Moving Forward by https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt Made with ♥ en-us 2019-10-13 22:22:08 UTC 2025-12-14 15:29:15 UTC hello@padlet.com Reflect and Share anguyen031 https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/397509756 In this final activity, please reflect on the readings and activities. In a new post, share how you can apply what you have learned to new or current groups to increase the likelihood of creating a functional, positive group. 

Creating a New Post: 
  • Click on the Plus sign in the lower right hand corner to create a new post. 
  • In the post, create a title with your name  

Reflect and Share: 
  • In the body of the post, please share how the readings and activities have affected how you will approach future group work. Consider (but you are not limited to) some of the following: 
    • Why is it important to minimize the possibility of dysfunctional groups? 
    • What skills or techniques have you learned that you can apply? 
    • How can you use information from the readings and activities to help you address group issues should they arise? 
  • Please finish this post by Oct 26th, 2019

Addressed Cognitive Level and Theory:
Creating: Revises process to improve outcome, create a greater understanding to inform future action (Sandars 2009)

        Please contact me with any questions or issues: anguyen031@gmail.com

De Grave, WS, Dolmans DHJM and van der Vleuten CPM (2002) Student perceptions on critical incidents in the tutorial group.  Advances in Health Sciences Education 7: 201-209

Sandars J (2009). The use of reflection in medical education: AMEE Guide. Medical Teaching 31: 685–695

]]> 2019-10-14 16:29:48 UTC https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/397509756 Jackie https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/402824631 One of the biggest points that I learned is the importance of the ground rules. It was tip #1 in Azer's article, and it seemed to arise in each of the problem scenarios. As a result, for future small groups in class, I will have them establish written ground rules before they begin to work on their project. It may also be helpful to have them revisit this document, to see if it needs to be adjusted and to note whether they are keeping each other accountable. I really like the Azer article and will keep it on file as a handy reference. 
The second concept that struck me was the necessity for maintaining good social relationships within the group. I think this point was brought out well by the examples of groups that were functioning well together. The handout on Task and Maintenance Functions in Groups provided a really nice summary of key components for developing and maintaining social relationships. 
When group issues arise, I can reference both of the resources mentioned above to help me identify where the issue might be. This will enable me to adopt the most efficient strategy to help the group understand what component they need to address in order to get on track and function at a higher level. ]]> 2019-10-26 01:59:23 UTC https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/402824631 Rebecca rstinsondvm https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/403093964 I think the article which made me think about my current mental construct at the greatest level was the chapter by Salomon and Globerson.  This highlighted the need for group learning to be designed for group learning.  Utilizing the examples of the Reading Aid and Writing Aid, the authors highlighted that there are activities where group work may diminish individual learning gains.  This becomes especially challenging in the veterinary education setting where as discussed learners are not often selected for strength in working as part of a team.

I continue to work to understand optimal design for team activities.  This reading highlighted the need to manage the social structure of the team which brought me back to thinking about my most successful teams and those which have been less satisfying.  How do we continue to facilitate this development in the prescribed context of veterinary school?  I have certainly witnessed the free loader and sucker effects on teams that I have worked with in my previous role.  Often, getting the individual to discuss their work with the group as a functional mediator helped to improve group satisfaction although it required difficult conversations.
  
I really appreciated the selections of readings that you provided.]]> 2019-10-27 22:34:24 UTC https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/403093964 Emma https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/403503546 I am a great believer in giving students trigger examples to get the ball rolling.   Providing them with some examples of what constitutes a 'winning' team and how a dysfunctional team might look can be an invaluable exercise in providing them with an  opportunity to reflect on their own characters (the good, the bad and the ugly) and how they define their own roles (when working both individually and as a team).  Azer (2009) gives really helpful summaries of positive characteristics that lead to winning teams and effective critical thinkers.  Saloman and Globerson gives some lovely examples of individuals who can have debilitating effects on the group, such as the 'free rider' and status differential effects such as those who 'gang up on the task'. Can the students identify their own strengths and weaknesses...and would they be willing to admit them to the group if it meant it would help their group move more towards becoming a 'winning team', perhaps?

I think the key take home message for me is to ensure my groups establish their ground rules more meaningfully.  I always feel a bit silly trying to steer this phase of group formation as my tutees always seem to groan and resist this.  Seemingly, they must feel that this is all common sense.  Perhaps working with some of the examples above can trigger more meaningful discussions in this group forming phase.  I think also, it is important for this phase to be student led.  I think giving them an exercise each - like Angela gave us here - to define their own experiences of a functional and dysfunctional group would be most useful to start the conversation and lead to more meaningful agreement on ground rules. 

I agree with Rebecca, that the reading selection was really spot on.]]> 2019-10-28 18:15:24 UTC https://padlet.com/anguyen031/st7z2ew7razt/wish/403503546