Group Work: B2+. Patrick McMahon

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       When you start your group work, make a list of the roles and responsibilities for your group.

       Think carefully about the role and responsibilities you would like to take on and be prepared to tell the other students why you should take that role.

       If you find out after a while that you are not comfortable in your role, speak to your group about it. But do not expect other students to swap roles with you after they have started to work on things they are responsible for.

       Do not be embarrassed to ask other group members for help and support even though you have responsibilities for a task. If you need support, others probably need it too.

       Assigning roles and responsibilities

      To help you to choose which members of your group should take on particular roles, you could make a role card for each one.

       For example:

       Role card

       Group secretary

      Main responsibilities: Take notes during group meetings, write them up and distribute them to the group. Prepare an agenda for group meetings and distribute beforehand.

      Skills needed: Note-taking skills; a good eye for detail; well organized; good communication skills.

      During the activity, you would place the role cards on the table in front of the group and discuss who would be good in each role. This would involve negotiation and the use of specific language. Use the following useful phrases to do this.

       Negotiating

      I’d really like to take on the role of …

      I’d be good in the role of … because I’m good at …

      My experience in … means that I’d make a very good …

      I think David should be … because he’s …

      I know you want that role but would you consider me for it?

      I don’t think I’d be suitable for that. I’m not very good at …

      I’m sorry. I’m really not keen on being … How about if I take on …?

       Tip

       Keep any role cards you produce and bring them out at group meetings to help discuss who should be doing what.

       Establishing rules

       Glossary

      ground rule The ground rules for something are the basic principles on which future action will be based.

      It is important to have some ground rules for your group work. Ground rules can prevent misunderstandings and keep your group on track.

       For example:

      Group members must attend all meetings. If a member cannot attend a meeting, they must tell the group secretary at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time.

      

Exercise 8

      Read about some common problems that can arise during group work. Suggest a ground rule for each problem. Make notes.

Problem	Ground rule to solve the problem
1 Some students are late or do not attend group meetings.
2 Some students spend time talking on their phone or texting during meetings.
3 Some students do not say anything in meetings.
4 Some students are not sure what they are supposed to do after meetings.
5 Some students interrupt other students when they are talking and want to talk all the time.
6 Some students do not produce work on time.
7 Some students talk to non-group members about confidential group matters.
8 Some students are inflexible and want everybody to do things their way.
9 Sometimes there is a long time between group meetings, so the group loses focus.

       Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.

       For more information on how to deal with difficulties within your group, see Chapter 7.

       Tips

       Remember to keep your list of ground rules close to hand so you can refer to it if you have some problems in your group.

       Think about what you will do if a group member breaks a ground rule and include this in the ground rules too!

       Sharing contact information

      You will need to share contact information with your group members and say how you would like to keep in touch with each other. Different students may prefer different methods and only be comfortable giving out certain information. It is therefore a good idea to include some rules about keeping in touch in your group’s ground rules. Make sure that the information you give out is up to date and that you check regularly to see if your group members are trying to contact you.

      Use a group contact form to collect and share your group’s information.

       For example:

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Group contact form
Name	Email address