WHAT DO UNHELPFUL GROUP BEHAVIOURS LOOK LIKE?
Below is a link to the typical behaviour of the group monopoliser or controller/overtalker – often the result of that person’s anxiety. For more such rich, short videos demonstrating common, unhelpful group/team behaviours please contact the University of Derby’s Dr Caroline Harvey (Psychology) at: C.Harvey@derby.ac.uk
Unhelpful group/teams behaviours to be addressed through practical compassion
UNDERSTANDING & DISMANTLING UNHELPFUL GROUP WORK BEHAVIOURS
Here Dr Theo Gilbert explains the principles and rationales for rooting the science of compassion into the 21st century degree programme. The film, Embedding and Assessing Compassion in the University Curriculum (Part 1), is the first of series that will support universities (and schools) interested in learning more about the research involved in this fast spreading initiative, and how, in simple and practical ways, they can apply this growing scholarship themselves. It appears we are witnessing a shift in traditional thinking about what constitutes excellence in team work.
For an understanding of the model of a psychobiological approach to compassion that very much informs the additional research and pedagogical practice (for student group work) that is explained in these films, you may want to see the following lecture by Dr Paul Gilbert, OBE, retired UK National Health Service, Professor of Clinical Psychology, who developed the model:
Action for Happiness. Compassion – with Professor Paul Gilbert. Online video. YouTube. YouTube, April 21, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2skAMI8c-4&t=2193s
Unlocking Students’ Insights on Compassion (Part 2), explores how to connect staff and students to their innate capacities for compassion. This can then be used by students in the classroom to enhance each others’ social and learning experiences.
Under each film Resources that were explained in the film will appear in the order they were discussed, as here/below.
Reading and viewing resources for Part 2:
Duhigg, C. (2016). What Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team. The New York Times Magazine. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google- learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team
Beephy. Hero dog saves another after it was hit in the highway. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, Feb 9th, 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HJTG6RRN4E
The Compassionate Mind Foundation. Available at: https://compassionatemind.co.uk/
Gilbert, P. (2015) The evolution and social dynamics of compassion. Social and Personality Psychology Compass (2015): 1–16, 10.1111/spc3.121
Klimecki OM, Leiburg S, Ricard M, Singer T. (2014) Differential pattern of functional brain plasticity after compassion and empathy training. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 9 (6): 873-9
Ethnography in the Classroom: What’s there to notice? (Part 3), looks at the first component of compassion for group work (sensitivity to the suffering of others) which is the starting point for the practical micro skills of compassion that can be learned and applied in group work. Noticing the distress or the disadvantaging of others in a group or team requires good ethnographic (close observational skills). Teachers and students can upgrade these skills by looking at group interactions more curiously and intently. This video offers some practice with that. It also demonstrates that the enactment of compassion requires meaning making, and (often courageous) decision making and action – in the moment.
The video of students inside this film shows why the close study of secular compassion in task-focused group work has game changing implications for team work assessment.
Accelerating Interculturalism in the Classroom (Part 4), offers some tips on how to set up a class room speed-meet quickly and painlessly. This can fast-track class bonding and interculturalising processes across a class of students, dissolving cliques so that students can have a much greater social reach across the group and its diversity. It’s particularly effective for students when it’s experienced early in the course or module.
TV2Danmark. All That We Share. Online video link. YouTube. YouTube Jan 27th, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD8tjhVO1Tc (3 mins)
Why compassion fast-tracks interculturalism in the classroom (Part 5), explores why practical compassion in the classroom fast tracks bonding and interculturalism across the whole classroom – and helps dismantle the boundaries of student cliques. We look at some of the research that shows why multiculturalism – plural societies living side by side, and too often divided over competition for resources – is problematic by itself. In contrast, interculturalism is a step closer to more integrated communities; in education too it’s more effective at enhancing student academic achievement and mental wellbeing because problem-solving groups can call on the commitment to task of a diverse collective consciousness.
Reading resources:
Page-Gould, E., Mendoza-Denton, R. & Tropp, L. (2008). With a little help from my cross-group friend: Reducing anxiety in intergroup contexts through cross-group friendship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1080-1094.
“Education without moral education is dangerous” (Part 6) An interview with UK Professor of Clinical Psychology Paul Gilbert in which he considers these questions: Why should HE be embedding compassion into the curriculum? How can teaching staff do this well and quickly even if they feel this is not within their skill set? What can we observe so far from HE’s history and legacy of, on the whole, degree education without explicit attention to compassion’? Can compassion be credit bearing on diverse degree programmes? How are academic, counselling and other staff in current HE to take care of their own high stress levels? And why are students suffering from competitive stress so much today?
Reading Resources
Chickering, A. W. (2010). A retrospect on higher education’s commitment to moral and civic education. Journal of College and Character, 11(3), 1-6.
Gilbert, P., Clarke, M. S., Hempel, S., Miles, J. N. V. & Irons, C. (2004). Criticizing and reassuring oneself: An exploration of forms, styles and reasons in female students. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43, 31–50.
Compassion takes courage: Surfacing and dismantling hidden resentments in groups (Part 7)
Class room Resource
Checklist (word)
Checklist (pdf)
Reading
Scott, J.C. (1990). Domination and the arts of resistance: Hidden transcripts. New Haven: Yale University Press.
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How to handle the ‘monopoliser’ in the group, team or class (Part 8)
This film explains how the micro skills of compassion are being assessed (made credit-bearing towards degrees in Higher Education). After that, we focus on a common problem in group work – the monopoliser, or ‘dominator’ who takes over the group. And we identify which micro skills can help with this swiftly and non-verbally. Two examples of assessment materials for teachers are available under the film, but for more of these and how they fit to different group discussion tasks, please see Assessments & Task Designs (above)
Resources
Please see Tasks and Assessments, for some simple, straightforward ideas on what these can be that have been approved by external examiners in the UK HE sector.
Also, on the Tasks and Assessment page above, is a simple language structure for students to use. It can help them to get their group discussions going and flowing, in seminars and other group work settings.
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How to draw quieter team members into the group discussion (Part 9).
This film explains the micro skills of compassion that can draw the quieter student into the group discussion in gentle and effective ways.
We are currently in the process of producing more short films, for example on research methods for identifying evidence of impact on academic achievement that can be attributed to embedding and assessing compassion on the HE curriculum. In the meantime, you may want to click on (examples of quick, practical examples of) Tasks & Assessments, above. Watch this space – more information to follow!