect the discussion to another person or another topic. Alternatively, you may wish to reframe their comments, making them viable additions to the discussion. Facilitators might also ask one or more members of the group to act as observers for a few sessions, reporting back their observations to the group. Perhaps assigning the avid talker to the observer role would help the person develop sensitivity. Another approach is to break down the group into still smaller task groups.

The member who will not talk:

A way to approach non-participants is to provide opportunities for smaller group discussions or pair-share discussions. Smaller groups may help put some students at ease. A second strategy is to ask opinion questions occasionally (e.g., "How do you feel about this?"). This may encourage participation by reducing participants' fear of answering incorrectly. Another strategy is to have participants write out their answers to a question. Having the words written out may make it easier for a shy or fearful person to speak up.

The discussion that turns into an argument:

In good discussions, conflicts will sometimes arise. If such conflicts are left ambiguous, they may cause continuing trouble. Here are some ways to resolve them:

If the solution depends on certain facts, the facilitator can ask participants to refer to the text or another authority.

If there is an experimentally verified answer, the facilitator can use the opportunity to review the method by which the answer could be determined.

If the question is one of values, the facilitator may use the occasion to help participants become aware of the values involved.

The facilitator can list both sides of the argument on the board.

The facilitator can take a strong position as moderator, preventing participants from interrupting each other or speaking simultaneously. She or he can lay ground rules for discussion, such as asking participants to focus conflict on ideas rather than people and to resist being judgmental.

Unclear or hesitant comments:

The facilitator can encourage participants making unclear contributions to give examples and factual evidence of their points. The facilitator can also restate points for verification or rejection by the participants, or give enthusiastic nonverbal cues and patience.

The discussion that goes off track:

Some facilitators keep discussions on track by listing the questions or issues they want to cover on the board or summarizing the discussion on the board as it proceeds. Stopping and asking a participant to summarize where the discussion is at the point it appears to go off track may also help.

The student who attacks the facilitator:

When participants argue for the sake of argument, facilitators will usually lose if they take the bait. Participants or students who attack often want attention, so simply giving them some recognition while firmly moving on often takes care of the problem. If participants are simply trying to embarrass the facilitator, they may seek to make him or her defensive with such comments as, "How do you really know that...?" or "You're not really saying that...?" Such questions can be handled by playing boomerang. The facilitator might say, "What I'm saying is..., but now I'd like you to share your perspective." Turning the question back to the questioner forces him or her to take responsibility for his or her opinion. Other ways to handle these situations include:

Confrontation - Facilitators can confront the questioner with their reactions to his or her behavior. "I'm uncomfortable with the imprecision of your questions. What I really hear you saying is..."

Active listening - Facilitators can paraphrase the message they heard and check out the accuracy of their assumptions before responding.

Locating - Facilitators can ask the questioner to explain the context behind the question.

Reframing - The focus can be on clarifying the assumptions behind the person's argument and then inviting her or him to see alternative possibilities.

Deferring - Often, the best strategy is to invite participants to come up after the session and arrange for a time to talk about the disagreement further, and then move the discussion on to another topic.

References

Boice, R. (1996) First-Order Principles for College Teachers: Ten Basic Ways to Improve the Teaching Process (Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Co.)

Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment Guidebook, Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

Feito, J. (2007) Allowing Not-Knowing in a Dialogic Discussion. The International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, accessed July 2008. http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v1n1/feito/ij_feito.htm

Gelula, M.H. (1997) Clinical discussion sessions and small groups. Surgical Neurology, 47:400-403.

Handelsman, J., Miller, S., & Pfund, C. (2006) Scientific Teaching: Diversity, Assessment, Active Learning (New York: W.H. Freeman & Co.)

Sellers, S.L., Roberts, J., Giovanetto, L., Friedrich, K. & Hammargren, C. (2007) Reaching All Students-A Resource for Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (Second Edition) (Madison, WI: Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning)

Steinert, Y. (2004) Student perceptions of effective small group teaching. Medical Education, 38:286-293.

Tuckman, B. & Jensen, M. (1977) Stages of Small Group Development. Group and Organizational Studies, vol. 2, pp.419-427.

University of Queensland: Designing Culturally Inclusive Environments, accessed July 2008. www.tedi.uq.edu.au/cdip

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Tips on Facilitating Effective Group Discussions

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Effective facilitation of a discussion involves the recognition and employment of different perspectives and different skills to create an inclusive environment. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction and engagement.

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You taught your group-work expectations in exacting detail.

You modeled what it should look like. You had a few students model while everyone else looked on.

You took your time. You checked for understanding. You made sure your class was ready before trying it out.

But when you finally turned them loose, it didn't work. They just stared at each other.

Oh, there were students who gave it a good try, but too many leaned back in their chair or were too uncomfortable to join in.

So now what?

Well, you can reteach. But you already taught your expectations thoroughly, so repeating the lesson is unlikely to make a difference. It will also frustrate your class.

You can lecture about the importance of group work. But lecturing often results in more resistance, not less-especially at the start of the school year.

Your students need to want to participate.

They need to see that contributing to a group is an enjoyable and valuable experience, which is why I recommend a strategy called the decision game.

Here's how it works:
Step #1
Break students up into groups of four or five so they're facing each other.
Step #2
Allow them to kneel or sit on their legs while in their seat. This encourages them to lean in and be part of the group.
Step #3
After securing their attention, ask a fun but straightforward question that allows for a quick answer. Some examples:
"What is your favorite ice cream?" "Where would you most like to travel?" "Who is the scariest book or movie character?"
You get the idea.
Step #4
Give each group 8-10 seconds to decide on one answer.
Step #5
Say "Times up!"
Step #6
Call on each group in quick succession. As soon as you say their group name ("Group one?"), the entire group must call out their answer in unison.
Step #7
Assign five points per group for full participation (in calling out their answer) and an original answer (an answer no other group gave).

Give four points if two groups had the same answer, three points if three groups did, and so on. If not all members of a group call out the same answer at the same time, that group receives zero points.

Note: Never point out which student(s) didn't call out. Just assign a zero and move on.
Step #8
Play until they're having so much fun that they forget or don't realize that they're practicing working together.
The Benefits
The decision game has a unique way of getting everyone involved. Sometimes it takes a few rounds, but rare is the student who refuses to play.

If someone does refuse, gently ask them to sit off to the side and watch until they feel more comfortable. (They're not "in trouble." Just tell them to let you know when they're ready to rejoin.)

The decision game is a great ice-breaker you can play anytime group participation lags, but it's especially effective at the start of the year.

As for points, they're absolutely meaningless. The winning group gets bragging rights, nothing more. You can have them take a bow if you wish or line up first for lunch.

The game works because it's fun and exerts gentle but positive pressure to work together as a team. It also encourages alertness and creative thinking, which are characteristics of flow experience.

Just remember to have fun. Keep the game moving and take on the role of a cheesy game show host. Done right, the game will help leapfrog your class-sometimes by weeks-from grudging and reluctant participants . . .

To happy and eager contributors.

If you haven't done so already, please join us. It's free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

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A Fun Way To Improve Group Work Participation - Smart Classroom Management

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You taught your group-work expectations in exacting detail. You modeled what it should look like. You had a few students model while everyone else looked on. You took your time. You checked for understanding. You made sure your class was ready before trying it ... Read more