I. Feedback
II. Conflict
III. Empathy
Whether working in pairs or groups, there are many challenges to navigate, and each situation has its own complex mixture of personalities, emotions, and group goals to be accomplished. To learn from and grow through any experience, partnerships between peers requires giving and receiving feedback. This is not always easy as it requires emotional resilience to hear constructive criticism and emotional awareness to provide constructive criticism. Pairs and groups can also expect to encounter conflict and must find ways to resolve this and move forwards in pursuit of achieving the group's goal. Finally, understanding the message being sent by each of the people within the group often starts with understanding the people themselves. Attempting to understand their motivations, their perspectives, and their needs is a large chunk of what it means to practice empathy.
There are many formats pair and group work can utilize. There is great potential in using face-to-face meeting time, provided the agenda is clear and time and location are not necessary major constraints. Where there may be location or time constraints, groups may consider using technology to augment the opportunities they have, whether using something like Wiggio or Skype. However you choose to organize your meetings, approach the meeting with a clear agenda and set of objectives and apply the Norms of Collaboration to ensure effective communication and contributions from group members.
Taken directly from the Center for Adaptive Schools (via the Thinking Collaborative website):
Norms of Collaboration
1. Pausing
Pausing before responding or asking a question allows time for thinking and enhances dialogue, discussion, and decision-making.
2. Paraphrasing
Using a paraphrase starter that is comfortable for you – “So…” or “As you are…” or “You’re thinking…” – and following the starter with an efficient paraphrase assists members of the group in hearing and understanding one another as they converse and make decisions.
3. Posing Questions
Two intentions of posing questions are to explore and to specify thinking. Questions may be posed to explore perceptions, assumptions, and interpretations, and to invite others to inquire into their thinking. For example, “What might be some conjectures you are exploring?” Use focusing questions such as, “Which students, specifically?” or “What might be an example of that?” to increase the clarity and precision of group members’ thinking. Inquire into others’ ideas before advocating one’s own.
4. Putting Ideas on the Table
Ideas are the heart of meaningful dialogue and discussion. Label the intention of your comments. For example: “Here is one idea…” or “One thought I have is…” or “Here is a possible approach…” or “Another consideration might be…”.
5. Providing Data
Providing data, both qualitative and quantitative, in a variety of forms supports group members in constructing shared understanding from their work. Data have no meaning beyond that which we make of them; shared meaning develops from collaboratively exploring, analyzing, and interpreting data.
6. Paying Attention to Self and Others
Meaningful dialogue and discussion are facilitated when each group member is conscious of self and of others, and is aware of what (s)he is saying and how it is said as well as how others are responding. This includes paying attention to learning styles when planning, facilitating, and participating in group meetings and conversations.
7. Presuming Positive Intentions
Assuming that others’ intentions are positive promotes and facilitates meaningful dialogue and discussion, and prevents unintentional put-downs. Using positive intentions in speech is one manifestation of this norm.
Norms of Collaboration - Annotated Poster. N.p.: The Center for Adaptive Schools, n.d. DOC.