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Working as a group
What is a group?

A collection of people that work together to use all

their knowledge to achieve greater success.

This maybe not be possible for one person working

alone.
Groups: Successful language learning in groups
depends on:

(1) The quantity and quality of communication between the

people in the group.

(2) Cooperation between students and how much they take

part in group activities.

(3) The students' relationships with each other and the

teacher.
Group Dynamics
“The effects of the roles and
behaviours of people in the group
on other group members, or the
whole group”
What factors make
GOOD ‘Group
Dynamics’?
Trust ve Accountability
cti s
ll e ion Positive
o
C cis
d e thinking
 • Trust
Get to know and believe in your group

• Collective decisions
Everyone in the group makes the decisions, together

• Accountability
Everyone in the group is responsible and answerable

• Positive thinking
Positive thinking can create twice the success
What factors make
BAD ‘Group
Dynamics’?
Res p ect
Behaviour
h i p
ers Personality of
e ad
L members
 • Behaviour
Negative actions that works against the group.

• Leadership
Leadership is not about being the most talkative or powerful.

• Respect
Always agreeing with the leader and not expressing your own opinion.

• Personality of members
Certain characteristics can have negative impacts on groups.
More BAD ‘Group
Dynamics’
Free riding
Doing very little work and making others do it.

Evaluation apprehension
Not giving your opinion because you’re afraid of what others may
say.
 Personality
characteristics
Personality
characteristics and
BAD ‘Group
Dynamics’
BAD personalities for
group dynamics
• The aggressor – Verb=

• The negator

• The withdrawer

• The recognition seeker

• The joker
 The aggressor
Often disagrees and is too outspoken
 The negator
Often critical of others: “That’s such a stupid idea!”
The withdrawer
Doesn’t participate
 The recognition seeker
Boastful and dominant: “Look at me, I’m so cool”
 The joker
Always joking and having fun, but at the wrong time.
What personalities
make GOOD
‘Group Dynamics’?
 • Initiator/Contributor

Gives original ideas. Starts discussions and suggests new things

• Information Giver

Provides facts and true information to the group

• Opinion Seeker

Asks the opinions of group members and makes sure they are
understood
 • Elaborator
Builds and extends other group member’s ideas.

• Energizer 
Concentrates the group's energy on moving forward on a
task.
How can you make
GOOD
‘Group Dynamics’
 • Know your team 

Identify positive and negative personalities.

• Solve problems quickly 

If a team member shows negative behavior, act quickly to correct it.

• Define roles and responsibilities

Define the mission, objectives and responsibilities of each group

member.
 • Focus on communication
Make sure that everyone is involved and communicating.
If someone is silent then help them.
They may not understand, may not be confident,
have a lower level of English, or need more time to speak.

• Be open-minded
Listen to everyone’s opinions, they are all valuable.

• Work as a team 
Never say: “We can’t do this”, always say: “How can we do this?”