Group Work: B2+ - Patrick McMahon

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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:

Group contact form
Name Email address Mobile number Landline number When not to call Best way to get in touch

       Tips

       You can use a form like the one above to share contact details among your group.

       Do not leave long periods of time without getting in touch with your group members as this is likely to result in problems.

       Creating a shared digital workspace

      You will need to create computer files in your group work and you should consider how you will store your work and share it with your group. There are a lot of different ways you can do this using online and offline technology. It is important to remember that:

       different students will have different IT skills

       different students will feel comfortable using different software.

      The table on page 27 contains examples of different places where you can store your group work. It also includes a commentary on the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of storage.

       For example:

Technology What you can do with it Advantages Disadvantages
Memory stick You can store your digital files on it. It is easy to carry around. You can lose a memory stick!
Folders on a shared computer drive at university or college You can store, upload and download files to it. Everyone can easily access all the files. There may be restrictions accessing the shared drive when you are outside the institution.
Folders on a shared online drive You can store, upload and download files to it. Some products can synchronise files across different computers. You always have the latest version of the file and you do not need to use a memory stick or email. For all these online options you need a fast and reliable internet connection and access to a reasonable computer.
Wiki You can add content to a webpage and so share your work. You can easily see each other’s ideas, work on it and edit it together from different locations.
An online message board You can read and leave messages for each other. It is an easy way for the group to share ideas when they are at different locations.

       Glossary

      wiki A wiki is a website that allows anyone visiting it to change or add to the material in it.

      restriction A restriction is an official rule that limits what you can do or limits the amount or size of something.

       Remember

       Group work gets easier as time goes on.

       It is worthwhile spending time to get to know your group members.

       Get to know the strengths of your group members so you can use each other’s skills.

       Be prepared to negotiate for the role that you want in your group.

       Ground rules will help to keep your group on track.

Planning your group assignment

       Aims

        understand how to interpret your assignment: what you are being asked to do

        understand the requirements of the task

        use a brainstorming technique to generate ideas

        learn techniques for scheduling your work

        recognize the importance of setting clear goals

      Quiz

       Self-evaluation

      Read the statements and circle the answers that are true for you.

1 I don’t have a clear idea of what the work will look like when it’s finished; I just start and see where it goes. agree | disagree | not sure
2 I don’t usually read course documents that the lecturer gives out as I find them dull. agree | disagree | not sure
3 I find it useful to work in a group and share ideas. agree | disagree | not sure
4 I don’t think you can plan too much in advance because you don’t know how long the work will take.

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