Working in groups

This chapter is a condensation of a guide written by the chapter authors for both university teachers and students (Fowler et al., 2006). All page references given in this chapter are to this guide, unless otherwise stated. University students often work in groups. It may be a formal group (i.e. one that has been formed for a group presentation, writing a report, or completing a project) or an informal group (i.e. some students have decided to form a study group or undertake research together). Whether formal or informal, this chapter aims to make working in groups easier for you. Health care professionals also often work in groups. Yes, working in groups will extend well beyond your time at university. In fact, the skills and abilities to work effectively in groups are some of the most sought-after attributes in health care professionals. It seems obvious, then, that taking the opportunity to develop and enhance your skills and abilities for working in groups is a wise choice.

Identifying competencies for Australian health professionals working in international health

A profile of the roles performed by Australian health professionals working in international health was constructed to identify the core competencies they require, and the implications for education and training of international health practitioners. The methods used included: literature review and document analysis of available training and education; an analysis of competencies required in job descriptions for international health positions; and consultations with key informants. The international health roles identified were classified in four main groups: Program Directors, Program Managers, Team Leaders and Health Specialists. Thirteen 'core' competencies were identified from the job analysis and key informant/group interviews. Contributing to international health development in resource poor countries requires high level cultural, interpersonal and team-work competencies. Technical expertise in health disciplines is required, with flexibility to adapt to new situations. International health professionals need to combine public health competencies with high level personal maturity to respond to emerging challenges.

Mediating conflict and control : practice challenges for nurses working in palliative care

A work-based professional development program was offered to a group of registered nurses working in palliative care. The goal of the program was to improve skills in psychosocial care (Yates et al., 1996). Participants were encouraged to reflect critically on their practice experience within a group setting. The focus of the group discussion and reflection were shared practice incidents. Each participant was given the opportunity to identify and describe an incident from their professional practice that presented a challenging issue within palliative nursing. This paper explores the themes of conflict and control, evident within the collection of fifteen practice incidents and discusses the nurses role as mediator. The concepts of patient advocacy and professional autonomy are challenged through the nurses experience of providing care within a hierarchical and bureaucratic health service. The outcome of reflection for the organization is most effective when shared experience and collective action (rather than individual practice) are the focus.

A case study in group learning and supervision

Student units or the group-based field education and supervision of social work students offer many advantages as an efficient field placement model as well as opportunities for students to learn from each other through sharing knowledge, working collaboratively, hearing different perspectives and discussing issues. Despite the enormous potential of student units, they are a largely uncharted territory. There is a scarcity of literature on the topic and very few guidelines as to the provision of student units. The term student unit covers a broad range of student group learning opportunities and activities. This study explores this model of social work field education and its implications for student field work learning in a group context. The discussion is based on a review of the experiences, opinions and impressions of participants of an actual university based social work student unit.

Working in and on groups: an illustration of the principles of exploratory practice in an esp classroom

Neste artigo, descrevo e analiso uma actividade de trabalho em grupo desenvolvida para uma aula da disciplina de Língua Inglesa VI das turmas do 3º ano do Curso de Línguas e Secretariado do Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP). No enquadramento teórico, abordam-se questões relacionadas com o trabalho em grupo numa aula de língua estrangeira, nomeadamente a dimensão social da sala de aula em geral e da interacção aluno-aluno em particular. Apresentam-se então os princípios da Exploratory Practice, com ênfase na possibilidade preconizada por esta abordagem de se poder transformar uma actividade de reflexão e discussão sobre o processo de ensino/aprendizagem numa unidade pedagógica. Segue-se a apresentação da proposta didáctica, respectivo plano de aula e alguns exemplos dos textos produzidos pelos alunos. O artigo termina com a apresentação de alguns comentários críticos, realçando-se a contribuição da Exploratory Practice para o desenvolvimento de uma maior consciencialização por parte dos alunos do seu processo de aprendizagem.

Students working in a class at the New York Trade School

A group of four students are working in a classroom at the New York Trade School while a professor looks on.

Evidence for crossvergence in the perception of task and contextual performance : a study of western expatriates working in Thailand

The applicability of the Western model of task and contextual performance to the context of Thai and Western managers, professionals and consultants working together in Thailand is addressed in this research. The results show a clear difference in the factor structure of how Western and Thai managers perceive the importance of performance factors. Moreover, the task and contextual factor structure found for Western managers working in a Western culture did not hold for Westerners working within the Thai cultural environment. These findings provide evidence of adaptation by the Westerner to the Thai cultural environment, supporting the notion of crossvergence.

The student experience of working in teams online

The research reported here is part of a project undertaken at a large Australian university in late 2005. The overall aim of the project was to identify the characteristics of student learning in an online environment. A university-wide student survey was conducted to ascertain student views of online learning and also of online teaching as part of the project. In the survey students were asked questions about their experiences of team work in online environments. The student perceptions of teams and team work are the focus of this paper.

The findings from the survey indicated that students appreciated the opportunity of working in diverse teams. They supported the view that their opinions were valued in such teams. Student views of how teaching should be conducted in units with online teams were also expressed. Concerns about team interactions, technological barriers and communication and cultural issues were also raised. The implications for teaching with online student teams are presented and discussed.

Working in Jamie's kitchen : salvation, passion and young workers

"In the UK in 2002, the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver set out to transform a group of unemployed young Londoners into enterprising, passionate workers. Their struggles, and those that train and manage them, to develop a passionate orientation to work, highlight many of the challenges we all face in the globalized labour markets of the 21st century"--Provided by publisher.

Why do women like working in building conservation?

There is a perception that Building Conservation as a career is different from the mainstream, and it appears to be more attractive to women - at whatever level - than many other careers in the construction industry. Whilst recruitment and publicity can be targeted, the culture within the construction industry can be a barrier to entry for anyone that is "different." As Clara Greed (1999) discovered in her research "the traits, beliefs and lifestyle peculiar to the construction tribe" can inhibit the entry to the industry of a number of groups outside the traditional pool. The growth of women in the workforce generally (some 50% according to Turrell et al, 2000) is nowhere near being matched within the construction industry as a whole - the Construction Industry Board placed it at around 8.6% in 2000 across all positions. The various UK industry and professional bodies are actively supporting the need to attract women, with the CITB saying they want a 10% year on year increase in participation, the RICS have their own Raising the Ratio working group and the RIBA have carried out research to find out "why women leave architecture."

Of course the whole of the industry is not unfriendly to women - there are a number of us who have been in the industry for many years and recognise it as a fulfilling and exciting career - a number of women work as surveyors working on historic buildings. The initiatives that are working towards change might have something to learn from Building Conservation - while the shortage of skills is just as severe in work with historc buildings - this area of work holds an attraction to women, not found elsewhere. This paper draws on research carried out to explore some of the reasons for this.

The study involved sending a questionnaire to twenty women already working in Building Conservation (the response rate was over 100%) and arranging for questionnaires to be completed by school students (male and female) choosing university courses in one school (60 questionnaires sent out, with 35 returned at a response rate of 58%)

The research showed that the majority women working in Building Conservation did not agree that men heavily dominated their sector of the industry, whereas within other areas of the construction industry men make up approximately 90% of the workforce. The research found that women often perceived the Construction Industry to be 'cut-throat', 'egotistical' and 'financially beneficial', whereas they thought Building Conservation required 'patience', 'care' and 'attention to detail'.

Of the women who took part in the research, 87% were working in Building Conservation because of a personal interest , and the main aspect of that attarction was history and architecture. The study examined attitudes of school students choosing careers and the research shows that when male and female sixth form students were told what Building Conservation was about and what it involved, 43% would consider a career in it and 49% would be interested in talking part in a work experience placement working with historic buildings. The shortage of people working in Building Conservation could be reduced if more people were educated about the profession in a way relevant to their skills and interests. In order to assist this action, the study examined ways to introduce Building Conservation careers to school girls and drew on the initiatives that the university is doing to promote careers in the built environment to schoolgirls.

Monkey in a cage : the complicated loyalties of mid-level academic women working in higher education

Loyalty raises a dilemma for women’s career progression and leadership because it signals confidence in the organisation, despite the ongoing constraints that organisations present for women and their leadership aspirations. The research investigates women’s loyalty in the context of higher education. Focussing on a select group of mid-level female academics, the paper will argue against a common sense understanding of loyalty as an expression of female care. A critical reconsideration of loyalty as care is made possible by analysing the ‘utility of loyalty’ and how it becomes a legitimate organising principle that operationalises institutional and personal objectives. How women enact loyalty draws on agency theory to explain and analyse the way loyalty is appropriated by women. The results show contradictory actions around loyalty, however, these can be clarified by agency theory to demystify loyalty and critically analyse how specific work actions and practices shape explain seemingly contradictory and emotive responses. The complications around women and loyalty are expressions of a substantive rationality through which mid-level female academics respond to the uneven opportunities, limitations and constraints that influence their work, profession and relationships.

Improving access to the justice system for people with communication difficulties : a training program for people working in the justice system

This training package is provided as a guide and resource to promote awareness and understanding of people who have complex communication needs and give people who work in law and justice system strategies to facilitate successful communication interactions. Complex communication needs are defined as communication problems associated with a wide range of physical, sensory and environmental causes which restrict/limit an individual's ability to participate independently in society. They and their communication partners may benefit from using Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) methods. Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) is an approach or communication system that makes it possible for a person without speech to communicate. AAC includes gestures and sign language, picture and alphabet boards and high technology electronic communication devices that produce computerised speech. Many people with complex communication needs use a combination of AAC communication to express themselves. It is hoped that this package will facilitate access to the justice system for a group of people who may experience social disadvantage as a result of their complex communication needs. The information included in the package is not exhaustive. It is designed to : provide the trainer and staff with a general understanding of complex communication needs; challenge misconceptions about people who have little or no functional speech; provide practical strategies and guidelines to assist staff to more successfully communicate with people with complex communication needs.

Images of Europeans: In-Group Trust and Support for European Integration. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series Vol. 14 No. 3, March 2014

Prior research on citizen support for European integration does not consider how individuals’ evaluations of European nationalities are associated with support. This paper fills this gap by developing a political cohesion model based on social identity theory. I claim that the probability of supporting integration increases with greater levels of trust in fellow Europeans, which assumes to reflect their positive images. Also, trust in eastern European Union nationalities has the highest impact on the probability for support, followed by trust in the southern nationalities, and then northern nationalities due to the eastern and southern nationalities relatively lower economic development. Controlling for various factors, the ordered logistic regression analysis of the European Election Study (2004) data support these claims.

Promoting breastfeeding : a guide for health professionals working in the WIC and CSF programs /

Abstract: A guide for health providers who work in perinatal health care systems provides a variety of ideas and successful approaches for promoting breastfeeding among low-income women, based on the premise that breastfeeding is the best method for feeding infants in the early months of life. The material is organized into 4 principal sections covering background information on various aspects of breastfeeding, specifically for low-income women; approaches to breast-feeding education at each of the 4 distinct phases of the prenatal and postpartum periods; sample lesson plans that may be used by health professionals or paraprofessionals in individual or group sessions; and a tabulation of references and resources for the use of health professionals in breastfeeding promotion efforts. (wz).