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Content, Process and Structure
In all human interactions there are three main ingredients - content, process and structure. Content relates to the subject matter or task on which people are working. Process refers to the dynamics (both emotional, intellectual and behavioural) of what is happening between those involved. Perhaps because content is more readily definable, or at least examinable, it commonly receives more attention from all concerned. Process, on the other hand, though rarely attended to, is usually what determines whether a group works effectively or not. Group members are often only half-aware of the ways in which factors like physical environment, size, cohesion, climate, norms, liaisons, organisational structure, or group goals affect discussion an understanding of which should enhance a participant's worth to the group. For no-one is this more true than the leader, e-convenor, e-moderator or tutor who has a crucial position in determining the "success" or "failure" of a discussion group.
Students too can benefit from training and consequent alertness, both in the group skills of discussion and project teams much of which can be developed through the self and peer assessment of these skills. And assumptions that online groups, left to themselves, will naturally progress beyond the stages of low level exchanges to achieve a level of knowledge development are unlikely to be realised. To achieve successful outcomes for students tutors too need training in the arts of working online. Without such training, the sophisticated, off-the-shelf, integrated educational software packages nowadays provided in many universities will not in themselves achieve effective outcomes.
Our aim in this book is therefore not just to promote understanding of group methods but to develop group skills for tutors and students alike as well as widening the range of possible group experiences. The title 'Learning in Groups' is meant to suggest that groups are not merely a valuable vehicle for learning about the skills and concepts of a subject discipline, but are also a way of learning about groups: developing abilities in cooperative work for later life.
What you choose to accept and use from the book will reflect your own practice and philosophy of teaching. It might therefore be a good idea if we first state our own position on learning in groups.
Cooperation is a key word in learning groups: it doesn't happen requires a clear and coordinated strategy for learning about working together and improving skills in cooperation. Cooperation also means each and every member of the group taking a part and sharing responsibility for its success and in some cases having a clear brief to support each other's learning. In sum, an effective group will common shared aims and differentiated individual aims.
Assessment too has an important part to play in drawing the attention of students to the importance of effective group work and their part in it and, where it is accompanied by self and peer assessment and team grades, provides strong motivation to take full part in, and learn about, peer learning and teamwork.
So much for the dynamics of groups; what of learning? Our approach to learning is based the following assumptions:
- we learn best when we are personally and actively involved in the learning experience;
- knowledge of any kind has more significance when we learn it through our own initiative, insight and discovery;
- learning is best when we are committed to aims that we have been involved in setting, when our participation with others is valued and when there is a supporting framework in which to learn.
Groups can provide a further level of experience, meta-learning (Jackson, 2004) as they view their own thinking and skills in relation to others, reflect on their own abilities and are thus motivated to regulate their actions and behaviour for mutual benefit. And given that interactive behaviour in groups is an inseparable aspect of the person's asocial repertoire there is potential for self learning for life in this (Priola, 2004).
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