The stages of group development can help us see where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re heading

Why are some classes a pleasure to teach, while others test every skill and fragment of an instructor’s patience and fortitude? How can things seem to start off so well, and then proceed rapidly downhill? I have found it helpful to remind myself of the stages of group development as a rough heuristic for making sense of the classroom climate over the course of a semester.

Having a “big picture” sense of the terrain I am navigating with students gives me a general road map and guide. Where did we start, where are we now, and where do we want to go? These are the questions I am asking in reflecting on my teaching practice. The principles of group dynamics state that groups tend to progress through five specific stages in the process of developing cohesion and productive functioning:

Forming: Getting to know each other, as people determine the degree to which there is safety in risk-taking. Groups that get stuck at this stage tend to remain at a superficial level, and there is minimal group cohesion and community. Keep challenging their assumptions and encourage students to step beyond their comfort zone in engaging with one another and with the course material.
Storming: Characterized by interpersonal conflict, as group members test implicit and explicit norms and boundaries. This stage can really stretch our skills as we help the class navigate through rough waters. Hold steady. You (and they) will get through it. And pat yourself on the back for successfully supporting the class’s progress past Phase 1 – that’s not easy to do.
Norming: Developing positive group norms, values and behaviours is the reward for getting through the conflict and challenges of the storming phase. As a community of learners, what values do we stand for? How do we enact them in the classroom? Guiding students to examine and internalize positive group norms shifts some of the heavy work from the instructor to the class.
Performing: This is when it’s easy to remember why you are passionate about teaching. High functioning classrooms happen when students are committed to their own and others’ learning, and are willing to dig deep and make mistakes. Here is the laboratory where transformative learning happens. Congratulations, you earned it.
Adjourning: Saying goodbye can be tough, and guiding the class through this transition means honouring and celebrating their collective experience and acknowledging that this is ending.

And then you get to start all over again!

You are a Knowledge Curator

October 12, 2013

Clinical Education, Post-secondary Education

2 Comments

What do you collect when it comes to knowledge, skill and learning?

Our collections of knowledge are built over months, years and decades. We are all collectors of a singular miscellany of knowledge and skills. What is prized by one may not be assigned equal value by another. A quick example: I had a neighbor who did his doctoral thesis on medieval witch trials…in a specific region of Poland. (I think someone needs to do a doctoral thesis on doctoral theses).

Some people are intentional, assiduous collectors – their mind a perfect gallery. Some accumulate by chance and circumstance – a drawer of buttons and bits of string, but also containing rare and necessary objects.

Some learning costs us dearly and we value it accordingly: “This took me years to master.” When it costs nothing, when it’s effortless, do we assign a lesser value? (“It just comes naturally.”)

Some display their wealth of knowledge in opulent pride (which can be off-putting). Others hoard their wealth in private, only offering a rare glimpse or glimmer (which is intriguing). Who overestimates the value of what they’ve learned? Who underestimates it by far? Who suddenly changes their mind and their path and decides to start over?

The most prized collections are not easily achieved. Always alert for the dusty treasure in a forgotten corner. In the end what is amassed? An incalculable value.