Working in Discussion Groups

Why do we do projects in groups?

Group discussion allows you to exchange information and ideas and gives you the experience of working in a team. In the work place, discussions enable management to draw on the ideas and expertise of staff, and to acknowledge the staff as valued members of a team.

Formal roles. The fact that you are given a role within a small group does not mean that you must do it alone. Share the load as necessary. Feel free to ask for advice, assistence, etc., from other members of your group. For that to work, members should read their email and review the group discussion board daily.

As a group, working within your Small Group Discussion Area, note which role (see below) your place in the group's alphabetical order gives you for this initial round. Indicate that you understand your role and have begun to function in that capacity.As you progress from unit to unit, paper to paper, your roles will rotate through the various roles, so that the Submitting Editor from one task moves up to Managing Editor for the next, and so on:

1. Managing Editor. Oversees and coordinates the group's editorial activities for this paper.Works with the Morale Officer to coordinate staffing and scheduling. Works with the literary editor and authors to pull together a single document out of individual submitted materials.
2. Morale officer: Keeps everyone working together and on task. (Starts work this week)
   Note: In case of minor emergency, contact your morale officer if you run into problems so he or she can help find folks to pick up the slack. In case of university approved absences, contact your professor and your group moral officer so your group can work around you until things straighten out. The Morale Officer
1. Makes sure everyone's tone is helpful and their work is timely.
2. Helps anyone who gets confused or runs into problems.
3. Tracks the work of each member within the group and adds that information to papers as assigned. (There is always a list of who contributed what at the end of each group paper.)
3. Literary Editor:
   1. Decides what materials should go in the group document and in what order.
   2. Deals with issues of unified tone, layout, design, and ascription.
      b. Pulls together various individual's drafts to create a single group document
4. Copy editors: (or 4 & 5 in 6 person groups). Copy Editors are not responsible for saving really bad work. Copy editors are expected to ensure that the text flows, that it is sensible, fair, and accurate, and that any legal problems have been addressed. If a passage is unclear or an assertion seems questionable, the copy editor may ask the author to clarify and/or repair it. Corrects textual problems such as spelling, punctuation, grammar, terminology, jargon, and semantics, and ensuring that the text adheres to
   1. MLA rules for ascription (citing sources parenthetically within the text, and in a Works Cited seciton at the end), and
   2. my rules for document production (usually single spaced 12 point Times New Roman font with a blank space between paragraphs, identifying information and date at the top left of page 1, title top centered, and a running footer with group (or individual) name and page number.
5. Submitting editor (or 6 in 6 person groups)
   1. Make sure the document has been saved as an alphanumeric .rtf file labeled "U1P1-Groupx-paper.rtf" in which x is your group number. Dashes are OK, but otherwise stay alphanumeric, as characters like #, $, %, !, @, *, &, ^, etc., will cause the document to fail to open. If I can't open a document, your group gets an automatic zero for the assignment. Watch the Tutorial if you are not sure how to save as an .rtf in Microsoft Work.
   2. Submit the paper to the dropbox on time. Note: only documented, excused absences will result in an extension. Remember that your group is counting on you.
   3. Email the group once you have submitted the paper to your dropbox so they won't worry.

During an effective group discussion each participant may take up a number of task and maintenance as necessary to keep the project moving productively. While the document is sent to the Dropbox under the submitting editor's name, each member of the group receives the grade. The names of every member of the group are on the paper as well as specifics on participation (see Morale Officer's tasks). Members who do not participate, of course, receive a zero.

What can I get out of group?

When the dynamics are right, groups provide a supportive and nurturing environment for academic and professional endeavour Group discussion skills have many professional applications. Some advantages of group discussion are:

• Ideas can be generated.
• Ideas can be shared, 'tried out', and responded to by others.
• Documents can be assembled, edited, & improved.

Group dynamics

A useful strategy for developing an effective dynamic in your discussion group is to identify task and maintenance roles that members can take up. Here is a list of these roles, and the dialogue that might accompany them in a group discussion about the environmental responsibility of Australian companies.

Positive Task Roles

• Initiator: 'Let's take a local perspective on environmental responsibility. Maybe a fast-food outlet?'
• Information seeker: 'Does anyone know what Bentley Beta Burgers does with its garbage? Does it recycle?'
• Information giver: They won a local government award last year for running an environmentally friendly operation.'
• Procedure facilitator: 'I'll write this down to keep track of our discussion.'
• Opinion seeker: 'Do you think they're really responsible or is it just a bit of good PR?'
• Opinion giver: 'I think it's a combination of the two, but at least they're taking the issue seriously.'
• Clarifier: 'We need to get hold of Betta Burgers' annual report to get a better picture of what they're doing.'
• Summariser: 'O.K. We're taking a local perspective, using Bentley Betta Burgers as our example, and we'll have a look at last year's annual report to see in what way they practiced environmental responsibility.'

Positive Maintenance Roles

These become particularly important as the discussion develops and opposing points of view begin to emerge.

• Social Supporter: 'We're coming up with some good ideas here.'
• Harmoniser: 'Jane and Tsen have looked at the issue from opposing points of view. Let's see if we can take something from both points of view.'
• Tension Reliever: 'This discussion's really dynamic. It's good that we have so many different valid angles on the issue.'
• Energiser: 'Hey, the point that Ahmed made has really got me thinking. Let's explore his idea some more.'
• Compromiser: 'Half the group supports Jane's view and half supports Tsen's. Now we need to formulate a compromise that we can all live with.'
• Gatekeeper: 'How do you feel about the issue, Greg? Your contribution here would be really valuable.'

As well as these positive roles, there are a number of negative roles which are often taken up in group discussion. You should avoid taking up these roles and learn to identify them in other group members. The discussion group may adopt the ground rule that negative role behaviour will be censured by members of the group. Described below are some negative roles to be avoided.

Negative Roles to be Avoided

• Disgruntled non-participant: someone who does not contribute and whose presence inhibits the participation of other group members.
• Attacker: someone who acts aggressively by expressing disapproval of other members and their contributions to the discussion.
• Dominator: someone who takes control of the discussion by talking too much, interrupting other members, or behaving in a patronising way.
• Clown: someone who 'shows off', refuses to take the discussion seriously, or disrupts it with inappropriate humour.

'Task' and 'Maintenance' roles section has been developed from a concept by Judith Dwyer in:
Business Communication:Strategies and Skills 1999, Prentice Hall, Sydney

Dr. Bonnie Duncan
2004; Last revised June 14, 2008
bduncan@millersville.edu
1-717-871-2080
English Department
Millersville University
Millersville, PA 17551

Other Contacts:
Millersville Information Technology Help Desk:
1-717-871-2371, 1-800-509-9605

Blackboard Help Desk:
Help Desk # for B'board
1-866-334-9174