When Small Groups Go Wrong: troubleshooting
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Dont forget to refer to the resources in the right hand column which may help you.
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You are given permission to cut and paste anything out of Paddy McEvoy's book.
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Remember to see permision for any material that does not belong to you or Paddy. A permission request form can be found in the left hand column.
Pages: 20 sides of A4 (or less)
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Overall aim of this chapter: to give the reader skills and tools for tackling dysfunctional small groups. For this to happen, we need to identify the causal factors (eg not setting group rules, someone being too domineering etc). Don't concentrate too much on normal facilitation skills as that is covered elsewhere. It's important to give case examples of common problems that happen in groups that threatens the learning and how one might either anticipate and therefore prevent it or achieve resolution.
- How to recognise your group is becoming dysfunctional (ch10 in Groups: a guide to small group work by Elwyn)
- Why is it dysfunctional? Is it them or is it you (bad member behaviour or poor facilitation?)
- Types of group members and what they can do: Read ch 4, Groups: a guide to small group work by Elwyn; give examples of how to handle the following
- Those who can talk too much: the dominator, the enthsiast, the conferrer
- Those who can veer off the subject: the digressor, the debater, the know all, the joker
- Those who hard say anything: the timid mouse, the passive aggressor
- Those who can be destructive: the whinger, the rank puller, the neurotic, the politician
- Remember to give examples of how to treat and prevent the following (may be have a table for each listing prophylaxis and treatment?)
- Silent Sitters and Dominant Talkers - handling them (p43 Once Upon a Group)
- How to handle conflict
- How to handle questions
- when there is a mismatch between learner and teacher agendas
- When the agenda is jumping all over the place - monitoring the group, revistinging aims and objectives, "stop, start, continue": (ask Ram for further details); 'white elephants' (p71 Once Upon a Group
- Group problem solving and decision making(p53 Once Upon a Group);(ch 14 Groups: a guide to small group work by Elwyn)
- Flight, Fight or Freeze (p44 Once Upon a Group)
- Facilitators not being democratic (p45 Once Upon a Group)
- The bid for leadership (p46 Once upon a group)
- When sub groups form (p48 Once Upon a Group)
- When pairing makes people feel left out (p49 Once Upon a Group)
- Red Herrings (p50 Once Upon a Group)
- Members who get too involved (p51 Once Upon a Group)
- The Quietly Subversives (p52 Once Upon a Group)
- Difficulties in reaching a decision (p53 Once Upon a Group)
- Members who erect barrieers (p55 Once Upon a Group)
- The Hidden Agenda (p56 Once Upon a Group)
- Members who transfer their feelings onto another (p58 Once Upon a Group)
- Scapegoating (p60-61 Once Upon a Group)
- The Group Casualty (p62 Once Upon a Group)
- When the party falls flat (p73 Once Upon a Group)
- Labelling members within the group (p63 Once Upon a Group)
- People who score points (p64 Once Upon a Group)
- Facilitators who encourage overdependence (p66 Once Upon a Group)
- The subject of sex and sexuality (p68 Once Upon a Group)
- Problems with disbanding (p72 Once Upon a Group)