Working with others - screen 5
What strategies can be used to ensure appropriate collaboration in a group work context?
- Understand clearly what the group is to do - often a task set for a group is about how the group operates as a group, as well as about what the group produces. Check this out with your teacher before you begin.
- Group projects require careful division of responsibility - it is not about how little work you can get away with. Group work requires maximum effort from everyone. Ask your teacher to advise you on individual responsibilities.
- Discuss the group's expectations for work quality - identify what the group is working towards - the final product.
- Make sure that all members of the group know about appropriate citation, referencing and acknowledgements - don't assume that everyone knows this already.
- Each group member could be encouraged to keep a personal journal which records contributions to the work of the group - this can be used to inform the teacher of individual contributions.
- Everyone checks the final draft for citation and attribution errors before submitting it for marking - this helps to maintain consistency in citation formatting, ensures there are no unnecessary duplications and is a final check to ensure appropriate acknowledgement of sources.
- Communicate frequently with your teacher - if there are problems with unequal contributions to the overall group task, discuss this with your teacher.
- Seek support from your teacher or school counsellor if you are being bullied into unethical behaviour.
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