How do we foster high functioning teams in the classroom?

By: Melissa Mickley 2023 PharmD candidate

If students hate it so much, why do we keep doing it? While hearing the phrase “get into your assigned groups” may cause anxiety and distress among many students, there are good reasons collaborative learning (CL) is beneficial.¹

Let’s dig into why students cringe when they hear “group work.” From an early age, schools often emphasize individual achievement and personal growth over teamwork and group achievement. Teachers may have the intention of combining students effectively to work in groups, but that doesn’t always facilitate teamwork.² Students can learn teamwork skills outside the classroom when they are on the playground with their peers interacting and playing together during their early years in school. This may continue as students begin playing sports or becoming involved in extracurricular activities such as band or student government. However, individual assessments generally continue throughout their school years.

We have all heard of the term “two heads are better than one.” CL helps promote creativity and problem-solving and is a major reason why collaborative practice is crucial for success as health care providers. Interpersonal skills and knowledge help to create the most well-rounded team to care for patients. 

Benefits of Collaborative Learning¹:

Social Benefits	CL helps develop a social support system and build diversity among students.
Psychological Benefits	Student-centered instruction helps to increase students’ self-esteem.
Academic Benefits	CL promotes critical thinking and requires active engagement in the learning process.

These benefits can be seen to a greater extent when students are in the same group throughout a course¹. This helps them to connect even outside the classroom to communicate about questions they may have and creates a stronger support system. 

Keeping in mind students’ backgrounds, and the benefits of collaborative learning, how do we create and promote high-functioning teams during courses to ensure students are prepared to work alongside other professionals once they enter the workforce?

Forming Teams³

• First, instructors should form teams and not leave this up to students. If groups are self-selected, stronger students will most likely form together, leading to unbalanced teams. The stronger teams will divide and conquer, which will not lead to important discussions. The weaker teams may struggle and reinforce misinformation. 
• Teams should be formed by choosing members that are diverse in ability levels, with most agreeing three to five students is a successful number to help promote creativity while not allowing for passive roles within the group³. 

Establishing Expectations³

• Have members set guidelines or policies for expectations of one another. This can vary based on the setting, but it may be beneficial to outline different roles and responsibilities along with how the group intends to work on and submit assignments. 
• It is also helpful to let students know that dividing and conquering work is not beneficial as they need to know all information for future assessments. It is more helpful for students to individually outline solutions and then get together to work through all the details and compile the final document to submit.  

Using Peer Feedback³

• One approach to assessing peers is to assess their team citizenship. This allows students to assess each other’s teamwork skills and accountability over academic ability. 
• These assessments can include questions surrounding members arriving to meetings on time, coming prepared to discuss the topics, listening ability, shared workloads, and if assignments are completed on time. 
• This feedback can be assessed midway through the course and again at the end, so students have time to make individual adjustments to better engage with and support their team.

Ensuring students are on board with this style of learning may be the  most important step in the process. One way of facilitating this may be to make them aware from the beginning of the idea of collaborative learning. Engaging them with real life examples of what they will experience once they leave school can help them to understand the process they are going through while they are in school. 

Group work promotes collaborative learning and helps to prepare students for this collaborative practice as they enter the workforce. Setting students up for success is important by promoting high-functioning teams in the learning environment. The main steps to achieve this are to form groups with diverse abilities, establish expectations within the teams from the beginning, and use peer feedback to help students better engage and get the most out of their teams. Hopefully, by the end of the course, students will see the benefits of working in high-functioning teams and grimace a little less when they hear the phrase “get into your assigned teams.” 

Acknowledgements: Dr. Kristine Cline PharmD, MS 

References:

1. Laal M, Ghodsi SM. Benefits of collaborative learning. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2012;31:486-490. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.091. Accessed January 10, 2023.
2. Holloway JH. Research link/student teamwork. ASCD. Published December 1, 2003. Accessed January 10, 2023.
3. Oakley, B.; Felder, R.M.; Brent, R.; Elhajj, I. Turning student groups into effective teams. J. Stud. Cent. Learn. 2004; 2: 9–34. Accessed January 10, 2023.
4. Burke A. Group work: How to use groups effectively. Journal of Effective Teaching. 2011;11(2):87-95. Accessed January 10, 2023.

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Author Bio(s):

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Pulses is a scholarly blog supported by Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning